Anyone Have an Amazon Kindle E-Reading Device?

[Mo]

I have always struggled with wanting to read too many books at once and deciding which "currently reading" book to take with me where. Well, now there may be an answer to this dilemma. The Amazon Kindle stores up to 200 books (or thousands with an additional memory card or something like that).

Does anyone have a Kindle? What do you not like about it? My only concern is that I haven't seen one and think I might miss the comfort of holding an actual book. I'm also concerned that some authors have not given Kindle the right to make their books available through Kindle (e.g., Harry Potter's J.K. Rowling). There are over 190,000 titles available including newspapers and blogs but, with my luck, the titles I really want won't be available when I want them. I couldn't find William Faulkner or Suzanne Collins when I searched Kindle, for example.

Oprah is offering a $50 discount to her at-home TV audience for those of you who already know you want one.

[Mo]

Oh, and my other concern is that I will go book-buying crazy! Kindle books are cheaper than paper editions and I'm just scared that I will start downloading like a madwoman. I've been saving a lot of money with Paperback Swap and don't want to turn back to my old book-buying craze. This happened to me in terms of music with the Ipod. The first few weeks, I was downloading everything I could think of. To do this with books would be even more expensive.

[pop]

Kindle has drawbacks yet. it's still a propriety source software, many authors and publishing companies are not willing to use it. The machine is expensive, and does only the one thing. A cheap laptop does more, whenever, wherever. You're limited to buying only from Amazon, the reason they came out with it. I've heard they opened it up to everyone, but have yet to see that. Of course you'll be like a kid with a new toy, that's what they're hoping for. The device doesn't lend itself to some types of books, ie picture books. A paperback in your pocket or purse is so much simpler. You want books on the cheap, try frugalfiction.com. No, they don't have a lot of big name authors, but they do have some quality stuff by lesser known writers, for very little money.

[Tamara]

I thought about getting a Kindle, too. It sounded good until I realized that I could only get books from Amazon. I decided to get an Ipod instead. I'm still trying to figure out how to use the little gadget, but it seems promising.

[LJ]

I have a Kindle and I love it. I bought it when I was traveling a lot for business and it solved the problem of how to pack 9 books for a week-long trip. I have the complete Gabaldon "Outlander" series on my Kindle. Some of the things I love about it, beyond being able to put a whole bunch of books on it, are:

1. Changeable font sizes: there are six sizes from which to choose.

2. Built in dictionary: I can look up a word as I read

3. Notes: For writing reviews, I find it easiest to make notes as I go. I can include my notes with the text

4. Comfort: I find the screen very easy to read in almost any light, it's light--10.6 oz--and comfortable to hold (slightly larger than a paperback, slightly smaller than a trade). I like the screen size

5. Convenience: Even though I am no longer traveling, when I leave the house, so does my Kindle. Waiting in lines, waiting for a friend, anytime I've a few minutes, I can read AND I have a choice of what I want to read. I find a battery charge will last about 4 days.

6. Audiobooks: Because Amazon bought Audible, I can download audiobooks to my Kindle as well.

As to reading experience, I knew this was a winner when I was engrossed in a story and reached up to turn the page.

Downside? Not everything is available on Kindle, but they do keep adding books.

All I know is that I am very glad I bought my Kindle.

[Mo]

Tamara, I owned an Ipod for about 6 months and then lost it. :-( While I had it, I was like a kid in a candy store though. I kept buying and buying music. It was crazy - everytime I thought about I song I used to like, I downloaded it. I spent hundreds of dollars on songs. Hopefully, you'll have a lot more self-control than I. I'm afraid that this same lack of self-control could get me into trouble with a Kindle, too (except it would be 9.99 books rather than 99 cents songs).

[Stephanie "Jedigal"]

Mo, my sister has had a Kindle since they first came out. She has saved a LOT of money on books since then. When she thinks she is interested in a book, she downloads the free samples, and has hundreds of those on her Kindle. But she doesn't actually BUY the books until she's actually ready to read them. As she tells it, looking at her sample list feels very similar to standing in front of her physical "to be read" bookcase, except it hasn't cost her anything to put those "books" on the shelf, and of course, we all paid something for our physical books.

Maybe your bad I-pod habits won't be a good indicator. After all, the number of songs you can listen to in a day is a lot greater than the number of books you can read.

All,
my husband has also bought a Kindle, since they dropped their price, and then Oprah has her coupon. He is mainly hoping it will be good for reading pdfs of computer software manuals for his work. I'll let everyone what he thinks after he's been using it for a while.

[Mo]

I missed the Oprah $50 discount which expired November 1. Anyone know about any other discounts? $359 is such a steep price.

[Fenixbird]

LJ--May I ask how does it work with Audible books on the Kindle? Do you add a sound card? Is there still text on the screen along WITH the read/spoken voice??

I just read about Kindle on Amazon.com. One of the authors I was attempting to order his book which was out of print (except for just a couple of used copies)....had put his book on Kindle.

What SOUNDS great...is if you are TRAVELLING.especially being able to get the newspaper subscriptions for only $9.99/mo. Um you are limited to what you can bring when you travel. Will it pass airport inspections?

Teresa

[LJ]

Hi Teresa, The Kindle has a built in sound card so you don't need to buy anything extra. I don't know that you could listen and read at the same time. I'm guessing not.

When I was traveling a lot, my Kindle was perfect. I just had it in my carry-on tote and never had any problem going through inspections. I was traveling internationally, and even then it was never an issue.

Even though I'm no longer traveling, when I leave the house, so does my Kindle.

LJ

[pop]

I just put my book on Kindle, it's getting popular since Oprah mentioned it. Let's hope I can see some good sales that way. I think it's overpriced, myself.

[Bradley]

My book is on Kindle.. but nothing seems to be happening on it. How many actually have this device?

[Andrea]

For audio, there is a small speaker on the back and a headphone on the lower edge of the Kindle, next to the USB port.

Under the "Experimental" portion of the main Kindle menu are options for "Basic Web" and "Play Music." Websites that have mobile device feeds work okay. On the list are BBC News MSNBC news Wikipedia, ESPN, and several more. You can also type in a web address. A full featured site is not going to work well, though.

As for the Play Music option - music can be downloaded via USB from your computer, so you can "listen to background music while you read." I haven't tried this option yet.

There is another source for books... Feedbooks.com allows you to download books for various E-reader devices including the Kindle. The books ar all out of copyright and are FREE. I've already downloaded several to my Kindle.

I have been somewhat disappoointed in the selection of available books from Amazon. One of my other Good Reads books groups has put up their Jan - June reading list. Only one of 3 or 4 books that I was interested in reading was currently available on the Kindle.

My home bookshelves are full to overflowing so I'm hoping the Kindle helps keep that somewhat under control. I had been reading occassionally on a Palm, but the small size and the backlit screen were not my favorite reading atmosphere. The Kindle's much more book like look is very appealing.

[Sandy]

Hi, everyone. I've got a kid's book that I'm thinking of putting out as either an e book (very cheap to do) or as a Kindle version (More expensive for a publisher to do). I'm going to study the responses on this list for insights. I don't have a Kindle.

Anyone have any ideas as to which would be better for kids? Or both? It's about an orphan baby horse and has lots of photos.

Any authors or publishers with experience selling books on them?

Sandy
Stepping Off the Edge: Learning & Living Spiritual Practice

[Fenixbird]

Hmm...Thanks LJ for that helpful explanation about the Kindle. Gonna just have to visit Amazon I suppose!!

I learned something new this week!

[pop]

Sandy, rethink doing Kindle for a children's book. Ebook, maybe, even young children use computers these days, but few have Kindle. I don't see many parents popping for over three hundred dollars for Kindle for their kids to tote around when they're already toting laptops. Children's books are still better done as actual books, especially if by children's book you mean a picture book. I've done the research, Kindle is not yet viable for that kind of book. It barely works for regular books, the trouble is most people just won't pop for one when they can also get most things as Ebooks on computers they already have. I put my adult fiction book on Kindle, just as an additional outlet, just when Oprah mentioned it and they got a spike in sales of both the devices and downloads. We won't be putting the children's books I'm working with on Kindle, at least at any time in the near future. If you'd like help with marketing your children's book, contact me offlist at tootall1121@yahoo.com

[Eric_W]

Personally, I can't wait to get one. If you read the NY Times, Atlantic, and others of the many magazines available, you can easily recoup the expense very quickly by getting the subscription through the Kindle rather than in print. I've been using the color version of the Rocket book for many years and frankly, I like having a backlit screen and hope that something like that might soon be an option for the Kindle. I love reading in bed and not needing the light. Generally, as someone with a lot of IT experience, I rarely buy anything in version 1, but even so I'm on the cusp of getting a Kindle to join the ranks of my myriad other devices and gizmos.

[pop]

Hey, those of you that have Kindle, and like action adventure yarns with some romance and humor too, give my book a try. It's called Trouble Starts, Pane Follows. Yeah, that's a bold as brass way to ask people to buy my book, but why not, on Kindle, or frugalfiction.com for those of you that don't have Kindle, it's cheap, yet I make as much as I would off a twenty dollar print book sale. (not that much, when it comes down to it) On frugalfiction.com, you can read the first fourteen chapters for free to see if you like it first.

[LJ]

Hey Dave, You're contradicting your self. On one hand, you say "[Kindle:] barely works for regular books..." yet you've made your book available on Kindle. I say again, I LOVE my Kindle! I was an "early adopter," bought it at the full $399 price and still say it was the best $400 I've ever spent.

For Eric, Amazon deliberately did not chose to have a back-lit screen as they are shown to be harder on the eyes. Instead they use electronic paper using ink. I love the six font sizes. It is readable in most light, but yes, I do use a small LED light in bed at night.

Having been an Audible.com subscriber for some time, I also love that I can download my audiobooks onto my Kindle.

Once thing of which I don't know most people are aware is that you can download a free sample of books before you buy them. I think this is a great feature.

[Robin]

I handle most of the "business side" for my husband who is published - and I can say that getting a Kindle version out there is a lot easier than doing a Sony eReader. Kindle's format is pretty easy to setup. They have a website that you just upload files to - then you can browse them etc. I went from knowing zero about Kindle to getting a Kindle version of his book up in about 3 days including the coversion of the book to the required format.

Sony eReader does not have such a system. You can't upload files they "do it for you" but you have to be a big publishing house. My husband's publisher is small so I doubt they will be able to get "in" to that one.

--
Robin
Wife of fantasy author: Michael J. Sullivan
The Crown Conspiracy (Oct 2008)
Avempartha (April 2009)

[Robin]

I put my husband's book on Kindle - Only have 2 sales so far - but he has been hearing a lot recently at signings that people wanted to get Kindle instead of an actual book so I think it is worth having there. They have a pretty nice discount on it so it is less than $5 for Kindle.

http://www.amazon.com/Crown-Conspirac...

--
Robin
Wife of fantasy author: Michael J. Sullivan
The Crown Conspiracy (Oct 2008)
Avempartha (April 2009)

[Jess]

I have a kindle and I think it is fantastic. Some books are not released to the kindle at the same time as in hardcover, so you have to wait a little bit. I still buy books from the bookstore, since i'm an addict. What I like is that some of the older books that I haven't gotten around to reading, like Janet Evanovich's old romance books are like 3 bucks. You can't go wrong with that.

Granted, I received the kindle as a gift, so I am saving money to begin with. but many of the books on there are at least a dollar or so less then paperback versions, and alot less than hardcovers.

[Robin]

I so want one - but they are just a tad too expensive for me... If they could get down to $180 I could justify it.

The Crown Conspiracy (Oct 2008) - Fantasy Book Critic Review | Avempartha (April 2009)