OMG – Amazon has done it again – they have, in one stroke pretty much destroyed the paper back publishing industry, at least in my part of the world where a paperback can easily cost over US$25! Yes there is a new Kindle out in time for Christmas 2011 (shipping late November I believe) – and its called … well there are four of them: Kindle, Kindle Touch, Kindle Touch 3G and Kindle Fire.
So why am I buzzing around telling you to go and check out the new Kindles now? Well obviously I want my Amazon sales to boom at the end of the year. Because, frankly, at $79 – why aren’t you giving everyone a Kindle? I am certainly thinking that my partner needs to stop borrowing mine! And no,I wouldn’t pay for a teenager to have an expensive, fragile tablet – but I would consider the tablet version called Kindle Fire at under $199.
No its not the cute new Kindles that have me excited – its the fact that when the Kindle 3 came out (the current one, why don’t they like version numbers?) last year, the sales for Indie e-book authors went through the roof. You see what do you do when someone gives you a new Kindle – yes – you spend the holidays buying books, cheap books, that Indie’s put out for 99c
So if you want to check out the new Kindle models (you can still buy the “old” one too – which is the only one that now comes with a keyboard, here you go:
So now I REALLY have to get my act together and get the next five books I have in my head out into the pixels… This is going to be huge – and not just in the US. From what I can see I can get Amazon to deliver the new Kindle for less than I can buy them downtown. They are also releasing some models through the UK store for UK Kindle Store
Why You Need To Buy a Kindle in 2011
And for those of you who haven’t got e-books and Kindles yet.
Why the Kindle is cool:
- you can read it in bright sunlight – try that with your iPad or netbook;
- you can read it in bed without causing yourself or your partner concussion or hand cramps – try that with the latest 400 page trade paper back;
- you can read it without glasses because you can dial the font up to super-size – try that with a cheap book with crap typography;
- people who have serious sight loss can read it (or listen to it- they will talk to you as well) – without paying a fortune for the very limited selection of large print books published;
- you can listen to it read your book while you are stuck in traffic – did I mention the battery life is still about 1 month?
- you can get the book immediately – you click its on your Kindle – I’ve read more books in the few months that I’ve had the Kindle than I’d read in the previous year;
- once you have bought someone a Kindle – you never need to think of a present again -just buy them an Amazon gift card.
Why eBooks are cool:
- they are removing the gatekeepers – you don’t need an agent and a publishing contract to publish your book – you need a free Amazon publisher account and a free Smashwords account – just like iTunes did for music;
- the price of books are coming down, seriously down – while the percentage that (self-published) authors are going up – a lot.
- e-books mean you can take 3500 books with you on vacation and still pack light;
- you can read trashy novels, erotica or Shakespeare on the c0mmute – and no one knows;
- you can subscribe to a newspaper or magazine and be able to read it standing up, on-handed on the Tube (seriously that’s why the Brit’s buy them);
- you don’t even need a Kindle to read them – or any form of e-Reader – Amazon has free Kindle software for Macs, PCs, iPads, iPhones, Android and few others I never heard of.
23 replies on “2011 Kindle – Kindle Reader, Kindle Touch – Free Kindle eBooks are Going to Be Hot in 2012”
How good is this news! So many Kindle Christmas presents this year. So many new Kindle readers looking for books to buy. So many opportunities for authors …
It’s just a shame that the touch and fire are not selling internationally (yet).
t
You read fine print better than I do Tracey! – I’m surprised its the cheapest one that I can pre-order from down-under – will piss off the local retailers I should think!
Hi Lis, we almost bought one for our daughter last week, an avid 13year old reader but we didn’t have the money. Glad we didn’t now, I like the sound of the Fire, might get her one for Xmas.
Always knew they were a great idea especially carrying 3500 books with you but never thought about the benefits to the authors.
Keith
Looks like the Fire may not be available in Oz for a little while Keith – depends on how well they can keep up with demand. Ebooks are really quite an exciting development – its a new game in town – I’ve written a bit about indie self-publishing here
I recently bought myself a Kindle (the “old” one with the keyboard) and I love it! In fact, I was raving about it so much that my dad just ordered one for himself.
I was always a serious bookworm when I was a kid. I’d read almost all of the young adult fiction books at my local library by the time I was 13 years old, and then moved on to adult books from there. Over the last few years though, the number of books I read has dropped dramatically, and I think that’s a real shame. I started to feel guilty about constantly overdue library books (not because I would read them slowly, but because I’d checkout 10 at once), but buying books at the store was out of the question. Like you mentioned, decent novels go for $25!
In an effort to get into reading again, I bought the Kindle. I suppose I could have just ordered my books online and had them delivered- after all, the books are cheaper online- but then I’d have to pay the shipping fees as well. Amazon.com doesn’t offer any discounts on shipping to Australia, unfortunately. With a Kindle, you can buy a great bestseller for under $10, and a huge number of great books for under $5…. and NO shipping. It was a no brainer for me.
I wish you posted this a couple days ago, and I would have got my dad to buy his Kindle through your link!
Cheers Lissie, enjoy your ebooks!
Never – mind – but remember WHATEVER you need to buy on Amazon for Xmas – use the link – people don’t realise that you can click thru on a Kindle like and buy up big in the photographic department and its all good for commissions! I was exactly like you as a kid – read all the YA before I was supposed to – and then sometimes used my mum’s card to read the adult section. In fact I’ve started a novel for the first time in years last night on the Kindle – it cost $0 – down from $2.99 – I bought it because its an American writing a story based in Auckland – but she’s doing OK so far (if we can get past the cabbage palms!) – I wouldn’t have taken the risk if it was real money – as it is I will probably buy a couple of her others.
In the US they already have library lending for the KIndle – I think you and I will have to wait a long time for that!
That is a very convincing endorsement for reading on a Kindle or Kindle software. I have Kindle on my phone and I like it, but I hate the device itself, I borrowed one from a friend and it was very difficult for me to read and concentrate on, and it seemed clunky. Since I like the one on my phone (EVO) I might be a little more accepting, but honestly, I can’t get into a really good book that isn’t made of paper – plus you don’t need electricity to read it, plus you can give it away or get credit at the used bookstore for it. However, you are inspiring me to think about self publishing for the Kindle, I especially love that you mentioned you can get a FREE Amazon publishing account. A few years ago, you had to be a published author to publish with Amazon. Now they understand the worth of encouraging everyone to write and publish, it’s all money for Amazon.
Its the lack of shiny screen – which make the “traditional” Kindle look “clunky” – but its the lack of shiny that makes it so easy to read. Also you only need electricity once a month – I can’t stand reading on my phone either. Frankly I now find them easier to read than a book. And yes – as I am trying to get the would be authors on HubPages to understand – stop playing around making no money there and take countrol of your writing and PUBLISH – scifi and fantasy seems to do particularly well on Kindle … just saying
Hi,
What do you think of Amazon selling the Kindle much more expensive in other countries, namely in countries where wages are usually lower than in US ?
Or selling it more expensive in a country with a higher currency (read UK) ?
José
AFAIK Jose they don’t – the price in NZ is exactly the same as its in the US – but I have to pay postage (obviously) and pay in my currency, but its cheaper to buy the Kindle from Amazon than from the local store (because I avoid paying sales tax). Its the same for the UK – the higher price is because of VAT being added, that’s the government , not Amazon. What the local wages has nothing to do with Amazon, what irirtates me is when Amazon WONT sell products (usually electronics) to me – because the manufacturers are protecting the local market price!
BTW your comment was eaten by askimet
Hi Lis, thanks for the mention, I’ve been keeping up with Kindle developments recently. I’ve decided to get one for Christmas soon too. I’ve never been the biggest of readers but hope it can push me into reading more. I’m definitely going for the eink design ones though for the screen and battery life.
I am hoping to get the touch with 3g when it becomes available in the UK.
I have a question though, how does the Amazon publishing work? I tried before and it seemed to stop me because I wasn’t a previously published author on Amazon, is it the smashword thing that gets around this?
Also just wanting your opinion: I have an idea for a novel, but it may be a bit long, do you think it would be a good idea to effectively release a few chapters at a time and charge for them individually or write the whole thing and charge more for it in one go? I thought the former idea would be good as it gets income faster, maybe more overall, and if its good it’ll get people hooked, it also takes less convincing to spend a small amount for a few chapters rather than a huge amount for a whole book (this would be competing with the well known authors too), is that possible on kindle?
Feel free to pre-order the touch via my affiliate link NOW LOL! I am about to order the basic model (not touch) for my partner – so I can get my one back LOL! Publishing at amazon works just fine – go to https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/signin and carry on from there, though its hardly intuitive – you certainly don’t need to be a published author. Smashwords doesn’t (yet) distribute to Amazon) – you also have to load your book up separately to the com/ uk/de sites (weird)
Yeah the thing with ebooks is that shorter may be better – not because of the size of the file – but because of the reader’s attention span. What I’ve seen a lot of fiction authors do is either give or sell at 99c the first book in the series and then price the subsequent books higher. Its clever because for the reader its not just the money – its more about the time. I’m reading (will be reading when Kindle is repartriated to rightful owner) a book that is not something I would normally read- but the blurb caught my attention – once I’ve finished it (I think it was 99c) – I will probably read more of her work.
BTW most indie author’s are publishing at the $2.99 point (least you can do to get the 70% royalty with Amazon)
Hey Lissie,
Your Amazon links are a bit odd. If you click on the part of the box that says ‘buy from amazon’ it loses your affiliate link, but if you click on the blue text in the boxes it works correctly.
Not sure if you can do much about that, but thought i’d point it out!
That’s more than a bit odd Steve – I think I will replace them with boring old text ads! Thanks for the head’s up!
Wow! I never knew that this Kindle I am seeing around with few people in places was really cool! I am a great fanatic of books and can name few authors. I love reading coz it improves my English grammar skill. And I never wouldn’t want to feel bored that’s why reading book is my remedy. I’m obsess with books! I often use my 1 backpack loaded with books. By the way, Kindle isn’t yet popular right? Thank you so much for introducing me this helpful gadget I can get for myself.
The Kindle is probably the most popular of the dedicated e-readers – the next most popular is Barnes&Noble’s Nook (not available outside the US). I am starting to see a few of them in New Zealand (books are very expensive here) – but no that not yet popular – but now they’ve got so cheap …
Now that they have the cheaper versions you just gave me the perfect gift idea for the husband this Christmas (I’ll buy thru your link when I do buy). He works 12 hour shifts at a factory and he ends up in the control room doing nothing (reading books/newspaper/on the comp) for about 9 hours of those 12 hour shifts just making sure the presses are running correctly. This would be perfect because he could get his newspapers on it as well as books he wants to read and all he has to bring with him is the Kindle. Glad they came out with a cheaper one because I wasn’t spending over $100 on him. I know. I’m pretty cheap huh?
I think the seriously sub-$100 price-point is the key to the Kindle taking ebooks mainstream – and yeah perfect for work – he can slip it into his pocket and people around him won’t know whether he’s reading romance or Wall St Journal!
Lis, since you have Kindle 3 already, which new Kindle will you get? Kindle Touch or Fire? I am still considering about that myself.
Neither – the touch would be annoying and the fire isn’t an ereader – its a cheap tablet with the same issues with of short battery life and being able to read it in the sun. I’ll go for the cheapie “Kindle”
Hi Lissie – well done on the ebook sales ! I agree ebooks are the way of the future so we all need to write a lot of them. ‘No-one knows if you read trashy novels’ – no-one except Amazon and possibly Google too, who knows, one day they may start blackmailing people -“pay us the money or we publish your reading list! ” (maybe I’m a little paranoid?).
Hi Lissie,
I have the Kindle 2.0, my oldest son has the Kindle 3 (Keyboard). To be honest, I hardly ever use the keyboard – only if I’m searching on Amazon for a particular book or author.
To me, the new entry level Kindle at $ 79 looks like the best value. You get the great screen and access to Amazon’s content library – and the virtual keyboard and toggle control work fine when you think how rarely you’ll use it.
My youngest son is getting one of those for his Christmas this year. It arrived last week, and I had a bit of a play with it – to make sure it’s working you understand. It’s very light and the page turn buttons are well positioned – so, if you just want to read books, I think it’s a good choice.
As far as Kindle books go, there’s a massive sales spike in sales every year just after Christmas and through January. I think that it will be even more pronounced this year as the new low prices will see more Kindles than ever appearing under the Christmas tree. I wih you, and anyone else with Kindle books for sale, a lot of success!
Yeah Santa brought my partner one of the Kindle 4’s as well – I’ve turned it on and it looks fine – but I can’t actually register it to our common Amazon account yet – he’ll notice it LOL
Thanks – I’ve got a lot of books to finish in the next couple of weeks!