Kindle Observations (Sunday Salon)
Here are some observations I’ve made since I’ve started reading books on my new Amazon Kindle. Are you listening, publishers? There may be some handy tips below. And there will be a quiz.
1) I’ve become much more price conscious than I used to be about books. I am much less likely to purchase an e-book at a price point above $10 and much more likely to purchase it at below $8. When purchasing physical books, I don’t tend to think about price as much as if I really want the book as an object. I think this is because there are so many books on my wishlist available on Kindle that they are competing with one another, and they are mostly by authors who are new to me, so they are on an equal footing in other respects. Therefore, I’m more likely to go with the lower priced book. Right now, I’m reading The Forever War by Joe Haldeman, which I think cost around $4.
2) For a science fiction fan, there is a lot to choose from on the Kindle. This is the kind of reading I primarily wanted to get the Kindle for, i.e., books to read once and move on, rather than keep them forever. If it’s a classic that I think I will want to reread, I would rather buy a nice-looking physical copy for my shelves.
3) I am reading more. In fact, I now have at least two books going at a time, one on Kindle and one physical, so I always have a book nearby to read at odd moments.
4) I love the samples. If I read a sample and get hooked, I know I have to buy the book. I almost never read the first chapter or two of a physical book before buying, but with the Kindle samples, the experience between trying it out and sitting down to read it is practically seamless.
I’m sure I’ll have more thoughts as I use my Kindle more and more. So far, I’m glad I got one. I am even cleaning off my bookshelves to make room to display only the most treasured volumes in my collection. My local library can expect some hefty donations soon.
If you have a Kindle, do you have any tips for me?
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Great observations. I definitely “comparison shop” much more now that I use an e-reader regularly. Not only do I compare e-book to physical book prices, I also shop a couple of different sites for my e-books and watch for sales or coupon events.
I buy most of my books from charity shops .You can get books for just £1
I did get a kindle for christmas but cant get into it…..maybe its the Ebooks i got with it.
ann
I particularly like the ability to highlight text, to share those highlights, and to see what others have highlighted. So much so in fact that I find myself preferentially buying nonfiction books on my Kindle, because those are the ones that I am most likely to highlight.