Kindle Review Part II

So here is why I think the future of publishing may lie with electronic readers like the Kindle--the ability to sell on the screen on which you read. That's right, when you turn the Kindle on, you can either go directly to where you left off reading--which is what I usually do--or go the the Home screen on which you have stored your purchases. There is also the option to go to the Kindle store, which is where it all gets interesting.

First of all, there is something called the Kindle Daily Post, which is a short blurb about some book you can, naturally, purchase on the Kindle. It changes every day and is very often written by the author whose book is being plugged. Talk about built in marketing. Right now, for example, there is a interview with Elizabeth Edwards about her new book.

Then, there is the New on Kindle post, which basically tells you what is hot. And of course, there are the personal picks, based on your prior purchases. This is amazing marketing all on one screen in one place. The blurbs about the books are all well written and short.

There are also the obligatory lists--Best Sellers, Top Kindle Sellers and New and Noteworthy, for example, for those who like their book info very short and sweet. The important thing here is that the Kindle affords authors the opportunity to literally connect with their readers--to comment on their books or even answer questions from readers. It is a goldmine of untapped potential and that is what struck me the first time that I turned this machine on and the Kindle Store came up.

I do not understand why some authors do not make their books available electronically. In my opinion, they are missing a very large boatload of opportunity to get their work out as well as to comment on that work.

It is, in a word, brilliant, and Amazon should work at lowering the price to make this device accessible to everyone, especially older people who can't always get out to the bookstore or library. I don't know what took me so long....