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What we're reading

Find your new favourite book or recommend one on our Book forum.

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Original poster

Does anyone have an Amazon Kindle?

256 replies

paranoidmother · 03/01/2010 19:42

Dh gave me a Kindle for Christmas and I have managed to get a few books via Amazon.com although a few authors are not signed up for this yet.

Doe anyone have any hints or tips on using a kindle.

So far I love it and am thrilled to have one. It's meant I will be able to take loads of stories with me everywhere as I can get through a book an evening sometimes if there is nothing else to do.

OP posts:

Horton · 25/01/2011 12:05

You don't get charged if you use the free Kindle address, which will only work with WiFi not 3G. It's exactly the same address with free added before the kindle bit, so it's [email protected] instead of [email protected].

BecauseImWorthIt · 25/01/2011 12:39

Ah that's worth knowing - my Kindle address is automatically set (I think) at [email protected].

I did assume that I was probably paying for using 3G - which is fair enough as it's free for buying books!

And I don't really begrudge 20p, it's just the not knowing about it that irritated me.

Horton · 25/01/2011 13:54

You can also change the first bit of your address if you want to, at the Manage My Kindle page on Amazon. In fact, if we all changed ours to something anonymous, we could set up a MN Kindle Library and lend each other books, I think.

silverfrog · 25/01/2011 13:57

oooh, now that's worth looking into, Horton - what an excellent idea!

Horton · 25/01/2011 14:08

Thank you! I think possibly you can only lend a book to one person at once so it might lead to waiting lists but it's worth a go. Shall we all post lists of the paid for books we have on our Kindles and see what the interest is like? I have to admit that mine is quite light on things that actually cost money but very happy to lend to anyone who fancies any of them. I think you get two weeks to read a book once it's been lent.

Horton · 25/01/2011 14:13

Also, have a look at this:

www.kindlelendingclub.com/

amazonianwoman · 25/01/2011 14:50

Mine arrived an hour ago

VERY excited, have just finished charging it and half 10 minutes to spare before the school run...

I've only bought around 10 books so far (via Kindle on Iphone) but I'd be happy to join in the MN loan scheme

Longstocking2 · 25/01/2011 15:06

why are books so expensive?
Also why are audio books so expensive to download?
It makes no sense, they're cutting out the whole delivery system....
I want a kindle too but baulk at the cost of many books.

Longstocking2 · 25/01/2011 15:07

I mean why are books to read on a kindle so expensive? Have anyone broken the costs down for the customer or is it just Greed!

BecauseImWorthIt · 25/01/2011 23:36

Just to say, my Kindle e-mail address isn't actually [email protected] - although I could change it to that if we're doing lending!

Having said that, I've only paid for one book so far, the others are free ones that I've downloaded.

Longstocking2 - are you sure you've been looking at Kindle books? My DH has a Sony e-reader and their prices are shockingly high. They seem to be pitched between the cost of a paperback and the cost of a hardback.

jimmylesante · 26/01/2011 20:47

Kindle has a variety of books at different prices. I looked at the top 100 and the 1st one was selling for 71pence. Various unknown artists go for 1p to £3. There are of course technical books which go for a lot more. I suppose the novels of well known authors could be cheaper. There was one book on cot death prevention for $289 ok it was a print book though, another one was more reasonable, look at this page
I think supply and demand will rule in the end and prices will drop unless you have a tendency to read quantum physics

dyzzidi · 26/01/2011 20:56

I have had my kindel for a couple of days now and have read three books already! I absoutely ove it. DH has acquired a memory stick from a boke at work for me which has 500 books on it including loads i wanted to purchase;)

Horton · 26/01/2011 21:35

I think some books are quite expensive. But I am assuming that as people get wise to the freebies on offer - and there are LOADS of decent books for hardly any money - the price may well drop. I agree that charging the same as a paperback is nuts. But most books offer some kind of discount and lots are heavily discounted, free or pennies. You certainly won't be paying more than the print price on Kindle.

Wilts · 26/01/2011 21:40

My lovely pink case arrived for mine today, so now I have a light I can read in bed

Still pondering over books though, I am soo indecisive.

roisin · 26/01/2011 21:41

I don't think charging pb price is nuts.
Obviously the dream/vision is that books as we know them will peter out: so this will become the prime publishing medium.

In order to have ongoing quality literature, authors need to be able to claim decent royalties and publishers need to be making sufficient money to employ decent editors and proofreaders. The books will still need to be marketed, etc etc.

Horton · 26/01/2011 21:47

But there are fewer production costs. There is no paper to buy, no printing, no staff to run the presses etc. Obviously we all want to pay authors decent royalties and the publishers need to make a profit but I can't see how the production costs of a book in electronic format are the same as those for a physical book.

MyrrhyBS · 26/01/2011 21:51

MrsPresley, apparently if you want to keep the picture to a specific one, there is a techie way of doing it that will invalidate the warranty! So not recommended really!

ChippyMinton · 26/01/2011 22:00

posting from my kindle for the first time! not very user friendly is it?

BecauseImWorthIt · 26/01/2011 22:05

I'm impressed you got far enough to post! I gave up trying to access both MN and Twitter. Somehow it doesn't really work for me in black and white, either.

It made me realise (if I hadn't already!) that I really need an iPad as well.

Horton · 26/01/2011 22:08

Also impressed here! I signed into Gmail once and then gave up. I did think it might be handy for on holiday, though. At least it's free so you could get a map or something if you needed it. Should probably test that to see how it works!

I would also like an iPad. Hmmm. I think 'in my dreams' might be the correct expression here...

ChippyMinton · 26/01/2011 22:11

display is feint.cant see the post button and impossible to punctuate. going back to reading my book now

roisin · 27/01/2011 01:39

Horton, I used to work in publishing. You would be surprised how tiny a percentage of the cover price is for the actual printing costs of the book, especially if you have a big print run.

The other costs - typesetting, editing, proofreading, etc. all still apply for an electronic book.

wabbit · 27/01/2011 01:48

I bought my partner a laptop for christmas... so he had to agree to buying me a Kindle!

He's now Kindle Widower

BecauseImWorthIt · 27/01/2011 08:49

Agree, roisin - but it's not just the printing costs for paper books, it's also the materials and distribution costs, which must be substantial.

I fail to see how an e-book can cost more than a paperback, which is what the Sony e-reader books seem to be costed at.

Horton · 27/01/2011 10:37

The other costs - typesetting, editing, proofreading, etc. all still apply for an electronic book.

But at the moment, all those things are already being undertaken for print versions of books before the eBook is even thought of. I would be surprised if whatever kind of file you end up with once all those tasks have been undertaken isn't very easily and quickly converted into an eBook.

I appreciate the position would change a bit if no print books were being produced.

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