Author Archive
Looking to get help with SEO for your Book related site? We help you rank! SEO Company is known the world over for exceptional Search Engine Optimization Services.
More Publishing Options Available Due To E-Book Readers
February 28, 2010
Online retail giant, Amazon, was founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos and the original Amazon website launched in 1995. Today Amazon is an extremely successful business and one of the best recognised and most trusted brands on the planet. It’s easy to forget what an unusual concept ordering books online and having them shipped by mail was at the time. There were plenty investors and business analysts who predicted that Amazon would have a difficult time of it – and indeed it took until the end of 2001 before Amazon were able to report their first profit.
After modifying the way that many people bought books, Amazon quickly diversified into other areas. Video, music CDs, toys, consumer electronics and computer software are just some examples of the types of items which Amazon added to their list of product offerings. At the moment you can find virtually any consumer product that you can imagine on Amazon’s website – even your groceries if you like.
In addition to growing their product range, Amazon set up further websites in the UK, France, Germany, China and Canada. Nevertheless, they maintained their original passion for books and they still had, in the eyes of the public, a very strong link with book sales.
This strong link with books would serve them well in November 2007 when they launched the original Kindle e-book reader. Having already changed the method of buying books, Amazon was now altering the way that the books were read. The Kindle attracted a great deal of publicity and it’s reasonable to suggest that the e-book reader market took off exponentially when Amazon released their updated and enhanced Kindle 2.0 in February of 2009.
The large display Kindle DX reader was launched in June of the same year. This incorporated a large (9.7″) e-ink display and was intended to appeal to readers of newspapers, magazines and academic textbooks. A great deal of the excitement generated by the release of the DX originated from the normally very traditional world of academic publishing.
So, the manner in which books are bought, delivered and read have all been radically modified in a relatively short time frame. The last piece of the reading jigsaw – publishing – is also likely to change in the near future. Any major publisher will almost certainly require to publish an e-book version of any new editions in future. The well established process of hardback publication, followed a few months later by the paperback version will be altered by the insertion of an e-book version at the front end of the cycle.
Given that publishing e-books is considerably less expensive than a traditional print run, it’s possible that publishing houses may be encouraged to take a chance on less well established authors in future. It may be that more authors will decide to cut out publishers altogether and go down the self publishing route. In fact, publishing books for the Amazon Kindle is very simple and can be done for free by anyone who has an Amazon account and is able to use Microsoft Word.
Check out the Amazon Kindle and see the full range of Kindle accessories available to help you customise and protect your Kindle.
Will Amazon Continue To Lead The E-Book Reader Market?
February 25, 2010
Amazon’s Kindle e-book reader is very definitely the market leader of all e-book readers right now. It enjoys a 60% share of the American e-book reader market – the Sony PRS reader is in second place with around 35%. Both the Kindle 2.0 and the larger Kindle DX are now being sold in more than 100 countries worldwide. The fact that virtually every new e-book reader which shows the slightest promise is instantly given the title of “Kindle Killer” is a testament to the fact that the Kindle is not just the market leader, but also sets the standard against which any new reader is going to be measured.
Given the current dominance of the Kindle, it’s easy to overlook the fact that it is a very recent addition to the e-book reader scene. The eBookman, by Franklin, was launched in 1999 – over a decade ago. Sony’s PRS reader launched in 2006. The original Kindle wasn’t released until November 2007. February 2009 saw the upgraded Kindle 2.0 released and the larger DX followed in June on the same year.
However, Amazon’s competitors have been far from idle. Sony has released their Daily Edition reader. Barnes and Noble launched their Nook and even the new Apple iPad is widely felt to be a threat to the Kindle. Other e-book readers are available and, needless to say, they all have some features which are currently lacking from the Kindle – colour screen, touch screen functionality etc.
So what will Amazon do by way of a response? Up to now, a few firmware updates aside, Amazon’s chief response to the increased competition level has been to cut $ 100 from the Kindle 2.0 launch price of $ 359. However, there are rumors that the next version of the Kindle will be released in the first half of 2010. Which prompts the question – what will Amazon do to further enhance the new Kindle?
One of the key factors in the success of the Kindle to date is the fact that it provides a great user experience. It’s very easy to use with one hand, the controls are excellent and the e-ink display is easy to read in a wide range of different lighting conditions. In a way, it would be something of a shame if Amazon were to follow the course of Sony’s Daily Edition reader by introducing touch screen functionality. If your main intent is simply to read books then this may not be regarded as a huge advance. If anything, one handed operation will become more difficult and, because touch screens have a more reflective surface, it may be harder to read in certain lighting conditions.
The introduction of color would certainly be a step forward but, were it to be achieved in a similar manner to Barnes and Noble’s Nook – which features color navigation only with the main reader screen still in monochrome – it would be pretty pointless. Reading black text on a white background is probably normal for around 90% of books – so although color would be nice, it’s not going to be a high priority for many readers.
What Amazon may very well opt to do, and what they have done extremely well up to now, is to provide a better user experience. Rather than focus on hardware gimmicks, Amazon could opt to provide new enhancements which will be genuinely useful for the Kindle’s end users. Quicker page turns, less screen flicker and a longer battery life between charges could be options which end users may appreciate. Increased choice of Kindle books, more rapid downloads and the possibility of sharing e-books might also be more welcome for users than hardware updates.
Amazon’s ability to satisfy the requirements of its customers has helped it achieve the current leadership position. It’s no surprise that Amazon understands what people who read books want and are willing to pay for. The Kindle is now their top selling product and, up to now, they have not only led the market but shaped it and helped it to develop. The next generation Kindle will clearly signal the way in which the e-book reader market is going to develop in future. On the balance of probabilities, it seems likely that Amazon will be a major force in the e-book reader market for the foreseeable future.
Have a look at the Amazon Kindle reader – and the wide range Kindle accessories available to help you customise and enhance it.
Looking for Construction Books? Then Look No farther than Builders Books site! The leading seller of books on construction and builders books for skill levels from do it yourself to Professional Builders.