kindle me up

for Christmas i received a KINDLE.

i am in two minds about this gift.

on the one hand, i very much LOVE the concept of saving paper.

on the other hand, i love reading. i love how the weight of a big book (think SHANTARAM) alters over my journey with it. at the start, my left hand is so heavy, and then suddenly i realise my right hand is feeling a bit of weight, and then they are even and then, as my right hand bears the burden, i realise, "they better start wrapping this baby up!"

i love turning a page.

so. getting a kindle. with a fuschia cover and fushia night light as further incentives...how can i not fully embrace it?

i went online and checked out the kindle options.

i decided to download an upcoming book club book - the girl with the dragon tattoo. that would force me to read the kindle. 

i noticed that the kindle people were happy to tell me that the price of the KINDLE book was $4.00 cheaper than the bookstore "hardcopy AMAZON" book.

which got me wondering. what am i paying for when i buy a KINDLE BOOK?

not paper. not the printing process. not postage. not shelf space paid to companies. not binding. and unless you're one of the chosen few...certainly not the author. so who is getting the cash here! there are few costs associated with the KINDLE.

i suppose the rising popularity of the kindle means that book companies will have to be smarter about their marketing strategies. pour more money into individual marketing plans. advertise more online and in stores.

i also don't like that you can't lend a friend a kindle book. i can't see notes made in margins, their signature and thought processes throughout the book.

i am not sold on the kindle, but then again, if you recall correctly, i also fought against the iphone like a crazy animal. and if you recall correctly, i am now quite in lurve with my iphone.

my friends are treating me like a guinea pig. "a kindle? excellent. let me know in four months how you like it." everyone wants to know how i like it.truthfully, i don't know how i will like it. but i'm willing to give it a try.

i just wish there was such a thing as second hand kindle books. really cheap ones.

Comments

[Mad Scientist]

Come on now, out of the cage, pick it up, start reading.... that's it, that's it...

[Auntie Pammie]

I have no idea what you are talking about , but if it is enviromentally friendly I LOVE IT!!! xoxo

[Elaine]

I got a Kindle too, and I feel exactly the way you do. If that book is only $4 cheaper than buying a hardcover on Amazon...hmmm. And if Kindle ends up being just another nail in the coffin of publishing (as somebody about to start marketing their own first novel) I'll be sorry to have taken part. On the other hand, getting access to books that are hard to find overseas -- I live in Japan -- will be wonderful, given that Amazon's shipping charges are pretty high. So...we'll see.

[joeinvegas]

$4 less than hardcover means what, $5 more than paperback? Hope you enjoy it.

[Joanne]

Hey Tess..... I also have a kindle and I LOVE IT!... honestly the more I use it the more I'm enjoying it... have you downloaded (free) the Kindle for PC?.... from here you can manage your books online (it automatically syncs with your Kindle and even notes how much of the book you've read), see your full library and manage your account.... you can also see the notes you've made as you have read the book on the pages where you made the notes (if that makes sense :-) )..... Cheers!

[Terminator]

You can also share books with your online "Kindle for PC"... you can authorise other Kindles to read the books you've downloaded as long as only one Kindle is reading the book at a time... just like real life!

[Stephanie]

Yeah, my hubby and I were just talking about it- books still seem a better value to us, because I don't have to pay for a device that will let me read it. If I've dropped a significant amount of my money on a reading device, I feel I should save a lot on the price of the book!
Will definately be interested to see how you like it, though- the idea of saving space is an attractive one.

[Celine Gazes]

I got a kindle too, and Amazon has classic literature (public domain stuff) for the kindle that is FREE...I am currently reading the original Sherlock Holmes ;)