The Amazon board that lists the participating authors that you might have seen is located at-> http://www.amazon.com/tag/kindle/forum/ref=cm_cd_tfp_ef_tft_tp?_encoding=UTF8&cdForum=Fx1D7SY3BVSESG&cdThread=Tx1JMSJCZ8DAA9L&displayType=tagsDetail

There is also a website with a forum at-> http://operationebookdrop.com

Good luck!

I used WiFi mainly in the airports. With a 10 hour stopover in Frankfurt, that netbook did make the wait less painful.

Jobs probably re-thought the situation or had intended this in the beginning when roping in the publishers

I had been thinking Amazon could just give $5 credits on $15 bestsellers and then what would the other stores do…

First, As I understand the rumored Amazon Prime “free” kindle plan, a Prime member will receive the kindle for free to try out for a month or whatever, then if the prime member wants to keep it, s/he must pay for it. If s/he does not want to sign up, then the kindle would simply die. If you received one you might be able to pass it along to a friend, but s/he would have to pay for it to use it. I think; who knows; rumors are rampant. So, more of a free trial offer than free.

Second, in response to commenter Chris Martin, as an appellate lawyer for 25 years, I got to be pretty good at legal citation of all kinds of sources, and some so new that no style had developed. I even had to defend citations in court a couple of times! In my experience, the point is for folks to be able to find it; an “accepted” manner will develop. So for now, I’d cite the kindle edition as I would a DTB, with the location number. If you really wanted to be helpful you could cite the chapter or closest preceding heading and paragraph number as a guide. The format of the citation would be whatever style you are using in your paper.

Third, I’ve been watching the prices of ebooks I have on shoppingnotes go UP, not down, for a week or so. One was $9.99 and I just hadn’t gotten to it yet, and today it went up to $14.29. Several others over $9.99 have stayed there even as their paperbacks are released and are less than $9.99. I doubt the timing of the Unpleasantness with MacMillan is unrelated. It occurs to me that we may be entering an era when ebooks will be like plane tickets — prices drifting or shooting up or down for no apparent reason, for moments or months, everyone glued to twitter or whatever for announcements, and wondering if today is the best day to commit or perhaps tomorrow the price will drop, then feeling cheated when they choose badly. I can understand the price of a DTB going up as a result of scarcity or demand, but those should not be issues for ebooks. I have held the line at $9.99 since there is so much good stuff out there at that price point or less, but I resent having to pay more than paper at any time for an ebook, and I don’t want to read paper when I have my kindle.

Terrific podcast, thanks, fan since almost the start, keep up the good work, etc., etc.!

Soozzie

Like Mr. Askenase, I do not want video on my Kindle. The only reason I want color eInk is because it will allow books with colorful graphics to be shown in all their glory on my favorite reading device. I fear video available on my Kindle would cause me to fall down the same “rabbit hole” as a fully functional web browser.

I can’t recall whether you mentioned this on this podcast or #81, but on one of those two podcasts you read an email which stated that Amazon made available the ability for a customer to be notified when a book they’ve requested to be available on Kindle is actually published for our favorite ebook format. That feature does not seem to be wide spread on the site. I’ve requested a few books, both fiction and non-fiction, to be made available in Kindle format within the last few days and I have yet to see anything but the standard “Thank You” screen with the standard “Return to the item you were viewing or Shop in the Kindle store” options available.

Len could you investigate this and see if it’s publisher specific, or is this feature something being phased in slowly by Amazon and I just haven’t seen it yet?

Additionally, I’ve heard you read comments from readers concerned about how to cite a Kindle book as a source in a scholarly paper. I’m also very interested in this issue as well. Please try to get someone from the Chicago Manual of Style or MLA to come on your show to discuss this issue?

As a historian I love my paper books, but as Dr. James Tracy commented, I’d love to be able to walk around some day with the entire holdings of the Library of Congress on an ereader. However, the lack of a citation method that does not at some point require traditional page numbers presents an issue when writing for publication or even just for academic credit at the M.A. or PhD level.

I’m so thrilled I found this podcast. I think I’ve listened to every show dating back to October 2009 and look forward to this and The Reading Edge each week.

My talking points are ready….

(By the way, I like the title of your podcasting post on e-readerfeeder)

Look, I do not believe that the Kindle, even enhanced with a color screen, could really compete with an iPad/iTouch screen for video. As much as I am NOT an Apple fan, I do believe that they lead the field in this regard. BUT, for long form reading, the Kindle is better.

http://kindlelove.wordpress.com/2010/02/05/short-form-reading-on-the-kindle/

However, they should let us know when it doesn’t.

Amazon has an e-book policy that you can return the book for a refund within 7 days if dissatisfied with some aspect of it, and this would be one. You’d call 866-321-8851 in that case.

I’d let kindle-feedback@amazon.com at least know how you feel about this and that we should be told. You can also call their toll-free line (above) to let them know and to have them relay the message to the publisher as well.

– Andrys

That WORD macro for the Kindle’s My Clippings file is definiitely useful.
I wish a Mac version were available.

For those unfamiliar with the Kindle file system and the ‘My Clippings’ file’s place in it, including how highlighting and notes are recorded (in three places), I have an added blog entry which is expanded from a Q&A in the comments area.

That’s at http://bit.ly/kclippings

Wow – that didn’t take long, did it? On Sunday the 31st, Amazon caved.

Edgerly also discounts the advantages of “pretty” e-books. Well, unless TKC is strictly a hobby (which one doubts), he does have something to gain in showing public support for the Kindle.

More importantly, his comments indicate a constrained approach to reading. Apparently he reads mostly fiction, but only the kind without illustrations or cover art. One of my uses for an iPad will be to read technical documents in PDF format, which often come with colored illustrations that are essential to the text. Then there are magazines and newspapers, both of which rely heavily on color photos and drawings.

Since Edgerly’s prediction on pricing was disproved so quickly, perhaps he should widen his horizons — or at least stop making predictions.

Other thoughts on the latest “Kindle Killer”:

http://kindlelove.wordpress.com/2010/01/29/ipad-kindle-killer/

Books published by Macmillan mysteriously poofed from Amazon yesterday. The reason, according to the NYT, is that Amazon is punishing the publisher for arguing that the price of Kindle books should go up to $15:

http://gizmodo.com/5460203/amazon-attempts-to-quell-kindle-rebellion-by-removing-macmillan-books

Here’s the related article from the NY Times by Brad Stone:

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/29/amazon-pulls-macmillan-books-over-e-book-price-disagreement/

Thanks for your podcast, Len!

I have to echo the comments from “the man from Paris” regarding the Octo Vintage Two Cover. I had mine ordered before your last podcast was finished. The selling feature for me was the inside pocket, as I like to keep a couple of index cards with my Kindle and the pocket would be perfect.

My fear was that the cover would be too thick. I have an M-Edge cover (as well as the official one from Amazon.) The M-Edge is too thick. Too much padding for me. The K2 needs to be protected, but not bulked up.

My Octo Vintage Two just arrived and it is fantastic. The look and feel of the rawhide leather is wonderful. The inside pocket is perfect. And it is THIN! No thicker than the sleek Amazon cover.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner!

-Heather

Great podcast. I did get Pressdisplay to work. I downloaded the “South China Morning Post” for both Kindle and Sony. I was able to transfer to my Kindle 1. I don’t have a Sony but I have a Nook. Since the file is in ePub, I was able to transfer to the Nook and read it on it.

I suggested before and will iterate it again that to get the dictionary definition in a larger font, just hit the enter key and it comes up on its own page in the same font size as that with which you are reading your book. In low light or late in the day I have to use this feature if I am to use the dictionary at all and am not put off by the extra couple of steps.

As for the cat, mine is all over me and I am petting her while reading my Kindle and have not yet been zapped. Perhaps the humidity is higher in Kentucky? I am presently reading 29%.

I wanted to comment on the EPub issue as I do think it is very important. I believe that Amazon should open the Kindle to EPub format, and that this will NOT harm their ebook sales. Why? because, if you buy an EPbub book from Sony or B & N, it will still have their DRM encoded with it so it won’t play on your Kindle. but the K will accept Fictionwise and other sites. More importantly, it will diffuse the hot button issue of “openness” as a knock on the Kindle. I say this, even though openness is a myth so long as ebook sellers use DRM anyway. (I am not advocating eliminating DRM, just pointing out its role in the whole matter.)

Furthermore,on this issue, I think Harvey is right that 90% of Kindle owners do not care about DRM or formats and really aren’t bothered by it. Why should they when the ebooks from Amazon are cheaper than elsewhere and the Kindle book store is the largest.

Finally,on CES, I think the real big issue going forward for the Kindle will be a color screen. Whether this is Mirasol, Liquavista, or some other company, it appears that we may get a GOOD color screen by the end of 2010 (earlier than my 2012 prediction), that it will NOT be by PVi/E-ink. I do believe that color screens will be a game changer (not the book), and will cause ereader sales to really soar. That is what the kindle 3 should embrace.

Great stuff this week, and I will check out your other podcast. Query- when do you sleep?

I’m all for more competition, but this just sounds like more (or less) of the same.

Sorry can’t find the right words in English to describe what I mean I guess.