I got a Kindle for Xmas!

stu1883 · Post by **stu1883** » Mon December 27th, 2010, 9:27 pm

Wooohoo!

I am so lucky, Mrs Mac bought me a Kinldle for Xmas - and despite my misgivings, I love it!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm downloading all the classics I want and will be building an impressive Library!

She (my wife) did have an ulterior motive though, she wants to use the bookcase for her "knick knacks and ornaments". I am considering getting her declared insane as no e-reader will ever replace a beautiful book!

Who else got one? What have you got on it?

boswellbaxter · Post by **boswellbaxter** » Mon December 27th, 2010, 9:57 pm

I've had my Kindle for a few months. So far, I've used it mainly to buy nonfiction that I wanted to read but won't be using for research purposes, such as Stacy Schiff's bio of Cleopatra and Harriet Reisen's book about Louisa May Alcott. I also have bought some historical fiction for my Kindle--mostly books I was interested in reading but for which I was reluctant to pay the price of a printed book.

For nonfiction that I know I'll be using for research, I'll continue to buy the printed books, as they're easier to access in that format than in their Kindle editions. I'll probably also keep buying books by my favorite novelists in printed format as well, as I like to have the books on my shelf.

SarahWoodbury · Post by **SarahWoodbury** » Mon December 27th, 2010, 10:50 pm

You don't have to even read it, but if you go to smashwords.com, you could download my book

It's free! The Last Pendragon

Perdita · Post by **Perdita** » Mon December 27th, 2010, 10:53 pm

[quote=""stu1883""]Wooohoo!

I am so lucky, Mrs Mac bought me a Kinldle for Xmas - and despite my misgivings, I love it!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm downloading all the classics I want and will be building an impressive Library!

She (my wife) did have an ulterior motive though, she wants to use the bookcase for her "knick knacks and ornaments". I am considering getting her declared insane as no e-reader will ever replace a beautiful book!

Who else got one? What have you got on it?[/quote]

Lucky you, how exciting! I haven't got one yet but would possibly buy one in the future. Are the books cheaper on Kindle?

G. Alvin Simons · Post by **G. Alvin Simons** » Mon December 27th, 2010, 10:58 pm

And even started a thread titled "Why You Should Buy An EReader." I also love mine. I agree with BB about buying the printed book for most research. Regardless of advertisement claims, Kindle isn't hi-lighter or margin notation friendly. What it does allow is carrying a library of reading material with me in a small compact package. I can quickly get on-line, locate, & buy new books pretty much anytime & anywhere. The EBooks are somewhat cheaper but the publishers are fighting the lower pricing & keep raising them. I'm NOT happy about this at all. Show me where an EBook should cost anywhere close to what a printed book does. I'm NOT buying higher priced EBooks. I'll wait awhile until the bloom is off the rose & the prices drop.
One more thing, I hope you located some of the free EBook sites. A favorite of mine is manybooks.net. I particularly like all of the old books, especially the 19th & early 20th century books available that are out of print.

Enjoy your Kindle,
Alvin

G. Alvin Simons · Post by **G. Alvin Simons** » Mon December 27th, 2010, 11:04 pm

Perdita,
Yes, they are cheaper but, like I said, the publishers are raising the prices. Amazon tried to hold the line at $9.99 for new bestsellers, but the publishers revolted, threatened anti-trust lawsuits, & forced Amazon to capitulate. I've noticed that Amazon does print a disclaimer on the book pages now stating that "The Publisher Set The Price."
Still, a lot of older books are less than half-price of a printed copy, normally the bestseller prices decline as demand falls, & there are PLENTY of free books available. Check my other thread for details or drop me a PM if you have any other questions.

I hope this helps,
Alvin

Perdita · Post by **Perdita** » Mon December 27th, 2010, 11:19 pm

[quote=""G. Alvin Simons""]Perdita,
Yes, they are cheaper but, like I said, the publishers are raising the prices. Amazon tried to hold the line at $9.99 for new bestsellers, but the publishers revolted, threatened anti-trust lawsuits, & forced Amazon to capitulate. I've noticed that Amazon does print a disclaimer on the book pages now stating that "The Publisher Set The Price."
Still, a lot of older books are less than half-price of a printed copy, normally the bestseller prices decline as demand falls, & there are PLENTY of free books available. Check my other thread for details or drop me a PM if you have any other questions.

I hope this helps,
Alvin[/quote]

That's very interesting, thanks Alvin.

I'm surprised at the publishers because I think most people would be reluctant to pay so much for an Ebook. I don't mind paying full price for a paperback but something in electronic form should cost no more than £2 in my opinion.

Berengaria · Post by **Berengaria** » Mon December 27th, 2010, 11:35 pm

I am somewhat reluctant to buy a Kindle, but, on the other hand, it would pay for itself in no time! I understand that the print is easy on the eye and there is an automatic dictionary that gives the definition if one presses the word. It would also help to tidy up my house, which has stacks of books all over the place! On the other hand, not all of the books I want are available on Kindle. Hmmmm, decisions, decisions!! In any case, I congratulate those of you who got them for Christmas!! (I'm getting my first iPod, so my Christmas money is spent!)

Mythica · Post by **Mythica** » Tue December 28th, 2010, 2:32 pm

[quote=""Berengaria""]I am somewhat reluctant to buy a Kindle, but, on the other hand, it would pay for itself in no time! I understand that the print is easy on the eye and there is an automatic dictionary that gives the definition if one presses the word. It would also help to tidy up my house, which has stacks of books all over the place! On the other hand, not all of the books I want are available on Kindle. Hmmmm, decisions, decisions!! In any case, I congratulate those of you who got them for Christmas!! (I'm getting my first iPod, so my Christmas money is spent!)[/quote]

You can still buy paper books if there's something you want not available on Kindle - of course it won't contribute to the Kindle paying for itself but some people seem to be under the impression that once you switch to ebooks, there's no going back. Most people who have an ereader still paper books too.

That said, if anyone is interested, I started a blog for history related Kindle books. I'm not making any money off it so I hope it's not considered spam to mention it: http://historyonkindle.blogspot.com/

boswellbaxter · Post by **boswellbaxter** » Tue December 28th, 2010, 2:41 pm

[quote=""Mythica""]You can still buy paper books if there's something you want not available on Kindle - of course it won't contribute to the Kindle paying for itself but some people seem to be under the impression that once you switch to ebooks, there's no going back. Most people who have an ereader still paper books too.

That said, if anyone is interested, I started a blog for history related Kindle books. I'm not making any money off it so I hope it's not considered spam to mention it: http://historyonkindle.blogspot.com/[/quote]

Mentioning it is fine. Feel free to post about it in the "Member Announcements" section also.

Historical Fiction Online

I got a Kindle for Xmas!

I got a Kindle for Xmas!

I've Had One Since Last Christmas

Cheaper?