In a previous post about being Kindle resistant, I firmly and proudly stated my opinion about loving books and bookstores and not being a fan of the Kindle. What I have come to realize is that there was one unspoken (and unwritten) reason I had snubbed these types of reading devices.
The cost. I have such a love affair with books that I was bothered by the fact that price might stop some people from reading more frequently when they travel or don't have time to browse at a bookstore or wait for the paper copy of the book.
I was aware of this underlying resistance when I felt my own excitement at learning that you no longer need to have a Kindle to download books. Hoorah! You can now purchase digital copies of a book from Amazon by using a free software program on your PC, Mac, Blackberry, iPhone, or iPad (my sister's new favorite gadget). You don't need a separate, pricey piece of technology to get access to more than 500,000 Kindle books. You can also read free books including some great classics as well as read book samples before you make a purchase. With this software you have the same ability to save your last page, bookmark pages and scan highlights on your existing digital devices.
As a lover of reading, I am excited to see the potential benefits this new technology has on the different generations of readers. It may encourage some of the younger readers who have been raised in front of a digital monitor to become a book lover simply because they could download them and take them anywhere. My mother is also reading again because she can adjust the font size to make reading easier and she avoids the high cost and inconvenience of having another electronic device to manage.
This is also great news for authors who have readers in foreign countries who don't want to pay high shipping fees.
I am still a bookstore advocate and that will never change, but I am so pleased to see that you no longer need a $300 device to read a book!
For more information, and to download the free software go to this page on Amazon
Arielle Ford has launched the careers of many NY Times bestselling authors including Deepak Chopra, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Neale Donald Walsch & Debbie Ford. She is a former book publicist, literary agent and the author of seven books. To learn how to get started writing a book please visit: www.HowToWriteMyBook.com