Amazon Alexa has added some new functionality to discover new ebooks. Now, customers can simply say “Alexa, what should I read next?” to get a book recommendation based on personalized, top-selling or trending books from over 20 million Audible, Kindle or print titles. The conversational experience allows customers to ask for specific genres or authors, listen to book summaries, learn about ratings, editorial reviews and more. The feature is another example of the many ways Alexa is becoming more conversational and natural to interact with. And, it’s particularly useful for consumers who are now reading more while at home due to COVID-19.
What Should I Read Next is designed to make it easier for customers to find their next read by voice. Here’s how it works:
- When customers ask for a recommendation, Alexa will provide a book title, the author and explain why she picked the read
- Customers can then ask Alexa to share a 2-3 sentence summary of what the book is about
- If they want to hear more, they can ask for details such as the price, ratings, and editorial reviews
- Customers have the option to purchase the books they find interesting, or have Alexa read an Audible sample of the book, if available
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
