Amazon has introduced a new feature in their seminal reading app for the iPad and iPhone. It allows readers to browse their entire database of eBooks that have samples attached to them. Often, these samples have a few chapters of the digital book and when you are done reading it, it will prompt you to enter your email address to have the link sent over.
Why is this story big news? Apple mandated awhile ago that all in-app purchases be done through their own system and they gained 30% of each transaction. Overnight, every single major eBook store removed the ability to buy books, including Amazon. This new sample based system is a way to bypass this restriction and still have the ability to browse books and make impulse purchases.
In order to look for Samples you have to click the little magnifying glass in the top right hand corner of the app. You can browse by the author or book name, and it will give you a list of all the books. You can click on the download button and it will deliver the book directly to your iPad or iPhone. When you are done reading a sample book, it will give you a “Before You Go” and allow you to check out other books by the same author or just email yourself the book you want. You can then open up the Safari internet browser and buy the book. It will then be synced automatically to your Amazon account and you can than read said book in the Kindle app for iOS.
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.