A few days ago Amazon quietly initiated a new beta program entitled “Kindle for the Web.” This new pilot program makes it even easier for customers to discover new books and authors by sampling Kindle books directly through web browsers–no installation or downloading required. Amazon is also inviting bloggers and website owners who are participants in the Amazon Associates Program to be part of Kindle for the Web by embedding samples of Kindle books on their websites. These website owners will earn referral fees from Amazon when customers complete book purchases using the links on their websites.
The idea behind Kindle for the Web is to make it as easy as possible to sample e-books on Amazon. The retailer offers more than 700,000 digital books, with more than 575,000 selling for $10 or less. One of the other important facets of this new program is that it will stimulate demand for purchasing ebooks and a Kindle e-reader by which to read them.
If you want to look at an ebook, you can simply click the “Read first chapter FREE” button on a book product page on Amazon or on other websites, and the first chapter will open within the web page. Customers can change the font size and line spacing, adjust the background color, and share their favorite books with friends and family via Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail–all without leaving the book in the browser.
“With Kindle for the Web, it’s easier than ever for customers to sample Kindle books – there’s no downloading or installation required,” said Dorothy Nicholls, Director, Amazon Kindle. “Kindle for the Web is also a great way for bloggers and authors to promote books on their websites by letting visitors read a chapter without leaving their site.”
So basically if you are an existing Amazon Affiliate or if you are web or ebook store owner, you can host ebook samples to your site if it supports embedded content. Apparently, if you can setup script tags on your hosting platform you can take advantage of this new program. The one drawback or X factor at this point is the scripting language, Amazon didn’t say which languages the samples are using. This will be an excellent way you can have your readers stay on your Blog, Store, or Website and keep them there until they make a buying decision. If you are not an Amazon Affiliate you can find out more information on joining the program and its features HERE.
Right now this new program to read the first chapter of an ebook is only viable on a Tablet PC, Laptop, Netbook or PC. There is no mobile version of it yet, but Amazon will be including optimization for mobile web browsers in the near future.
You can check out more information on this new program from amazon from their official websiteHERE.
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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.
