I’m not someone who has to run out and get the newest gadgets, but I actually was pretty excited about Amazon’s announcement yesterday regarding their new Kindles. A $79 Kindle? I can see more people being willing to try it out at that price. The Kindle Touch looks pretty cool. If I didn’t already have a Kindle 3, I might would buy it. But I just got my Kindle last Christmas and the practical side of me says it works perfectly and there is no need to get something new just because it’s cool.
The Kindle Fire is also nice and I can see why people are excited. I’m not interested in backlit devices for reading though. (That’s why the Nook Color was immediately dismissed when I was deciding on an ereader.) I stare at a computer all day for my day job and I stare at a computer while writing. My eyes are already being ruined enough each day.
But as an author with an ebook out and another coming soon, I am hoping this brings a boost in sales of all ebooks. Maybe people who haven’t yet gotten an ereader will be willing to try out the $79 Kindle or the Nook 1st Edition that B&N just lowered to $89. A year ago, I didn’t read ebooks and insisted print books were the only way I wanted to read. Then I got a Kindle. I’m not a complete convert, but I definitely think there’s room for both types of books. I love the feel and smell of print books. I love the easy access of ebooks. I love getting lost in a story in either format. I read about half and half these days, half print and half ebook.
Mostly, I think anything that gets people to read more, in any format, is a good thing.
On that note, check back soon because I’ll be starting to share information about my next ebook, which will be released in November. Title and cover reveal are coming soon!