Amazon is taking yet another step in the direction that may ultimately lead to a full-fledged funeral for the published book.
This week, only two months after Amazon launched Kindle for the Web – making it possible to read free first chapters of Kindle books through web browsers – Amazon is expanding Kindle for the Web by enabling anyone with access to a web browser to buy and read full Kindle books. That is, no download or installation required.
Consequently, the moves comes as a great benefit to those with content to peddle in the digital world.
Bookstores, retailers, authors, bloggers and other website owners “will be able to offer Kindle books from their own sites, let their readers start enjoying the full text of these books instantly, and earn referral fees through the Amazon Associates Program for sales made through their sites,” Amazon announced.
According to Russ Grandinetti, Vice President, Kindle Content, Kindle books can not only be read on the Kindle, iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, Mac, PC, BlackBerry and Android-based devices, but now also anywhere you have a web browser.
“Your reading library, last page read, bookmarks, notes, and highlights are always available to you no matter where you bought your Kindle books or how you choose to read them,” Grandinetti says.
Kindle for the Web was demonstrated to a great crowd reaction on-stage this week at Google’s Chrome event, where audience members saw the “speed and fluidity of Kindle for the Web operating on Chrome OS.”
