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Amazon has sold 105 Kindle books for every 100 print books sold since April 1

The Amazon Kindle has become a way of life for many avid readers the way iPods and other portable music players became a way of life for music lovers. Many of the things we love have found a way to traverse into the digital world, and have found success in doing so.

The Kindle is no exception. When the original version was introduced on November 19, 2007 at $399, it sold out in five and a half hours. It stayed out of stock for five months until its return in April 2008. 

Since then, Amazon has released new versions of the Kindle like the Kindle 2, Kindle DX and Kindle 3, which is available in Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi plus 3G connectivity. 

Before the Kindle, Amazon started selling traditional paper books in July 1995. But now, Amazon has announced that Kindle books are outselling paperbacks and hardcovers.

Since April 1, Amazon has sold 105 Kindle books for every 100 print books sold. These numbers include books that have no Kindle edition. Also, for all of 2011 so far, Amazon has had the fastest year-over-year growth rate for its books business due to the overwhelming Kindle sales and steady print book sales. 

The UK Kindle Store is now selling more Kindle books than hardcovers as well. As of April 1, customers have been purchasing Kindle books over hardcover books at a 2 to 1 ratio. 

In addition, Amazon has sold three times as many Kindle books so far in 2011 than it did this same time last year, and the Kindle with Special Offers, which is $114, has been the best selling Kindle ever.

"Customers are now choosing Kindle books more often than print books," said Jeff Bezos, Amazon CEO. "We had high hopes that this would happen eventually, but we never imagined it would happen this quickly - we've been selling print books for 15 years and Kindle books for less than four years. 

"In addition, we're excited by the response to Kindle with Special Offers for only $114, which has quickly become the bestselling member of the Kindle family. We continue to receive positive comments from customers on the low $114 price and the money-saving special offers. We're grateful to our customers for continuing to make Kindle the bestselling e-reader in the world and the Kindle Store the most popular e-bookstore in the world."

The U.S. Kindle Store now has over 950,000 books available, with 175,000 being added in just in the last five months alone. Over 790,000 books are $9.99 and under.

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I surely like to see this news but...
By kensiko on 5/20/2011 6:53:31 AM , Rating: 2
I'll loose my job when everybody will switch to electronic, I work for the paper industry, too bad.




RE: I surely like to see this news but...
By Thrymm on 5/20/2011 7:22:44 AM , Rating: 2
I hear you, I love technology but cant see myself staring into a tablet type screen to read books. I still buy paperbacks and hardcovers from Amazon at least once a month.


RE: I surely like to see this news but...
By Master Kenobi (blog) on 5/20/2011 7:51:27 AM , Rating: 2
Both are good, but for the constant on the go person or someone that travels a lot (Deployed Military) the Kindle and e-books are a good deal. There is only so much space and you can't keep shipping books to wherever you are, the Kindle provides a nice way to get at it.


RE: I surely like to see this news but...
By Azethoth on 5/20/2011 8:09:51 AM , Rating: 2
I have donated 1/2 my books to a school but still all the paper books have yet again filled my shelves, crammed in two layers deep with more stacked on top.

Last year I got an iPad and went cold turkey. The replaced NY Times habit paid for it. Reading on it is fine, even in sunlight if you crank brightness and don't have direct light on the screen. Reading from afternoon into night time is fantastic.

As Master Kenobi mentions, the convenience is superb. Just need a waterproof one now for some reading in a hot bath.


RE: I surely like to see this news but...
By Souka on 5/20/2011 4:10:41 PM , Rating: 3
I'm curios about the actual reading habits.

In pbook (paper book) form, I probably read the entire book about 90% of the time.
In ebook form, I read about %50 all the way through.

Partly because I get many ebooks for free (legit).... I wonder if free books count in this tally?

Is my ebook to pbook percentages typical of most readers?


By TakinYourPoints on 5/20/2011 4:27:01 PM , Rating: 2
I can't speak for anyone else, but I know that I've read more ever since getting a Kindle. It is really convenient.


By inperfectdarkness on 5/20/2011 8:18:29 PM , Rating: 2
biggest pet peeves with the kindle:

-most of the books i need are still not available in e-format.

-there's no option for password protecting any files. it would be nice if i could be able to "lock" a file or two.

-limited format support. even the PDF's can't be manipulated easily.

-i'd prefer page numbers, rather than line-numbers for reference. or at least the option to select them for display.

on a side note...anyone else seeing the correlation between the kindle and e-books selling like wildfire; and borders taking a MAJOR hit?


RE: I surely like to see this news but...
By jeepga on 5/20/2011 8:13:40 AM , Rating: 3
The Kindle is a different screen. Their e-ink or whatever it's called is almost like looking at paper. Glare doesn't seem to be an issue.

My concerns are with lack of control over the content I would purchase or I guess to sum it up ownership rights in general. That's the only thing holding me back.


By acer905 on 5/20/2011 12:49:20 PM , Rating: 2
Well, while the store is set up to allow instant wireless downloads of purchased books to the Kindle, you can also purchase stuff from Amazon, or anywhere else, and then load it to the Kindle through a USB connection to a PC. With this you could also keep backups of all your stuff on your PC, minimizing the lack of control issue


By Cypherdude1 on 5/20/2011 7:48:56 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
My concerns are with lack of control over the content I would purchase or I guess to sum it up ownership rights in general. That's the only thing holding me back.
I must agree. Remember the Amazon 1984 debacle when Amazon deleted the 1984 ebook from everyone's Kindle? Incredible irony there.

I don't know the particulars on how exactly the Kindle system works. I would have questions before signing on. Such as, if I pay for a Kindle eBook, what happens if my Kindle is destroyed or lost? Would I need to buy the same set of eBooks again?

Finally, there's the simple problem of screen size. Many of the books I recently purchased at Amazon are rather large, measuring 11" high by 8" wide. The Kindle still has a relatively small screen. Trying to read a large book on such a small screen would be difficult. Either the print would be tiny or I would have to constantly move the page around. Furthermore, the subject matter, math, would make it difficult to read on a Kindle. I think math books are easier to read on paper than a computer screen.

For fiction or light news reading, the Kindle is fine, not for heavier subjects. That's just my opinion. Most pulp fiction novels have a smaller paper book size. When you're studying a difficult math book, you often must flip through multiple pages. When you're reading a novel or a newspaper, it's sequential in nature.

Reading heavier subjects on a computer screen is a different matter. I am currently writing this post on a 24" wide monitor. I would have no problem reading a PDF math book on it. You could put at least 3 Kindles side by side inside this screen!


By TakinYourPoints on 5/20/2011 4:25:48 PM , Rating: 2
e-paper isn't like an LCD, very easy on the eyes


By Alexvrb on 5/20/2011 7:02:09 PM , Rating: 2
As others have pointed out, this isn't the "tablet type screen" (backlit LCD or LED screen) that you usually associate with most handheld devices. The current model Kindles use the latest iteration of e-ink, so it literally is like looking at a book. If you can read a book, you can read this. I just got my ad-supported Kindle in the mail yesterday. It's great. My parents both have the non-ad 3G version, but I don't need the 3G capabilities.

The ads don't intrude at all - it puts them on the lock screen, and a small banner at the bottom of the home page. They never bother you or slow you down in any way. You don't have to click off them, wait for them, anything.

Plus I've discovered that it has a decent PDF reader built in, and its very easy to transfer PDFs. You can do it over USB, or email them to the Kindle and Amazon's Whispersync will slap the PDF on there for you.


RE: I surely like to see this news but...
By gorehound on 5/20/11, Rating: 0
By SilthDraeth on 5/20/2011 5:31:06 PM , Rating: 2
As Hanna would say...

Adapt or die.


By inperfectdarkness on 5/20/2011 8:25:58 PM , Rating: 2
i've heard sentiments like this before...

-from people opposed to women's sufferage

-from people opposed to civil rights

-from people opposed the advent of the internet

-from people opposed to gay rights

...i'm seeing a pattern here.


By inperfectdarkness on 5/20/2011 8:12:55 PM , Rating: 2
no worries. i'll never wipe my butt with e-ink, so you have at least some job security.


And Yet...
By DaveLessnau on 5/20/2011 7:59:17 AM , Rating: 2
But, for some reason, Amazon doesn't list the prices of Kindle books in Wishlists. So, there's no way to see at a glance what, if any, books are on sale or fall under my price limit for replacing paper books with electronic versions.




Not only that,
By Fleeb on 5/20/2011 2:24:10 PM , Rating: 2
Kindle books also out-"price" print books.




kindle
By Steve Fairborn on 5/21/2011 11:24:05 AM , Rating: 2
Like so many other new authors' trying to get a publisher was similar to ascending a fast moving down staircase covered in grease... frustrating, and soul destroying ... then, I discovered Kindle-self-publishing. Took some time to work out how to convert to Kindle format, but once sorted I was up and running. To date I have published 15 short stories, novellas, childrens books, and novels. To my delight, I have thus far had several sales, and am now working on my 15th novel... I use generic Kindle covers in order to save cost. However, I am also working on producing individual covers' for each of my books. If you wish to sample my work then a chapter or two can be downloaded to determine whether-or-not to purchase the complete work.

Go Kindle, that all I can say.

Gort Deverall.




kindle
By Steve Fairborn on 5/21/2011 11:34:26 AM , Rating: 2
Like so many other new authors' trying to get a publisher was similar to ascending a fast moving down staircase covered in grease... frustrating, and soul destroying ... then, I discovered Kindle-self-publishing. Took some time to work out how to convert to Kindle format, but once sorted I was up and running. To date I have published 15 short stories, novellas, childrens books, and novels. To my delight, I have thus far had several sales, and am now working on my 16th novel... I use generic Kindle covers in order to save cost. However, I am also working on producing individual covers' for each of my books. If you wish to sample my work then a chapter or two can be downloaded to determine whether-or-not to purchase the complete work.

Go Kindle, that all I can say.

Gort Deverall.




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