Amazon Kindle discussion

Chrissie wrote: "Maria, you say "The whole way that books get distributed (unfairly) round the world needs a serious update!" I agree. Iknow, I know, it is not Amazon's fault, but something has to be done. We don't..."
Some of the smaller publishers seem to be working on distributing faster and through venues that can get books to other countries faster. Trouble is, they're not as well-known!

What kind of books do you like to read? Maybe I know some that you'd like. I read a lot of cozy mysteries, some thrillers, lots of urban fantasy, paranormal mysteries and a random book now and then!

There's a blog I follow in Paradise--she covers a lot of thrillers and mysteries. She has a Kindle so she might cover books that you'd have easy access to:

(Assuming you're in Aus too, like Tanith, but that could be completely wrong...)

http://paradise-mysteries.blogspot.com/

It's a good review site.

Maria

Maria, I am currently in Belgium. My tastes aren't the typical. I like reading about different cultures. Living in different countries does that to you! I like memoirs, but rarely the contemporary ones. I am into history and understanding why people behave as they do. So not romance, not crime, not mysteries, not science fiction. This is why it is hard to find ebooks. I like translated books; often they are about different cultures too.

Chrissie wrote: "Maria, I am currently in Belgium. My tastes aren't the typical. I like reading about different cultures. Living in different countries does that to you! I like memoirs, but rarely the contemporary ..."

Hmm. That is tough. I tend to read happy memoirs if I read them at all. You might like Ariana's Pride

Ariana's Pride although I haven't read it because I don't read a lot of historicals. Check out Jeff Hepple's work--he does fictionalized historicals of the American war periods. I read

The Angel of 1776 - A Novella and I thought it was quite good.

But I know how much taste can vary when it comes to reading! I'll have to look through my list and see if any other historicals come to mind. There was a thread somewhere recently with some discussions on historicals. If I come across it, I'll post it. I think it was on Kindleboards in the reader's corner.

Maria, you are very kind to help me.

Chrissie wrote: "Maria, you are very kind to help me."
Okay, not being a huge historical reader, I had to pull out the big guns (my friend April!) Here is her list. Not all are guaranteed to be on Kindle or available in your country of choice:

Some of the most famous historical novels, beginning with my favorite (I haven’t read all of these though):

Outlander, Diana Gabaldon

The Name of the Rose, Umberto Eco

The Count of Monte Christo, Alexandre Dumas

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith

Roots, Alex Haley

The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseni

Shogun, James Clavell

Nefertiti, Michelle Moran

Amistad, David Pesci



Some fantasy and mystery novels that read like really good historicals:

The Oracle Glass, Judith Merkle Riley (another of my favorites)

Sister Fidelma, stories of Ancient Ireland, Peter Tremayne

Mistress of the Art of Death, Ariana Franklin

Lindsay Davis has wonderful historical mysteries about ancient Rome.

Hope this helps. There must be something on that list available!

Maria

I got my kindle yesterday and am still playing around.
when I email a file to the [email protected] where does the email go? I thought it would go to the amazon account...but no it didn't

Tanith wrote: "I got my kindle yesterday and am still playing around.
when I email a file to the [email protected] where does the email go? I thought it would go to the amazon account...but no it didn't"

It goes right to your Kindle.

Maria, with GR I have no trouble finding books to read, the problem is that the ones I want are not available in the Kindle format! I have read many, many of those you named. My vision has deteriorated an reading paper books is too difficult now. That is why I need Kindle. What is frustrating is knowing of all these books I want to read and CAN'T read them b/c there is no Kindle book. I have tried contacting publishers, who very rarely even bother to answer! I wish Amazon had a button for those of us living in Europe so we could request that a book be made available in the Kindle format. I am crazy about the author Robert K. Massie and yet none are available as ebooks. And sometimes an ebook IS available in the US, but not to Europeans. An example of this is Moloka'i. I know it is the publishers' fault but they do not even respond to letters.

May I ask another question. My Kindle is new so I am still learning...... I read a book and at the end found out there was a glossary. I wish I had known in the beginning. So, with the next book I checked out the end of the book to see if there was a glossary. This was a bad idea b/c then you cannot use "go to the furthest page read". How do you check out the existance of author's notes and glossaries or even maps without messing up how far you have read? What I do now is to close the Kindle while I am reading and then it will open on the same page or use the back button. And why is it that sometimes the 5-direction key doesn't move ahead or backwards by chapters when you push the right or left positions on the 5-direction key? I suppose this formatting is lacking from the book? It is in the Kindle instructions manual!

I'm an author and have made far more sales via Kindle than paperback. To me, if I need to spend a full hour on formatting it for Kindle (from my original paperback format) then fine! It's not rocket science and once someone shows you how the first time, you're good to go.

Lack of good formatting, IMHO, shows a lack of product quality.

Chrissie wrote: "Maria, with GR I have no trouble finding books to read, the problem is that the ones I want are not available in the Kindle format! I have read many, many of those you named. My vision has deterior..."

Chrissie,

I don't know about the back and forth buttons and why it doesn't work--but for books with glossaries and the like, there is supposed to be a table of contents. Sometimes a book will open AFTER the TOC for some reason--so the thing to do is to actually page BACK to the front and check for one. Then you'll be able to tell if there is a TOC and if there is, you can check for the glossary! TOC support is relatively new (in the scheme of things. A year ago it was extremely difficult to add. Now, it is easier to put in so more publishers are doing so.)

The moving ahead to chapter, I think is a formatting issue; I haven't seen it, but I would imagine that whoever formatted the book didn't use the same commands to create the headers--so in some cases they aren't "marked" properly.

One hint on writing to publishers--it is much better to write the author! Some of the older books, especially, are in the middle of "who owns the e-rights." The publishers may not own the erights, so they will not bother to answer you. The author may not know there is demand. Write to your favorite authors--they will love to hear from you. Tell them you want to read all their books, but you are in Europe and so on. Maybe they can help! (Sometimes not, but it is worth a try!)

I will check those author names. Maybe there is info about Kindle status. I will also push "Tell the publisher you want this book on Kindle" for you!

Maria

Oh--here is another recommendation for you:

Isabeau by N. Gemini Sasson

I *think* it is on Kindle...

historygrad02 wrote: "I'm wondering why, when I'm reading a book on my kindle, every so often a paragraph (or a few lines) will be underlined, and at the bottom of the screen on that page it says "Press <--- to show num..."

Oh dear. I don't know the answer to that either. I think it is because you have your settings at your account set to show what others have highlighted, but I'll be honest--I'm completely guessing!!!!

historygrad02 wrote: "Update: that was the solution. I turned off the "show popular highlights" option on Settings, and now all those lines are gone - finally! :)" Oh good! Maybe I do retain some of the things I read... :>)

Maria, that is a great idea. I will contact authors instead! Really I appreciate all your help!!! I would like that button made available to Europeans.

I am planing a trip to Hawaii and would like to reread Michener's Hawaii on my Kendle.
I cannot find it anywhere in eformat. Can anyone help me?

Bob, I noticed the lack of an ebook format on Hawaii as well. I don't think the publisher has produced one.
However, it is an excellent book to read on your way or as soon as you get here. I read it when I moved here in 1972 and it was impressive.

Bob, you might also be interested in Moloka'i. That does exist in Kindle format for Americans, not europeans :0(

Everett:
I read it in 1967 and started rereading the hard bound book. Enjoying it now as much as I did the first time.
Just wish it was avaliable on my kindle. After getting a kindle, I am spoiled... Especially when reading a 1000 page book with fine print.

I hear that Bob! I just discovered the Kindle after my books suddenly started selling far better in that format. I've been playing around with its text-to-speech and music options as well. Great stuff.

Chrissie wrote: "Bob, you might also be interested in Moloka'i. That does exist in Kindle format for Americans, not europeans :0("
Chrissie: Thanks for the recommendation. I ordered it from Amazon. I know my wife will enjoy it. After I finish Hawaii, I will check it out.

Tanith wrote: "I got my kindle yesterday and am still playing around.
when I email a file to the [email protected] where does the email go? I thought it would go to the amazon account...but no it didn't"

[email protected] is for sending files for translation into AZW (Kindle MOBI) so you can read them on your Kindle. You can for instance send a file from MSWORD and get back a file that you can load onto your Kindle to read in the garden. There's only a machine at the other end of [email protected], not a human. Customer services have another e-mail.

Note that [email protected] has charges attached for the the service, in return for which it downloads directly to any Kindle G3. To get the same service free, use [email protected], which requires you to download the returned file over wi-fi or USB cable.

Andre Jute wrote: "Tanith wrote: "I got my kindle yesterday and am still playing around.
when I email a file to the [email protected] where does the email go? I thought it would go to the amazon account...but no it did..."

Thanks Andre. I think I get it now. If I only have kindle wifi and send it files to [email protected] will they still charge me? and where will this charge go, If i purchase the kindle on amazon do they automatically keep those credit card details and charge it there? I think ill go to the amazon site and check it out.

Hello everyone...

@Tanith: No, Amazon will not charge you to automatically send your files through the WiFi connection. They charge only for files sent through the 3G network.

To be absolutely sure, you can set the maximum charge limit to $0.00 and they will always send the files through WiFi or give you a notification to download your file through your computer.

@People interested in purchasing Us-only available titles: I'm from Venezuela and I have purchased ebooks and kindle active content by setting my kindle location to US. My credit card and billing address are from my country, but my shipping address is an US address (belonging to a cargo forwarding company I often use to shop from US).

Hope it helps.

Elena wrote: "Hello everyone...

I'm from Venezuela and I have purchased ebooks and kindle active content by setting my kindle location to US. My credit card and billing address are from my country, but my shipping address is an US address (belonging to a cargo forwarding company I often use to shop from US).

"

I might give this a try then. So if the shipping address is the the US books should be OK to download no matter where in the world

I think so, of course I cannot be sure with just my experience, but I guess it's pretty easy to find out. You won't lose anything by trying anyway.

historygrad02 wrote: "I'm wondering why, when I'm reading a book on my kindle, every so often a paragraph (or a few lines) will be underlined, and at the bottom of the screen on that page it says "Press <--- to show num..."

All its doing is telling u how many people highlight that statment. Its just showing you quotes that other people liked.

Chrissie wrote: "Maria, with GR I have no trouble finding books to read, the problem is that the ones I want are not available in the Kindle format! I have read many, many of those you named. My vision has deterior..."

Have you tried to bookmark where your at and that way you can go back to that bookmark when your done reading the glossary or Author's notes.

Misti, bookmarking popped up into my head yesterday. Yes, it is a good solution!

It is great when there is a table of contents, but most books do not have them. The book with the glossary and author's note had no table of contents. Now I always check at the end if the book lacks a the TOC!

Thanks again for all the help!!!

Could somone tell me where are the "settings" to turn off the highlighting information. At my Amazon account or can I do it directly in my Kindle ereader?

Elena, so the "shipping address" and the "kindle address" must be set to a US address. Are these filled in at the "manage your kindle" site? Are these two separate addresses? You are saying it is not necessary to have a credit card with a US address, right? If you then order a paperbook you must add then an alternate address for the book to be shipped to, right? Does correspondence get sent to that US address? I do not want to troubl the other party!

Hi Chrissie, I really haven't seen any "kindle address", what I've seen in the "Manage Your Kindle" page is the "Your Country" section (which I have set to United States).

However, my 1-Click default address is my US forwarding address. I have never received any correspondence for digital purchases. I have several other addresses in my address book, which I use as I see fit. Paperback books I send to my home address directly, electronics and other US-only items I send to my US forwarding address (they send my packages to my home address and manage the import duties, etc.)

I do not use a friend's address, I use a company that provides the service of freight forwarding and I pay them as I would UPS or DHL, per package sent.

So far, I haven't had any problems with that set-up.

Elena, thanks for the info!!!

Chrissie wrote: "Elena, so the "shipping address" and the "kindle address" must be set to a US address. Are these filled in at the "manage your kindle" site? Are these two separate addresses? You are saying it is n..."

No correspondence gets sent to the other party; However it must be a valid address. I have also heard that in some cases if people switch back and forth too often (like temporarily to get books) they can get locked out until they call and "straighten" out where they really live. So if you switch to a "I'm in the US and here is the address" be aware that you then might not be able to get books only available in the UK! For example a book by Johnathan Lenahan is just out in the UK on Kindle--I have read the first and would love to read the new one. BUT it is not in the US yet.

So unless you have two kindles...you want to be fairly careful. I don't know the exact rules, but I do know that paperbacks shipped from the UK are usually free. Not so in the US. So you might want to actually set up two accounts, with only one tied to the Kindle--and that particular one, you probably do not want to change often to avoid having it flagged.

Maria and Elena too, I purchased my Kindle from the Amazon in the States, but I have my residence in Belgium. Amazon UK is ONLY for those living in the UK, not for those living in Europe. The whole issue makes me very uncomfortable. Why, why do they make these complicated rules???? Iknow it is the publishers' fault. If I could read paper books I would feel less upset about the whole issue, but I have lousy vision. I don't think I have the guts to do what might be a teeny bit wrong. I also have to live with myself. And I do not like asking favors of others to help me with such an arrangement. I get terribly annoyed by the whole thing!!! I want the books to be made available in a legitimate way. People shouldn't be pushed to scheme how to get around the rules!!!!

I do appreciate the info from both of you. In writing this I realize I neither have the guts to get around the rules or the desire to ask for help from a friend. I just cannot do it. Thanks for your help anyhow.

Maria brings up a very good point. Since I made up my mind about buying a kindle, I decided to set my "kindle country" to US permanently since there are a lot of books not available for Venezuela and those available have higher prices.

Since the ebooks aren't available in Spanish anyway, I don't really see the point of purchasing the exact same ebook in English for more $$ due to the fact that I'm not in USA. If they offered the same book in my language I would be willing to pay more for it, but it isn't the case.

I never have bought a book from the UK market, so I don't know what I'm missing out.

Chrissie wrote: "Maria and Elena too, I purchased my Kindle from the Amazon in the States, but I have my residence in Belgium. Amazon UK is ONLY for those living in the UK, not for those living in Europe. The whole..."

If you purchased from the states it should actually be a bit easier. :>) Now then, given all the issues, I think your best bet is to contact the authors--ask them if there is any other place you can buy the e-format. Smashwords makes books available worldwide. If they haven't sold the rights to your country, perhaps they would be willing to make it available via smashwords. Also, if they have the eformat, perhaps you can buy it directly from them. I realize this won't work with all authors, but it does work for some. Authors are MUCH more responsive than estates (in the case of authors not alive) or than publishers. We WANT to be read and will generally try to help readers.

Some of the authors will have sold the rights to your country and be unable to help. Others might be able to. Worth a shot. And an email or website question is perfectly legal and most likely welcomed!!!

Tanith: if you use [email protected], they will charge you even if you only have wi-fi. To avoid charges do this:

Set the upper charge limit to $0.00 in Manage your Kindle.
Use only [email protected] for translations. You receive exactly the same translation to your computer or wi-fi but at no charge.

Interesting info on their refund policy. I bought an ebook (Shadowrun: 2XS) a couple of months ago and stopped reading it a 1/4 of the way in because of format errors, particularly hyphens in many words with multiple syllables, spelling errors, and bad paragraph formatting. I don't think I'm going to bother to get a refund but it's something to keep in mind for more expensive ebooks.

Thanks Andre- I did as you suggested. Though just to be careful I will do thest transfers via USB. There are just too many rules to follow.

@ John- if you were to ask for a refund due to the formatt error reason will Amazon allow this? Just curious.

Tanith wrote:

"@ John- if you were to ask for a refund due to the formatt error reason will Amazon allow this? Just curious. "

According to a post earlier in this thread, they will. I was commenting on it but didn't realize that there were other posts beyond it.

John wrote: "Tanith wrote:

"@ John- if you were to ask for a refund due to the formatt error reason will Amazon allow this? Just curious. "

According to a post earlier in this thread, they will. I was commen..."

Amazon is pickier about returns after 7 days (under 7 days it's no questions asked unless a reader has shown a habit of returns). I think you have to call to do the return and explain that the formatting was unacceptable (in other words if one paragraph was mis-aligned, they might have heartburn). Most of the time, it's been my impression that they are very good about it unless an account shows a chronic pattern that might be construed as abuse of the policy.

There was a case over on mobilereads (a forum) where a guy apparently thought it was okay to buy a large number of reference books to read through and "decide" which one he wanted to keep. Instead of using the sample feature, he "bought" all of them and then attempted to return all but one. Since these book were reference, they were expensive and apparently he planned on the return feature so purchased about every book he could find on the subject. His account was locked and I don't know if they were ever returned. From the conversation, it was apparently not his first offense at "sampling" by buying...

:>)

Maria wrote: "There was a case over on mobilereads (a forum) where a guy apparently thought it was okay to buy a large number of reference books to read through and "decide" which one he wanted to keep. Instead of using the sample feature, he "bought" all of them and then attempted to return all but one. Since these book were reference, they were expensive and apparently he planned on the return feature so purchased about every book he could find on the subject. His account was locked and I don't know if they were ever returned. From the conversation, it was apparently not his first offense at "sampling" by buying..."

Now that wasn't a good move on his part.

I have one book that I could try to return but it was only $4 so I'm not to bother. If I get another one with bad formatting errors I will certainly ask for my money back.

John wrote: "Maria wrote: "There was a case over on mobilereads (a forum) where a guy apparently thought it was okay to buy a large number of reference books to read through and "decide" which one he wanted to ..."

I didn't think so either. But yanno, there's always someone out there that will decide to game the system or just be stupid. I wanted to return a book once, but I think it was 3 bucks, so I decided not to bother--I definitely want to save the privilege for when I buy a 20 dollar book that turns out to have problems!

if i create a wish list collection on kindle is there a way for me to add it to the collection so i can keep an eye on it.
Its easy with books that have samples because I can add the sample to the collection- what about books that are to-be relased. Does anyone know how I can add this? I just wanna mark it on my kindle as a reminder what I need to purchase when its released

I went to a workshop on self-publishing at one of the big publishers and asked about eBook formatting and the consensus of opinion seemed to be that no one has worked out the standard yet. This seems to mean it is very hit and miss.

There are very few conversion programs that work really well.

Smashwords style guide is free and very good for getting it right - especially the "nuke" it approach as Linda and Stuart mentioned.

Natasha wrote: "I went to a workshop on self-publishing at one of the big publishers and asked about eBook formatting and the consensus of opinion seemed to be that no one has worked out the standard yet. This see..."

Both Smashwords and Calibre are good programs. Yes, the "standards" are not quite standardized...

I uploaded my first book at Amazon and Smashwords some months ago. I recently learned I could add page breaks now. I just checked the formatting of my manuscript and added page breaks to end chapters, tnen uploaded my book again at Amazon. The method was new but the formatting turned out better.

Natasha wrote: "I went to a workshop on self-publishing at one of the big publishers and asked about eBook formatting and the consensus of opinion seemed to be that no one has worked out the standard yet. This see..."

Pat, I believe you can add page breaks for Kindle, but no for Smashwords. Is that right?
thanks!

Paul wrote: "Pat, I believe you can add page breaks for Kindle, but no for Smashwords. Is that right?
thanks!"

The converter adds "page breaks" if you are using standard headers (header 1, header 2).

This works for both Kindle and Smashwords for the converted retailers with the support for it.

Paul, I have heard you can add page breaks for Smashwords too, but I haven't tried it. I may update my book on SW if I think it's worth the trouble. But not right now.

My experiences with my Kindle have been pretty dire so far, I have to say. I hate typos. They bring me out in hives! There are so many authors of eBooks who don't know the difference between simple words like site and sight, discreet and discrete, and so on. As well as the typos, there are so many ebooks that are poorly plotted or have cardboard characters. I really believe most indie authors just publish without employing an editor. The quality of ebooks is going to have to improve if the whole idea is to succeed imo.