What Does the Amazon Kindle Fire Mean for Readers and Authors?
Competition is fierce within the reader and tablet market—nevertheless, Amazon launched its latest addition to the mix. Starting at just $199, the new Kindle Fire features a color touchscreen, dual-core processor, and its own app store.
Apart from the new features, the Android-based, 7-inch tablet attempts to jump into the merging market between E-books and tablet computing. With rivals such as the iPad and various others, it will be interesting to see how Amazon’s latest release will effect the consumer interest in this ever-changing market. Beyond the black and white display of the previous Kindle, the Fire now features full color magazines, newspapers, movies, games, and other media.
What Does This Mean for Readers?
For those who enjoyed the portability and convenience of the previous Kindle, the Fire enables readers to experience full color, illustrated E-books in addition to the traditional black and white.
However, depending on your level of dedication to the “ink-feel” of your E-book device, the new features may also serve as drawbacks. The new screen does enable feature-rich, full-color books as well as TV, games, and music. But with a back-lit display, the fear is this will compromise the reading quality Kindle users have come to know and trust. With the focus of E-book readers drawing more into the entertainment and multimedia realm, the paperback may yet remain the top format for readers in the end.
What About Authors?
With the evolution or release of any E-book device, the temptation grows to create a quick PDF/E-book to stick on Amazon’s store. However, with the device incorporating more entertainment avenues such as games, movies, TV, and magazines—the need for a professional book stands at a higher level of importance than ever before.
What Do You Think?
As a reader, would the color display serve as a hindrance or help? As a writer or author, do you think new tablets help or hurt the goal of reaching readers? Feel free to leave a comment to let us know; we would love to hear your thoughts and feedback!
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I agree wholeheartedly that professional book design is paramount when you are marketing to a device like the Kindle Fire. While a traditional e-book/PDF might work for the old phone/PDA e-reader software, color tablets and devices like the Kindle Fire are a tougher sell. And now Apple has thrown another wrench in the works with updated iBooks software!
Having handled and set up a few Kindle Fire for customers at my store, I have seen firsthand that presentation is everything. Even those rare times when I shop on Amazon for new ebooks, I tend to skip over the poorly-designed covers and boring page layouts. (Sorry, despite working on my own book that I hope people will buy, I am more of a library reader than a book buyer.) Yes, the Kindle Fire is going to change things, and 2012 will be an interesting year as even more affordable tablets/readers hit the market.
Very good points. Unfortunately, many an author discovers much too late, the importance of a professionally crafted cover and interior layout. Even beyond this is the editing and proper formatting. It sounds like you’ve seen firsthand how these can make or break an Ebook.