Over 10,000 books already enrolled from authors such as Ray Bradbury,
Michael Crichton, Blake Crouch, James Rollins, Jodi Picoult, Neil
Gaiman, Marcus Sakey, Wally Lamb, Jo Nesbo, Neal Stephenson, and J.A.
Jance, among many others
Today’s announcement is also a call to all authors and publishers to
enroll their books in Kindle MatchBook—offering customers great value
while adding a new revenue stream
Kindle MatchBook is the latest in a series of customer benefits
exclusive to the Amazon ecosystem of digital content
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep. 3, 2013--
(NASDAQ:AMZN)—Amazon today introduced Kindle MatchBook, a new benefit
that gives customers the option to buy—for $2.99, $1.99, $0.99, or
free—the Kindle edition of print books they have purchased new from
Amazon. Print purchases all the way back to 1995—when Amazon first
opened its online bookstore—will qualify once a publisher enrolls a
title in Kindle MatchBook. Over 10,000 books will already be available
when Kindle MatchBook launches in October, including best sellers like
I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb, The Art of Racing in the
Rain by Garth Stein, The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough, A
Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving and The Hangman’s Daughter
by Oliver Pötzsch, with many more titles to be added over time.
Customers can learn more by visiting www.amazon.com/kindlematchbook.
“If you logged onto your CompuServe account during the Clinton
administration and bought a book like Men Are from Mars, Women Are
from Venus from Amazon, Kindle MatchBook now makes it possible for
that purchase—18 years later—to be added to your Kindle library at a
very low cost,” said Russ Grandinetti, Vice President of Kindle Content.
“In addition to being a great new benefit for customers, this is an easy
choice for publishers and authors who will now be able to earn more from
each book they publish.”
Bundling print and digital has been one of the most requested features
from customers. With Kindle MatchBook, they can keep their favorite book
on their shelf, and have a copy in their digital library for reading,
perhaps re-reading it with features like X-Ray and Popular Highlights.
“I love this idea. It’s simple, brilliant, and good for everybody,” said
best-selling author Marcus Sakey. “I love to have print books on my
shelf, but I love reading my Kindle on the go, and there are plenty
of titles I’d like both ways. It’s ridiculous to ask readers to pay full
retail twice for the same book.”
Kindle MatchBook features include:
-
Kindle editions at a great price: Amazon customers who purchase
or have purchased qualifying print books can get the Kindle edition
for prices that are typically $2.99, $1.99, $0.99, or free.
-
For book purchases dating back to 1995: Print purchases all the
way back to 1995—when Amazon first opened its online bookstore—will
qualify once a publisher enrolls a title in Kindle MatchBook.
-
Easy discovery: Readers can easily look up their entire print
book order history to discover which of their past purchases are
enrolled in Kindle MatchBook.
-
Popular Kindle-only features: As with regular purchases, Kindle
MatchBook titles have unique features such as Whispersync, Popular
Highlights, and X-Ray.
-
Read anywhere capabilities: In addition to Amazon’s
best-selling Kindle devices, customers can download a free Kindle
reading app for iPhone, iPad, Android tablets and phones, PC or Mac
and start building their Kindle library today.
Kindle MatchBook will launch with books from Ray Bradbury, Michael
Crichton, Blake Crouch, James Rollins, Jodi Picoult, Neil Gaiman, Marcus
Sakey, Wally Lamb, Jo Nesbo, Neal Stephenson, and J.A. Jance, among
others. In addition, Amazon Publishing will include all its titles in
Kindle MatchBook. Authors and publishers using Kindle Direct Publishing
(KDP) can enroll their books in the program today by visiting http://kdp.amazon.com.
About Amazon.com
Amazon.com,
Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on
the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth’s Biggest
Selection. Amazon.com,
Inc. seeks to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers
can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and
endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com
and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used
items in categories such as Books; Movies, Music & Games; Digital
Downloads; Electronics & Computers; Home & Garden; Toys, Kids & Baby;
Grocery; Apparel, Shoes & Jewelry; Health & Beauty; Sports & Outdoors;
and Tools, Auto & Industrial. Amazon Web Services provides Amazon’s
developer customers with access to in-the-cloud infrastructure services
based on Amazon’s own back-end technology platform, which developers can
use to enable virtually any type of business. Kindle Paperwhite is the
most-advanced e-reader ever constructed with 62% more pixels and 25%
increased contrast, a patented built-in front light for reading in all
lighting conditions, extra-long battery life, and a thin and light
design. The new latest generation Kindle, the lightest and smallest
Kindle, now features new, improved fonts and faster page turns. Kindle
Fire HD features a stunning custom high-definition display, exclusive
Dolby audio with dual stereo speakers, high-end, laptop-grade Wi-Fi with
dual-band support, dual-antennas and MIMO for faster streaming and
downloads, enough storage for HD content, and the latest generation
processor and graphics engine -- and it is available in two display
sizes -- 7” and 8.9”. The large-screen Kindle Fire HD is also available
with 4G wireless. The all-new Kindle Fire features a 20% faster
processor, 40% faster performance, twice the memory, and longer battery
life.
Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.com,
www.amazon.co.uk,
www.amazon.de,
www.amazon.co.jp,
www.amazon.fr,
www.amazon.ca,
www.amazon.cn,
www.amazon.it,
www.amazon.es,
www.amazon.com.br,
www.amazon.in,
and www.amazon.com.mx.
As used herein, “Amazon.com,”
“we,” “our” and similar terms include Amazon.com,
Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.
Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning
of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly
from management’s expectations. These forward-looking statements involve
risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to
competition, management of growth, new products, services and
technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international
expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment and
data center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements,
acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system
interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments
and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect
Amazon.com’s financial results is included in Amazon.com’s filings with
the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual
Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.
Source: Amazon.com, Inc.
Amazon.com, Inc.
Media Hotline, 206-266-7180
www.amazon.com/pr
