Amazon Reveals That Kindle Book Sales Are Now Higher Than Paperback Sales

Some months ago, Amazon announced that they were selling more Kindle books than hardbacks.Now it seems that Kindle book sales have overtaken paperback sales as well. It surely can’t be long before Kindle book sales are higher than both paperback and hardback sales combined.

It’s almost inevitable in a way.After all, people who are prepared to shell out $ 139 for a Kindle reader are going to be the ones who read a lot of books aren’t they? There will always be a few bibliophiles who prefer reading a “real” book – but, over the piece, we do appear to be heading towards a scenario where e-books assume ever greater importance in the literary world.

There’s certainly no shortage of Kindle books for prospective customers to choose from.Currently there are in excess of 800,000 Kindle books on sale on Amazon’s Kindle store. That number is growing every day – and there are an additional 1.8 million out of copyright books which are available as free downloads. These include titles by authors such as Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Homer, Virgil to name but a few.

Amazon has also released a variety of free apps to allow Kindle books to be read without the use of a Kindle reader. These exist for the PC, the Mac, the Apple iPad, the iPod Touch, the Blackberry smart phone and any device which runs Android. An app for the HP tablet computer is believed to be imminent. What this means is that users needn’t worry about their Kindle becoming obsolete. Additionally, each app also serves as an extra retail outlet for Amazon.

Estimates put Amazon’s share of the current e-book market at approximately 90%. That’s not sustainable in the long term and industry experts are suggesting that we will see a three way split between Google, Apple and Amazon – of roughly equal proportions – by 2015. However, many of those same analysts predicted that the launch of Apple’s iPad would sound the death knell for the Kindle, and they didn’t exactly get that right did they?

In fact, the new third generation Kindle reader is selling more quickly than ever. It was Amazon’s best selling product (again) during the 2010 festive sales season, and the Kindle has now been Amazon’s best selling item for 18 months. 2011 sales forecasts have been increased from 5 million Kindles to 8 million, based upon recent sales returns. Some market rationalisation seems inevitable in future, but there’s nothing to suggest any reduction in the Kindle’s dominance in the short to medium term.

Amazon Kindle – 7 Crux reasons why Amazon’s Kindle 3 is the paramount e-Book bookworm

Amazon’s kindle is presently the preeminent promotion e-Book booklover worldwide, the drone inside the digital media’s world.Each lone counting childish and old, techie and non-techie, the scale is identical pro the preeminent e-Reader.However, the climb up pro the appropriate e-Reader is confusing by age equally the competition is aggressive inside the souk.You take place inflicted with the latest Nook color, iPad, Sony reader, Neo and the likes equally not solely an alternative but with their give in unique advantages.

Well, so much pro the swagger and classy facial outer shell of other e-Readers but Kindle stands made recognized equally the finest electronic tome booklover pro attitude books, magazines and other ID which is the very function of an e-Reader.This is not a kindle 3 assess placement but valuable shopping pointers pro kindle 3.By the side of this schedule are the reasons why Kindle is rank apart from the rest:? Unsurpassed Spectacle screenThe inclusion of E Ink “Pearl” with Kindle 3 is advancing inside stipulations of assumption from spectacle screen into a ultra level.We adore the screen equally it hip reality deal with to look like a real paper.

The conclusion combat is clean-living contentment wanting individual eyestain unlike the LCD screen.The contrast is 50 better than Kindle ex- generation equally claimed by Amazon.Sony booklover and Kindle are the single two device with the purpose of aid E Ink Precious thing.? Skillful Inkling and PortabilityKindle’s every single inkling decision is optimized pro top estimate contact.Kindle 3 is intensely painless weighted and therefore straightforward pro convey and you can read with lone furnish pro lengthy hours.

Kindle weighs single 8.5 ounces pro the Wi-Fi develop and 8.7 ounces pro the Wi-Fi+3G fashion.It is so painless with the meaning of you can read with the kindle cover directly wanting much difference.Amazon Kindle 3 is three ounces lighter than Nook and 1/3 the consequence of iPad.Even if you read pro lengthy hours it by no means gets sweltering unlike tablet otherwise laptop.

? Thumbs down Glare inside Sharp SunlightUnlike other e-Reader Amazon’s Kindle is even other decent to read inside sharp lit background and sunlight lacking one glare otherwise reflection and the latest generation kindle cover is kind of the great thing on this case.The spectacle screen reflects like regular paper and a token pro the preeminent e-Book reader.? Extended Battery LifeAmazon kindle 3 battery life want continue pro up to a month with the wireless off.This earnings you don’t be inflicted with to trouble in this area charging you device each currently and then, and with the intention of is unquestionably an break.

Many a calculate we look after to overlook charging our smart phones and laptop and run into trouble.You can currently relax by smallest amount with Kindle.Generally of the e-Reader want produce virtually 7 – 10 days of battery life.? Amazon Kindle Pile Colossal collectionThere are well higher than 750,000 eBook unfilled pro download with kindle store.

The collection is increasing everyday and other than 610,000 tiles are worth by $9.99 otherwise less.You can presently read your esteemed books pro much less significant price.You can furthermore read the initially stage of each bearing unfilled by kindle pile pro emancipated to help buying.? Super Fast DownloadsYou can download one books on Kindle inside a reduced amount of than 60 seconds.

The build-in Wi-Fi allows Kindle to involuntarily detects Wi-Fi networks and you can download books and other contents via Whispernet.Thumbs down other agape with the fast download speeds of Kindle.? Text-to-Speech FeatureKindle has the skill to read books, magazines, newspapers and other easy as you don’t aspire to read.You can relax and take note to your books and periodicals with ease.

The beauty of this figure is the gift to conveniently switch back and forth linking conception and listening from one location.This is an admirable option while driving otherwise as you are careless to read pro yourself.

The Big Publishing Houses Must Embrace E-Books

E-book readers, and the e-books to read on them, are a very recent phenomenon. However, the public seems to have taken to them very rapidly. A lot of the thanks for that has to go to the Amazon Kindle reader – in particular the Kindle 2.0 which was launched in February of 2009. Amazon’s upgraded third generation Kindle was unveiled in August of 2010 and, despite doom laden predictions for the Kindle following the launch of Apple’s iPad, is selling more quickly than ever. There’s little doubt that it was the Kindle 2.0 that helped e-books to really take off.

Equally important was the large selection of Kindle books on offer. Amazon has always had a lot more titles on offer than the chasing pack. At the moment they have more 750,000 Kindle books available on their website – and those are just the paid titles. There are over 1.8 million titles which are out of copyright and are now available for download free of charge.

However, whilst the public may have adapted to e-books very quickly, it remains to be seen if the main publishing companies have got their corporate heads around the concept yet. The traditional publishing cycle has been totally modified by the introduction of e-books. E-books are not only cheaper than traditional printed books – there’s no reason why they wouldn’t be released alongside the conventional printed hardback version. The e-book version is available immediately – no need to wait months for the paperback to be released.

Obviously, having a cheaper version available at the same time as the hardback is something which could impact upon the sales of hardback books. According to Amazon, they are currently selling 180 Kindle books for every 100 hardbacks. This seems to have given many of the big publishers cause for concern. They have already crossed swords with Amazon regarding the pricing of e-books.

Publishers like Harper Collins, Penguin and Hachette recently moved to the “agency model” for their e-books. What this means is that the publishers set the price rather than the retailer (Amazon). This has seen e-book prices rise – in some cases to the point where they cost more than the hardback version.

Kindle owners quickly retaliated by awarding “one star” reviews to books where they felt that the Kindle book price was too high. Some fairly blunt comments were left on the Amazon website – aimed at the publishers for the most part – and some irate readers went so far as to suggest that potential customers boycott both Kindle and hardback editions until prices are set at more reasonable levels. Some prices have now been reduced.

It seems to be an almost suicidal tactic by the publishers to adopt such an artificial method of raising prices. It doesn’t seem unreasonable to assume that e-book readers owners read a lot of books. If you only read a book a month then you would hardly invest in an e-book reader would you? In other words, e-book reader users are the major publisher’s target audience.

It seems obvious – just even – that e-books should cost less than traditional books. In addition to the lack of paper, ink and bindings, they have virtually no delivery fees associated with them. They are also more environmentally friendly – even allowing for the materials used in the e-book readers themselves. It seems probable that e-book reader owners would not only be able to work this out for themselves but would, quite naturally, anticipate that the price would reflect this fact.

The publisher’s tactics may help to keep their profits up in the short term – but they risk alienating some of their best customers in the process. Artificial price fixing is likely to antagonise the buying public and, after a series of one star reviews and public calls for boycotts, authors would most likely also be discontented. Publishers have every bit as much to gain from the e-book revolution as the public. Publishers will also have reduced expenses when producing and selling e-book versions – and customers will expect the selling price of e-books to reflect these lower costs. Publishers who adopt e-books, in just the same way that the reading public has, will be successful going forward. On the other hand, if their desire for short term profits inures them to the possible opportunities offered by this new medium, they will be rejected by both their authors and their readers.

Kindle Users Will Soon Be Able To Lend Kindle Books

A major factor in the enormous success of Amazon’s Kindle Reader has always been the number of Kindle titles on offer for users to choose from. Currently, Kindle owners can choose from more than 725,000 Kindle books – and that’s just the paid titles. There are also 1.8 million books which are out of copyright and can be downloaded to the Kindle gratis.

Apart from making plenty of reading material available for Kindle users, Amazon has also made every effort to make it easy to read Kindle books without a Kindle reader. This has been achieved by the release of a number of free Kindle apps which allow Kindle books to be read on a variety of different devices.

At this time, there are free Kindle apps for the Windows PC, the Apple Mac, any device which runs the Android Operating System, the iPad, the iPhone and Blackberry’s smart phone. It almost seems as if Amazon is its own competitor at first glance – but the fact is that all of these free apps are very effective retail outlets for Kindle books.

The latest announcement from Amazon is that Kindle users will soon be able to “lend” each other Kindle books. This should start before the end of the year – although Amazon has not yet confirmed the exact date.

Kindle owners will have the option of lending Kindle books to their family and friends for a couple of weeks at a time. The “borrower” will be able to read the book on their Kindle – just as if it was one of their own books. The original buyer won’t be able to access the book for the duration of the loan. Precisely the same as with a traditional book in fact.

Not all books will be lendable. The final decision as to whether or not books may be lent out will rest with the publishers. It will be interesting to see how different publishers react to this development.

Amazon has also confirmed that it will its current free Kindle apps will be extended to include newspapers and magazines as well as Kindle books. The Apple devices will be activated first, followed by desktop applications and Android devices.

Over the last eighteen months or so, the ebook reader and ebook market has grown very rapidly. They are still at a relatively early stage in their market development – but the public seem to have become accustomed to them. This latest development by Amazon makes e-books even more like traditional books. Ebooks can now be considered to be pretty much interchangeable with traditional books – apart from the fact that you can’t mark the pages with a dog-ear. It’s a big step forward for both ebook readers and ebooks readers, and it’s one which can only will help them to become ever more widely accepted by the public.

The Influence Of E-Books On The Publishing Market

The world of book publishing is about to undergo a massive upheaval – as a result of the rapid growth in the popularity of both e-book readers and e-books. Driven by the growing popularity of e-book readers – like the Amazon Kindle for instance – e-books have rapidly been accepted by the general public. It would be very easy to consider them as no more than another way of delivering written content. However, they may prove to be the most significant change to reading since Gutenberg invented the printing press.

Perhaps that sounds a little melodramatic – but the fact is that e-books totally change the long established publishing cycle. In general, publishers release hardback editions followed, normally a few months to a year later, by the paperback version. Obviously there is no reason why the e-book edition wouldn’t be published at the same time as the hardback.

Obviously, because e-books don’t use any paper, chemicals or bindings, and because they don’t need to be shipped, they cost a lot less than a printed book. What this means is that the e-book version could be made available at a reduced price concurrently with the hardback book. That could have a serious impact on the profits of the big publishing houses – especially if you consider that the people who own e-book readers are likely to be fairly heavy readers.

Some fairly heated discussions have already taken place between Amazon – who planned to price all e-books at $ 9.99 or less – and the major publishing houses. For a brief period, books by McMillan were removed from Amazon’s website. Whilst things have quietened down a little for the – it appears highly probable that e-book prices will fall further in future.

However, there are clearly some very positive aspects for the major publishing houses. Clearly they will have smaller costs when selling e-books, so they should be able to make a profit. Alternative strategies for marketing books will also become available to them.

The Amazon collection of Kindle books is the most extensive available on the web at this time. They have more than 700,000 titles to choose from – and there are a further 1.8 million out of copyright books which are available as free download from the Amazon Kindle store. Most of these were published before 1923, but there are other examples of modern books which can be downloaded at no cost.

You can often see publishers offering modern, sometimes recently published, books for free. Sometimes this is done for a short period. It allows them to showcase a new title or author and the increased number of downloads will help the book to move up the best sellers list. Once it has reached a decent level, the publishers can charge for it and benefit from its boosted ranking. You may also find the first book in a series being made available for free. Obviously the idea is that readers will go on to buy further titles in the series – assuming that they enjoy the opening volume.

Of course, both of these techniques could have been used with printed books. However, it would cost a lot more money, and therefore be a much riskier undertaking. It seems clear that e-books are here to stay. No doubt there will be some publishing firms who will attempt to safeguard their profits using somewhat restrictive techniques. It will be the ones that are best able to adapt to the new digital publishing landscape by offering value to both authors and readers who survive.

How CanYou Play Games On Amazon’s Kindle Reader?

The Amazon Kindle reader has been a huge success for Amazon since it was first released in November of 2007. The upgrade Kindle 2.0, released in February 2009 was a huge influence in the rapid growth and development of the e-book reader market and the new Kindle 3 reader, unveiled at the end of July 2010, has been selling faster than ever.

According to Amazon, the new Kindle 3 has been selling faster than any previous Kindle did during the equivalent post launch period. It’s a long way removed from the widely forecast demise of the Kindle that a lot of industry analysts anticipated in the wake of the Apple iPad’s launch.

In a way, it’s a compliment to the Kindle that, up until now at least, its only credible competition comes in the form of a versatile tablet computer which costs more than three times the price of the Kindle. If Amazon to increase the Kindle price by a factor of three, it seems fair to assume that some additional features could probably be added.

However, that doesn’t seem likely to happen. The Kindle has set its stall out as a specialist e-book reader. The iPad is a versatile device. They are two totally different kinds of gadget aimed at different market sectors. A side by side technical comparison is likely to be a fruitless endeavour.

Nevertheless, it’s interesting to note that there are now games being released for the Kindle. Apple’s iPad is clearly far and away the better device for playing games on – the Kindle’s e-ink technology display, whilst ideal for an e-book reader, is not suited for any application which requires a rapid screen refresh rate.

So it should be no surprise that the types of games being released for the Kindle are mainly word puzzles and number games. Currently, the most popular Kindle game is the timeless classic Scrabble. Other options include Sudoku, crosswords and general word puzzles. Just to be clear, we’re not talking about Halo or Grand Theft Auto here – but, without wanting stereotyping too much, it probably makes sense that someone who reads a lot might also enjoy solving word puzzles and maybe playing Sudoku.

Kindle Scrabble is currently available for $ 4.99 and is the top selling Kindle game at this time. Most games available seem to range from $ 0.99 to $ 4.99. We are even beginning to see some free games becoming available, a trend which – if Kindle games follow the same pattern as Kindle Books – will in all probability increase in future.

Playing Games On The Amazon Kindle

The Amazon Kindle reader has been a tremendous success for Amazon since it was originally launched in November of 2007. The enhanced Kindle 2.0, released in February 2009 was a major factor in the rapid growth and development of the e-book reader market and the latest third generation Kindle reader, unveiled at the end of July 2010, has been selling like hot cakes.

According to Amazon, the new Kindle 3 has been selling faster than any previous Kindle did during the equivalent post launch period. It’s a long way removed from the widely forecast demise of the Kindle that a lot of industry analysts anticipated in the wake of the Apple iPad’s launch.

In some ways, it’s a backhanded compliment to the Kindle that, at least up until now, its only genuine competition comes in the shape of a versatile tablet computer which sells for over three times the price of the Kindle. It seems reasonable to assume that were Amazon to treble the Kindle price, that some additional features could possibly be added.

However, that doesn’t seem likely to happen. The Kindle is clearly intended to be a specialist e-book reader. The iPad is a multi-functional device. They are two totally different kinds of gadget aimed at different market sectors. Comparing the two devices point by point seems unlikely to yield any meaningful result.

Notwithstanding that, it’s interesting to note that Kindle games are starting to appear on the market. Obviously the iPad is the clear winner when it comes to playing games – the Kindle’s screen, whilst ideal as an e-book reader, is not suitable for anything which requires a fast refresh rate.

So it should come as no great surprise that the types of games appearing for the Kindle are mainly numbers games and word puzzles. Currently, the most popular Kindle game is the timeless classic Scrabble. Crosswords, Sudoku and a variety of word puzzle games are also available. Just to be clear, we’re not talking about Halo or Grand Theft Auto here – but, without wanting stereotyping too much, it probably makes sense that someone who reads a lot might also enjoy solving word puzzles and maybe playing Sudoku.

Scrabble for the Kindle is currently selling for $ 4.99 and is the top selling Kindle game at this time. Most games available seem to range from $ 0.99 to $ 4.99. We can even see some free games appearing, a trend which – if Kindle games follow the same pattern as Kindle books – will most likely grow in the near future.

What Is In Store For The E-Book Reader Arena?

This time last year, the new market for e-book readers was really taking off – gold rush style. Following the huge success which Amazon had enjoyed with its Kindle reader – firstly with the Kindle 2.0 in February of 2009 and then with the large format DX edition in the summer of the same year – a veritable host of personal electronics manufacturers were either developing, releasing or updating their own e-book readers so as to get their share of the nascent market.

Sony and Barnes and Noble were bursting a gut to get their new readers launched before the 2009 festive season and Samsung, Plastic Logic, Asus and a host of others were rushing to get their readers on the market as fast as they could. For the first time ever, the Computer Electronics Show, which took place in Las Vegas during early 2010, featured a dedicated area for e-book readers. E-book readers were a hot new emerging market.

Right now however, no more than a few months later, it’s an entirely different scenario. The price of e-book readers has tumbled. Amazon have now introduced an entry level, Wi-Fi only, Kindle priced at $ 139 – not much more than a third of the $ 359 price which the Kindle 2.0 launched. The price of Barnes and Noble’s Nook reader is also down on its launch price at $ 149 – and you can expect to see this fall further prior to the festive season.

Several new e-book readers which were going through the development process – including Plastic Logic’s Que – have been cancelled. The market seems to be entering a new stage in its development – and whether there is any place in it for pure electronics manufacturers or not is highly debatable. Amazon’s business model is very well suited to selling lower priced reader hardware and making a profit on the follow up sales of Kindle books. Barnes and Noble could employ a similar strategy – but it’s somewhat debatable as to whether or not they could make use of economies of scale in the same way that Amazon can.

Of course, it would be lunacy to suggest that the launch of the Apple iPad had not played a major part in this. There’s little doubt that e-book reader prices would have come down anyway – but the iPad has certainly hastened things along quite a bit. However, bearing in mind the fact that the new third generation Kindles sold out shortly after they were released, the iPad doesn’t look like the Kindle Killer that it was expected to be.

Apart from the debate about e-ink displays being easier to read on than backlit screens, there is – for the moment at least – enough daylight between the price of the Kindle and the price of even the entry level iPad to make the Kindle the more attractive option for anyone whose primary interest is reading books. The iPad’s monthly connection fees will be a stumbling block for many customers.

It does look as if there is ample room in the market for both the Amazon Kindle and the iPad to co-exist – for the short term future at least. Other e-book reader manufacturers, including Sony and Barnes and Noble, seem destined to struggle as hardware prices will continue to fall.

Amazon And Apple Have Seized Control Of The Electronic Book Arena

It seems that e-book readers have been hot items for quite some time now. The market for e-book readers really took off in 2009, and one of the most important influences on this was the launch of Amazon’s Kindle.0 in February of that year. Amazon followed up with the launch of the large format Kindle DX in the summer of 2009 and, in the second half of the year, manufacturers of personal electronics were lining up to release their own e-book readers and secure a share of the emerging market. The fact that almost every new reader which showed any promise was instantly given the title of the “Kindle Killer” is a clear indication of just how important Amazon were to the market’s development. The Kindle reader was, without a doubt, the industry standard that had to be matched and subsequently beaten.

However, there was nothing to suggest that the reader which would offer serious competition to the Kindle was anywhere in sight. It was only with the launch of Apple’s iPad – a significantly different type of device – that the Kindle’s dominance was in any way threatened. Even then, the death of the Kindle as a result of consumers turning to the iPad just doesn’t seem to have materialised. Following the launch of the newly enhanced Kindle 3 in August 2010 Amazon, for the umpteenth time it seems, was out of stock of the devices and potential customers faced a wait of several weeks before their new readers could be shipped.

There can’t be much doubt that the Kindle’s high sales figures can, to some extent, be explained by the fact that the latest upgrades were also accompanied by a price reduction. Amazon introduced a new Wi-Fi only Kindle for just $ 139 for customers who didn’t have any need for 3G connectivity. If you consider that the Kindle 2.0 launch price was $ 359 in February of 2009, that’s a hefty price reduction. It moves the Kindle – and e-book readers in general – much closer to the sub $ 100 impulse buying zone for personal electronic devices. Whether this was prompted by the appearance of the iPad on the scene is probably a moot point. It seems clear that the price reduction would have taken place anyway, but there is still plenty of room for further downward price movement – quite possibly in the not too distant future.

Amazon and Apple may be enjoying a good deal of success, but the same cannot be said for other e-book reader manufacturers. Several planned e-book readers have either been postponed or cancelled all together. The Que reader from Plastic Logic seems to be pretty well dead. Irex, a previously well established Dutch company, went bankrupt following disappointing US sales figures for their Irex reader. The Skiff reader, from Sprint and Hearst has been cancelled.

Could we be heading towards a strongly polarised market in which Amazon dominate the low cost “pure” e-book reader sector and Apple clean up in the pricier tablet computer that also serves as an e-book reader market? There is a massive difference in the retail prices of the Kindle and even the entry level iPad. Is there sufficient space between the two devices, in terms of both specification and price levels, to allow new players to enter the market?

Recently Amazon confirmed that sales of Kindle books are outstripping the sales of hardback editions. It seems highly probable that e-book sales will catch up with and eventually overtake paperback sales – and probably in the not too distant future. It seems certain that e-books are going to be an important part in the future of reading, but just what type of device will you use to read them on?

The Amazon Kindle Is Selling Faster Than Ever

Amazon recently confirmed that, in the 4 weeks following the launch of their Kindle 3, more Kindle readers were sold than during the same time period following any previous Kindle reader launch. The latest Kindle is, not just still in high demand, but is the fastest selling Kindle ever. As usual, Amazon did not reveal the exact number of Kindles which were sold, but they did advise that, since the release of the new version of the Kindle, customers have bought more Kindles on Amazon.com and the new Kindle store at Amazon.co.uk combined than any other item.

Amazon’s latest generation Kindle 3 was unveiled at the end of July. The latest version packs the same 6″ display into a new slimmed down design which is 21% smaller and 15% lighter. Page turns are 20% faster and onboard memory has been doubled from 2GB to 4GB – enough for 3,500 books. With the Wi-Fi turned off, the battery will now last for a month – even with the Wi-Fi on, a 10 day life is achievable – and the e-ink technology screen has had its contrast improved.

A new entry level Wi-Fi only Kindle was introduced for customers who don’t feel the need for 3G. This sells for just $ 139, with the Wi-Fi plus 3G model on offer at $ 189. Those prices are very much lower than the earlier Kindle price tag $ 359. It’s a clear sign of how the e-book reader market is developing and maturing.

During the first half of 2010, Amazon sold three times as many Kindle books as they did during the first half of 2009. There are now in excess of 670,000 titles available on the Kindle store – not including the 1.8 million free out of copyright books available.

The Kindle remains the top selling product on Amazon’s site. It is also the most wished for and gifted item on the Amazon website.com and Amazon.co.uk. With the high sales returns for the Kindle and the latest technical upgrades, it would be easy to overlook the importance of the launch of the UK Kindle store at Amazon.co.uk. The UK store has opened with 400,000 titles available and could increase international Kindle sales. If it proves to be successful – and early sales returns suggest that this will be the case – then Amazon may well open further Kindle stores in countries like Japan, France and Germany – all of whom have their own “local” Amazon websites.

Whilst the Apple iPad continues to offer competition, this doesn’t seem to concern Amazon very much. For the moment at least, the price differential between the Kindle and the iPad is large enough to make the Kindle the natural choice for most customers who are primarily interested in reading books. As the e-book market matures, much more emphasis will be given to the sale of e-books as opposed to e-book readers. The fact that Kindle book sales are outstripping the sales of Apple’s iBooks by a factor of sixty to one must be very encouraging for Amazon.