Convert Printed Books To Digital Format With Amazon's New Kindle MatchBook Service
September 3, 2013
Amazon has announced a new service that will allow customers to turn purchased print books into Kindle editions. The new Kindle MatchBook service will launch in October with over 10,000 books ready to be converted to digital format.
For a book to qualify for the new service, it must have been purchased new from Amazon. Purchases going all the way back to 1995 will qualify once a publisher enrolls a title into Kindle MatchBook.
Here are just a few of the titles that will qualify, according to Amazon's official Kindle MatchBook page:
According to Russ Grandinetti, vice president of Kindle Content:
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.Amazon is charging anywhere between $0.99 to $2.99 to convert a book to digital format. Some titles will be convertible for free. Kindle MatchBook features include:
Personally, I can definitely see the benefit of using Kindle MatchBook, at least for certain titles. The program's success, however, will largely be determined by the book publishers who have to approve the titles for conversion. Launching with 10,000 titles suggests that publishers are already warming to the service, which is great news.
- 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.
