I can’t believe how many times folks ask me how they can find more content for Amazon Kindle. I am more in science and technical books, and there are plenty available, but a whole lot of folks actually use their Kindle to read novels and classic masterpieces. Now, that is you, then you have about two choices. You can either look for it on Amazon. But what if Amazon doesn’t have the work you are looking for? Try eBay!
That’s what I have been doing for a while now. There are folks who actually sell content for Kindle on eBay (take a look at this). eBay maybe a struggling company these days, but it is still a goldmine for niche items such as Kindle content. The good thing about purchasing Kindle content on eBay is that you can get your items fast. But you want to make sure you work with the right seller.
In the end, there are thousands of books available for the Kindle platform (way more than anyone can consume in a lifetime). But if you are looking for a super niche book, then you should try eBay (or maybe craigslist).
Your take: have you had any success finding ultra rare e-books for your Kindle on eBay?
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3 comments
#1KarenNovember 30, 2008, 3:08 pm
The “content” being sold for the Kindle on Amazon is just free classics you can get elsewhere are no cost (and often in a format much better suited for the Kindle, rather than the badly formatted Gutenberg texts often included). Much better to choose from the thousands on manybooks.net or feedbooks.com than to waste money on a CD/DVD over on ebay.
And that’s assuming you don’t end up buying pirated content (if so, you are leaving a paper trail if the seller gets busted). No books that are sold in the Kindle format from Amazon may be resold; the same restriction is on many books that have no DRM (exceptions are often under a Creative Commons license – where again, you can get them for free with very little effort).
#2P. RadNovember 30, 2008, 4:39 pm
Karen,
I do agree with you that there are thousands of places that you can get content for Kindle (pdf). It’s also true that you can’t resell Amazon’s content (as there is a DRM though it can be removed). And in general, I believe you should pay for the content you consume so I don’t approve of pirated content in anyway. Having said that, I have been able to find rare content on eBay that are not pirated yet not available on those sites that I have searched.
I also agree with your assessment about DVD/CD waste available on eBay but once in a while there are collections that are worth paying for. Let’s say you are looking for 1000 books about World War II (just an example). I don’t know about you, but I rather have someone find them and classify them for me. I guess I am too lazy
Thanks for the tip on those free content sites. Everybody should check them out.
#3RickDecember 1, 2008, 5:07 am
I’m cautious about buying anything on eBay after me and my father have both been burned a couple of times. I really don’t want to support a company that just says, “Well, that’s problem is between you and the seller.”
Also, I just checked the link…100 Classic Books for the Kindle; but there are only 94 books included. Already the half truth comes through.
I’d rather give my money to Amazon so the Kindle program will be encouraged to grow and thrive.
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