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Now there’s a new entry-level £89 model in Amazon’s line-up, there’s a strong possibility that many people will find a Kindle ebook reader in their stocking come Xmas morning.
Unfortunately, thanks to the deal that Amazon has with publishers for ebooks, many electronic titles cost the same as their hardback versions — or, in many cases, more.
The reason is that although Amazon can sell print titles at a deep discount, publishers get to set prices for ebooks and they’re reluctant to make downloads too attractive in case it affects print title sales.
So, what’s the solution for someone looking for something to read over the Xmas break, but who is put off by high ebook pricing? Well, there are a few options.
First, Amazon offers a wide range of free ebooks for the Kindle. Most are old, out-of-copyright titles, but the selection still includes lots of popular classics, such as The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Dracula and all of Charles Dickens’s work.
Amazon also runs special offers for new Kindle ebooks and, at the time of writing, there are 107 free downloads that include fiction, self-help titles and textbooks.
Free ebooks are also widely available online, but you’ll need to choose carefully for titles that are designed specifically for reading on the Kindle — ManyBooks is one of the best sources.