Ebook Income

Amazon’s Kindle ebook reader is a great step forward. It’s not flawless but the few niggles are easy to gloss over because the thing does what it’s supposed to and does it well. As a first attempt it’s got winning technology and the huge publishing support that will almost certainly guarantee its success.

I know some people don’t like the looks (I do) but in use you actually forget that it’s a digital device at all after a while. It’s just like reading a book - which is how it should be.

My problem isn’t with the Kindle at all, it’s with Amazon. More to the point it’s with Amazon’s approach to people writing ebooks for the Kindle. You see if you live outside the US you simply cannot have your book published by Amazon for the Kindle. Can you believe that if Stephen King lived in England he couldn’t get his book on the Kindle? According to Amazon he couldn’t

Oh really. I think they would find a way round it for Mr King, don’t you? But for us mere mortals, apparently there isn’t.

At the moment you can’t actually buy the Kindle outside the US. I understand this because it has to do with the Whispernet technology that it uses to connect. But how does that prevent me from writing an ebook for it?

I should point out that I spend most of my time between England and France. I am fortunate enough to have an American friend who got my Kindle for me.

But I digress.

Amazon will not let me submit my ebook for the Kindle because I have neither a US bank account or a US tax code. Both of these are virtually impossible for you to get unless you are a US resident. Clearly I’m not.

They claim that it’s because of Federal Tax Laws. Yet as an Amazon affiliate I can sell the Kindle reader from my website and earn a commission. In fact I can sell any Amazon product: book, DVD, Sony Reader, any of the other electronic gadgets they promote and they’ll pay me a few dollars.

But I can’t write for the Kindle. Does that not make sense or is it just me?

I have yet to receive a satisfactory answer from Amazon. I’ve nothing against them really but like most big businesses they’re very good at giving completely non-committal answers.

I’m not letting it rest though. The potential for getting my ebooks on the Kindle is too great. Maybe I can’t go via Amazon direct - although being on the Kindle library would obviously be best. Maybe there’s another way. I’ve just had an idea…