You are viewing your 1 free article this month. Login to read more articles.
Amazon.com has launched a beta version of Kindle for the Web, which allows users to sample a chapter from Kindle books through web browsers.
There is no installation or downloading required and customers can just click on the 'Read first chapter free' button to access the first chapter online. Users can change the font size and line spacing as well as the background colour and share books via Facebook, Twitter and email. There is a link on each preview chapter to buy a Kindle edition of the title.
However, the service appears to be US only so far. There are no buttons on books listed on Amazon's co.uk website. It is unclear when, or if, the service will be available in the United Kingdom.
Dorothy Nicholls, director of Amazon Kindle, said: "Kindle for the Web is also a great way for bloggers and authors to promote books on their websites by letting visitors read a chapter without leaving their site."
Bloggers and website owners who are part of the Amazon Associates Programme can also be part of Kindle for the Web by embedding sample chapters on their websites. Amazon will give website owners referral fees when customers complete book purchases using links on their sites.