Amazon announces Kindle Singles mini-books

by Steven Mostyn - Oct 13 2010, 07:18

Expanding the demographic appeal of its Kindle device, online retailer Amazon has announced the imminent launch of 'Kindle Singles', new electronic reading content that's more substantial than a magazine article but not as long as a conventional book.

Outlining that most writers have been pushed to pen works of less than 10,000 words or more than 50,000 “for more than a century” in order to meet marketing and distribution requirements, Amazon says its new Singles service will offer content between 10,000 and 30,000 words or roughly 30 to 90 pages.

According to Amazon, such mini-books will provide Kindle users with access to well researched, well argued and well illustrated content spanning everything from a business lesson, a political point of view, a scientific argument, or a beautifully crafted essay on a current event.

“Ideas and the words to deliver them should be crafted to their natural length, not to an artificial marketing length that justifies a particular price or a certain format,” explained Russ Grandinetti, vice president of Kindle Content. “With Kindle Singles, we're reaching out to publishers and accomplished writers and we're excited to see what they create.”

Kindle Singles will be given their own department within the Kindle Store and will be priced at much less than a typical book. Content sold through Kindle Singles will be 'Buy Once, Read Everywhere' and will be compatible on all Kindle devices along with the Apple iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone, Mac, PC, BlackBerry and Android-based handsets.

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