MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Amazon e-books outside of the US

thianliongpatpoh · 05-10-2009, 05:50 AM

I vote for YES. Until I downloaded Kindle App from iTunes US Store, I can only read with envy when amazon offers free ebooks from various authors to promote their series or launching of new pbook.
I don't live in US. I don't have Kindle (1, 2, DX). What I have was iPhone 2G, and now iPhone 3G. I was able to create an iTunes US Store account, without having a US based credit card. This allows me to download and install Kindle app to my iPhone device. I have been an international amazon customer since mid 90'es. I went through their .lit ebooks era, bought and lost my .lit library (lucky I have the undrm-ed backup), I even went thru their .pdf era (and now I can't open them friggin PDF, having moved from old pentium to various new 'puters).
With Kindle app, i can now download the free ebooks from amazon (by registering my iPhone device to my amazon account. I tested purchasing ebooks. Failed - due to geolocation and my credit card not a US based one. I tested sending samples. The ebook samples appeared on my iPhone.
I then bought Amazon Gift Certificates. Applied it to my amazon account. I purchased Kindle ebooks. Voila, the ebook(s) (.prc) appeared on my iPhone.
Amazon gets their seller's and wireless' service fees (i think). Author (and publisher) gets my money from my purchase. Author (and publisher?) should be happy. Amazon should be happy. I AM happy I can purchase/sample/read Kindle ebooks.
While I don't know whether I would buy 'international' Kindle (1,2,DX), since I'm quite satisfied with my current device, I think I can speak from experience that with 1 international sale of 1 particular ebook, all parties are going to be happy.
Oh, one strange thing. I was browsing kindle ebooks store, and stumbled into a kindle ebooks with MANDARIN title. I downloaded the sample, and inside it are stories in Chinese characters! It turned out I have a translated pbook version of this story (a novella), printed in 1960-es.
As to whether publisher has to deal with international distributions and whatnot, look at Fictionwise, BooksonBoard, eReader, Powell and other ebookstores. They can sell internationally, and have application that will flag an ebook when the rights prevent it to be sold outside US. "Not available to sell outside US," or similar to that statement.

05-10-2009, 05:50 AM	#20
thianliongpatpoh Zealot Posts: 101 Karma: 218 Join Date: Aug 2008 Device: iPad	I vote for YES. Until I downloaded Kindle App from iTunes US Store, I can only read with envy when amazon offers free ebooks from various authors to promote their series or launching of new pbook. I don't live in US. I don't have Kindle (1, 2, DX). What I have was iPhone 2G, and now iPhone 3G. I was able to create an iTunes US Store account, without having a US based credit card. This allows me to download and install Kindle app to my iPhone device. I have been an international amazon customer since mid 90'es. I went through their .lit ebooks era, bought and lost my .lit library (lucky I have the undrm-ed backup), I even went thru their .pdf era (and now I can't open them friggin PDF, having moved from old pentium to various new 'puters). With Kindle app, i can now download the free ebooks from amazon (by registering my iPhone device to my amazon account. I tested purchasing ebooks. Failed - due to geolocation and my credit card not a US based one. I tested sending samples. The ebook samples appeared on my iPhone. I then bought Amazon Gift Certificates. Applied it to my amazon account. I purchased Kindle ebooks. Voila, the ebook(s) (.prc) appeared on my iPhone. Amazon gets their seller's and wireless' service fees (i think). Author (and publisher) gets my money from my purchase. Author (and publisher?) should be happy. Amazon should be happy. I AM happy I can purchase/sample/read Kindle ebooks. While I don't know whether I would buy 'international' Kindle (1,2,DX), since I'm quite satisfied with my current device, I think I can speak from experience that with 1 international sale of 1 particular ebook, all parties are going to be happy. Oh, one strange thing. I was browsing kindle ebooks store, and stumbled into a kindle ebooks with MANDARIN title. I downloaded the sample, and inside it are stories in Chinese characters! It turned out I have a translated pbook version of this story (a novella), printed in 1960-es. As to whether publisher has to deal with international distributions and whatnot, look at Fictionwise, BooksonBoard, eReader, Powell and other ebookstores. They can sell internationally, and have application that will flag an ebook when the rights prevent it to be sold outside US. "Not available to sell outside US," or similar to that statement.