Free Kindle ebooks are not always free because a surcharge is usually applied to cover the cost of downloading the 'free kindle book' via Whispernet. This applies to anyone who is not in the U.S.A but even then certain areas can attract the surcharge as they are classed as non-US.

This quote from a kindle user shows just how confusing it all is...

I was just told that if I am in San Juan with a San Juan address and a Global Wireless Kindle, I will not be charged the Whispernet fee, if I use a US address as my home address I will be charge that approx $2 fee. I was trying to get a definition of US at the time. Since San Juan and the District of Columbia are both non-states, but territories of the US. Ended up being told that the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands are international "areas". I was told that, at least in San Juan, I could use a computer at no additional to the cost of the book

It get even more confusing...

I got my Kindle yesterday and live in the United Kingdom. I have downloaded a few books through whispernet for free with no $2 charge.

But this is why they were free...for now.

Your Kindle isn't registered to the right country yet. If you check your profile, you will see your country is selected as the USA. I had the same with mine when i just got it, when I changed it to the Netherlands, I got the $ 2.00 charge for "free" books.

It's all a bit of a mess really but if you are interested in how to get free kindle books then you might get lucky by looking on Amazon for items tagged as kindle freebie.  Here you go... Kindle Freebie Page

Good luck trying to download kindle ebooks for free, because it's not as simple as it seems.

Here's a short selection of the best Kindle Fiction Books. There are many more to choose from and you can browse the full list by clicking on the link below.

More Kindle Fiction Books

	Fiction Matters List Price: $0.99 Sale Price: $0.99
	Fiction Matters is a leading source of the publishing news, writing tips, and fiction tools that writers care about. Kindle blogs are fully downloaded onto your Kindle so you can read them even when you're not wirelessly connected. And unlike RSS readers which often only provide headlines, blogs on Kindle give you full text content and images, and are updated wirelessly throughout the day.

Kim's Craft Blog--Fiction, Memoir, Creative Writing List Price: $0.99 Sale Price: $0.99

In this blog, Kimberly Davis will discuss issues of writing craft that arise in her creative writing workshops and in her own writing.Kindle blogs are fully downloaded onto your Kindle so you can read them even when you're not wirelessly connected. And unlike RSS readers which often only provide headlines, blogs on Kindle give you full text content and images, and are updated wirelessly throughout the day.

Asimov's Science Fiction List Price: $0.01 Sale Price: $2.99 Average Rating:

Asimov's Science Fiction magazine has published outstanding short fantasy and science fiction by today's leading authors for over 30 years. We continue to showcase stories that are innovative, entertaining, and have won numerous Hugos and Nebula Awards. In addition to fiction, readers stay informed about SF and fantasy through a monthly editorial column, an Internet column, insightful book reviews, and thought-provoking articles about science and science fiction.Asimov's is home to many bestselling authors, including Connie Willis, Robert Silverberg, Mike Resnick, Kristine Katherine Rusch, and Stephen Baxter.Asimov's Science Fiction features 8 single issues and 2 double issues each year in April/May and October/November. The Kindle Edition of Asimov's Science Fiction contains most articles found in the print edition, but will not include all images. For your convenience, issues are auto-delivered wirelessly to your Kindle at the same time the print edition hits the newsstand.

Analog Science Fiction & Fact List Price: $0.01 Sale Price: $2.99 Average Rating:

Published since 1930, Analog Science Fiction and Fact is one of the most enduring and popular magazines of science fiction. Its editorial emphasis is on realistic stories that reflect high standards of scientific accuracy, imagination, and lively articles about current research on the frontiers of real science. A recurrent theme in both fiction and provocative opinion columns is the human impact of science and technology. ANALOG has won numerous Nebula, Hugo, and other awards acknowledging it as a leading periodical in the field.Analog is home to many bestselling authors, including Robert J. Sawyer, Michael F. Flynn, Stephen Baxter, Catherine Asaro, and Harry Turtledove, Joe Haldeman and Ben Bova. Analog Science Fiction and Fact features 8 single issues and 2 double issues each year in January/February and July/August. The Kindle Edition of Analog Science Fiction and Fact contains most articles found in the print edition, but will not include all images. For your convenience, issues are auto-delivered wirelessly to your Kindle at the same time the print edition hits the newsstand.

	The Classic Science Fiction Channel List Price: $0.99 Sale Price: $0.99
	Curated links to free and legal SF/Fantasy/Horror movies, television shows, radio shows, cartoons, e-texts, and audio textsKindle blogs are fully downloaded onto your Kindle so you can read them even when you're not wirelessly connected. And unlike RSS readers which often only provide headlines, blogs on Kindle give you full text content and images, and are updated wirelessly throughout the day.

Every Day Fiction List Price: $0.99 Sale Price: $0.99

Every Day Fiction is a magazine that specializes in bringing you fine fiction in bite-size doses. Every day, we publish a new short story of 1000 words or fewer that can be read during your lunch hour, on transit, or even over breakfast.Kindle blogs are fully downloaded onto your Kindle so you can read them even when you're not wirelessly connected. And unlike RSS readers which often only provide headlines, blogs on Kindle give you full text content and images, and are updated wirelessly throughout the day.

	Tonya R. Moore - Speculative Fiction List Price: $0.99 Sale Price: $0.99
	Flash Fiction, Poetry, Short Stories, Web Serialized FictionKindle blogs are fully downloaded onto your Kindle so you can read them even when you're not wirelessly connected. And unlike RSS readers which often only provide headlines, blogs on Kindle give you full text content and images, and are updated wirelessly throughout the day.

	Howard Pyle's Book of Pirates; fiction, fact List Price: $3.65 Sale Price: $3.65

	Diary of a Heretic: Pure Fiction List Price: $0.99 Sale Price: $0.99
	Serialized stories about people like you and me, concerned with sex, death, faith, and redemption.Kindle blogs are fully downloaded onto your Kindle so you can read them even when you're not wirelessly connected. And unlike RSS readers which often only provide headlines, blogs on Kindle give you full text content and images, and are updated wirelessly throughout the day.

	Freshly Baked Fiction List Price: $1.99 Sale Price: $1.99

If you write for the Kindle here's a good way to do market research before you decide what to write. Amazon offers bestseller and hot lists for their visitors to help them find special deals or highly popular topics that can persuade them into buying.

This is a very useful for anyone who wants to create a kindle ebook  book for the Amazon's Kindle, because those same lists can show you which topics are selling best on the internet.

Using Amazon Bestseller and Hotlists

To find the Amazon.com bestsellers for the Kindle just go to the Kindle Store at http://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=133141011. Once you are there, search for Kindle bestsellers under the “Kindle Books” button.

It will automatically list the bestselling books in the drop-down box on the right side of the screen entitled “Sort by” and it should say “Bestselling.” If not, then just choose that option from the drop-down list to sort by bestselling books.

Using Amazon Listmania for Market Research

Amazon.com also has a feature called Listmania, where anyone who visits can create a list of their favorite books. Check out the Kindle favorites by typing that into the search engine and choosing “Listmania” as the source of the search.

It will come up with a number of different people's lists and give you an even better idea of the types of genres and stories that people buy for the Kindle reader.

If you are thinking about writing and selling books for the Kindle, it’s a good idea to look out for other internet resources to help you find the most popular market topics. Check out blogs and commercial websites that get lots of traffic in the market niche you are targeting.

They will often have “most viewed” or “hot topics” listed. The more discussion on a particular topic, the more likely that people are willing to pay for more information about this topic. If you do thorough market research for the Amazon Kindle it will mean  more kindle sales for your ebook.

If you are thinking about buying the Amazon Kindle ebook reader device, before you go ahead, here are some reasons to help you decide whether or not you should go ahead and buy this portable ebook reader.

Highly Portable

Weighing in at around 10 ounces, the Kindle is an ebook reading device that is lighter than most real books. The Amazon Kindle is not too bulky to carry either. It is only about 0.7 inches in overall thickness. For all booklovers out there, this is a major space saving over shelves groaning under the weight of real books. If you love to read but are short of shelf space then the Kindle is a great portable ebook reader to buy.

Searchable

If you have ever tried to find a certain passage in a real book, you know how frustrating flipping through all the pages can be. But the Kindle will stop all that frustration because it has the facility to quickly search through all your stored e-books, so that elusive passage will be found in seconds!

Huge library of downloads to choose from.

The Amazon Kindle gives you access to over 190,000 books, newspapers and magazines, all of them just seconds away. By using its built-in wireless technology, you can quickly download any of your favourite books in practically no time at all.

Great for research

As if that wasn't enough, you also get free access to Wikipedia for researching your favourite subjects. And if you are stuck on a word it also has its own built-in dictionary. It's almost like having access to a complete library on demand!

Easy to read

The Amazon Kindle screen uses a superior electronic ink technology that satisfied users say is comparable to reading an actual book.

The screen background is white giving it the look of paper and as it doesn't use a backlight so it never gets too warm, which also and saves energy. This energy-saving feature of the Kindle means it won't need recharging as often.

One of the most useful features of the Amazon Kindle is that you can enlarge the on-screen text to your own personal preference. This feature of the kindle allows you to read your favourite books if you can't find your reading glasses.

Good for the environment.

Each year, 30 million trees are cut down to make books in the U.S. alone. The benign activity of reading is not as sustainable as you may think! And how many of those books lay idle and untouched on our bookshelves for year after year?

But now, thanks to Amazon Kindle, you can store up to 4000 books in its memory, which is the equivalent of four fully-grown trees. Therefore, every Kindle that is bought helps to lessen the environmental damage to our planet.

Should you buy the Kindle?

There's no getting away from the fact that the Amazon Kindle is a great little ebook reader - but it is quite expensive so will not suit everyone's pocket.

However, if you like to read lots of books and can afford one then go ahead and buy the Amazon Kindle Reader.

The Amazon Kindle 2 has finally arrived. The next generation wireless reading device has a new sleek and thin design that makes Kindle 2 as thin as a typical magazine and lighter than a paperpack. The Kindle 2 has seven times more storage and now holds over 1,500 books, enough for any avid reader. It has an inmproved battery life and faster page turns.

The advanced display gives you even sharper images and clearer text for an improved book-like reading experience. And the Kindle 2 even reads to you, with "Read to Me", the new Text to Speech feature.

To get you off to a flying start, the Kindle Store has over 230,000 ebooks you can download in seconds.

And everything readers loved about the original Kindle has been kept in the Kindle 2.

The convenience of reading what you want, when you want it coupled with the ease of getting a book wirelessly delivered in less than 60 seconds.

New Features & Enhancements

• Slim & Lightweight: Just over 1/3 inch and 10.2 ounces
• Books in under 60 seconds: Get books delivered in less than 60 seconds; no PC required
• Improved Display: Reads like real paper; now boasts 16 shades of gray for crisp images and text; even reads well in bright sunlight
• Longer Battery Life: 25% longer battery life; read for days without recharging
• More Storage: Take your library with you; holds over 1,500 books
• Faster Page Turns: 20% faster page turns
• Read-to-Me: Text-to-Speech feature means Kindle can read every book, blog, magazine, and newspaper out loud.
• No Wireless Bills: No monthly wireless bills, data plans, or commitments. Amazon pays for Kindle’s wireless connectivity so you won’t see a monthly wireless bill.
• Large Selection: Over 230,000 books, plus U.S. and international newspapers, magazines and blogs available
• Low Book Prices: New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases $9.99, unless marked otherwise

The Kindle 2 is available for pre-order starting today for $359 at http://amazon.com/kindle and will ship later this mont.

Online rumors that the Amazon Kindle 2.0 is on its way seem to be true by all accounts. Amazon is holding a press conference on February 9th and the last time they did this was to introduce the original Kindle.

Amazon had been working for much of 2008 on a successor to its surprisingly popular ebook reader device, but they were so overwhelmed with orders they couldn’t get it ready for the Christmas rush.

However, it doesn’t seem that it will come with a color screen. Amazon is said to prototyped a color screen but the next version will probably feature an improved black and white screen instead.

Industry pundits are saying that the new Kindle 2.0 will feature an improved black-and-white, grayscale screen and a better battery life.

The original Kindle is not perfect but it does what is expected of an ebook reader. Despite its flaws, the Kindle sold well, simply because it did its job of allowing users to wirelessly buy and download books, blogs, magazines and newspapers.

Although the Sony Reader might the added benefit of a touch screen, the Kindle’s wireless download capability swings the balance the other way.
One of the chief complaints of the current Kindle is that the position of the page forward and page back buttons sometimes causes the user to hit them accidentally.

As one user said:

“It’s so great to be able to download free samples of any book that are a full chapter. O.k. so sometimes you’ll accidentally change the page not a big problem”.

Kindle users also complain that the design is a little clunky too so a sleeker design for the Kindle 2.0 would be great. Hopefully, these minor issues will be addressed in the next version of the Kindle and improve the usability of what is already a very good ebook reader.

With a bit of luck we will find out more about the Amazon Kindle 2 on February 9th.

Want to buy an Amazon Kindle Reader portable ebook reader? Before you do you might want to watch this Kindle ebook reader review from a satisfied user demonstrating some of the many things you can do with an Amazon Kindle wireless reader device.

More About the Amazon Kindle Here >>

What you will see in this Kindle video review.

• How the screen only uses power when flipping the pages.
• Browsing the Amazon store for ebooks using the Kindle's wireless connectivity.
• No subscription costs once you buy an Amazon Kindle Wireless Reading Device.
• How to use the Kindle to browse the web for FREE.

This video review shows you just a little bit of what the Amazon Kindle is capable of but there is much, much more.

If you want to buy the Kindle then I hope the video has proved to  you that it is a great little device.

The Amazon Kindle is a popular electronic device that is rapidly increasing in popularity.  In fact, over a year after its release, Amazon is finding it difficult to keep up with orders.  If you are author, whether you write for fun or for money, you can take this popularity and capitalize on it.  You can do so by writing and selling an Amazon Kindle book.

So, what are steps in writing and selling your Kindle ebook?

1 – Write your E-book Outline

This is your brainstorming session.  Decide on a category.  What type of book do you want to write?  Do you want to compose a how-to guide or express your creativity with drama, horror, or romance?  Regardless, start planning your outline.  For creative books, you may want to avoid an outline and just write from the heart.  That is fine, but for how-to guides, an outline can be beneficial.

2 – Write your E-book

When writing the e-book, consult your outline. With an outline, you are less likely to experience writer’s block.  This means you can write your e-book quicker.  As for writing, compose your document in Microsoft Word.  They have a helpful grammar and spell check programs.  Start with the introduction, move on to the chapters, and end with the conclusion.

When writing your e-book, don’t focus on length.  Just tell your story or explain the how-to process.  Readers don’t want to be bombarded with fluff.  E-books have varying lengths.  Don’t believe yours has to have the same word count or page numbers as a best selling novel.

3 – Proofread your E-book

Even if you composed your book in Microsoft Word, proofread and edit.  Spell check and grammar check programs are nice, but they are not 100% guaranteed.  If you have a trusted friend or relative, ask them to proofread and analyze your book.

4 – Create an Amazon Account

To sell an Amazon Kindle book in the store, you need to have a free Amazon.com account.  If you already have one, skip this step.

5 – Get Ready to Self-Publish

To self-publish your Amazon Kindle e-book, scroll to the bottom of the page.  You will find a link titled “Self-Publish with Us.”  Click on the link and visit the Kindle section.

6 – Go to Your Dashboard

While on the digital text platform, go to your dashboard.  Here, you click on the link to add a new item.  This gets the process started.  If you aren’t already logged into your Amazon account, do it now.

7 – Enter Product Details

You will be prompted to enter in product details.  Just fill out the form.  Enter the title for your book, your name as the author, and complete the description.  This description is very important.  Provide many details.  Prospective buyers will see it.  This is your opportunity to sell your e-book.

8 – Upload

The next step is to upload your e-book to the digital text platform.  Browse your computer to find the right file.  It will then be converted into digital text.  This is the only format compatible with the Amazon Kindle.

9 – Preview and Make Changes

After uploading and converting your Microsoft Word document to digital text, you can bypass the preview options, but don’t.  Although rare, it is not uncommon for formatting issues to arise.  Preview the document and make any necessary changes.

10 – Set Selling Price

Amazon enables you to set your own selling price for your Kindle book.  Use your best judgment.  How-to e-books are often shorter in length, so they should cost less.  If you are first-time author, consumers will automatically expect to pay less.  Don’t undersell yourself, but don’t set too high of a price.  To profit from an Amazon Kindle book, a fair selling price is required.

As you can see, writing and selling an e-book for the Amazon Kindle is a relatively easy process.  Not only is it easy to do, but to make money too.  You can sit back and wait for sales or start your own marketing campaign.  By driving traffic to your Amazon sales page, you generate interest and should increase your sales.

Do you want to make money from e-books and the Amazon Kindle?  If so, you have many options.  You can join Amazon’s affiliate program, Associates, and help to generate sales.  When you do, you get paid.

This is an easy way to make money with little to no work.  However, if you want to invest time into your ability to make money, you can and should write e-books for the Amazon Kindle.  With a free Amazon account, you can sell these e-books on their website and make some money.
Here are a few guidelines to help you get started with writing your Amazon Kindle ebook.

What is nice about writing Amazon Kindle books is that anyone can do it.  Those with experience writing print books, e-books, or web content articles are at an advantage.  These individuals are familiar with the dos and don’ts of writing for pay.  However, if you have never published anything in print, even on the web, you can still make money.  Before you start, you should continue reading on for a few helpful e-book writing tips.

First of all, you need to understand what an e-book is.  If you are unfamiliar with e-books and web content writing, you may not have the slightest clue as to what they are.  Electronic books, otherwise known as e-books, are those that are published online, instead of print.  Internet users can use their computer or the Amazon Kindle to download and read them.

The Amazon Kindle is great for accessing ebooks because it is a small, wireless device which can download ebooks in minutes without the needs for cables or a computer. It has a high-resolution display that looks very much like paper and can hold hundreds of ebooks in its memory at any one time.

You may not realise that many on the New York Time’s Best Seller List are available in e-book format for the Amazon Kindle and other similar devices.  And the good thing is you don’t need to be an established author to write an e-book. Don't assume all e-books are only for novels because it can be on any topic.  Popular books include how-to guides, memoirs, horror, romance, and more.  Your options are virtually unlimited.

Before you start writing, it's always a good idea to first create an outline of your ebook.  Writing an ebook can be overwhelming for new writers.  As previously stated, many automatically think of those on the bestseller list.  Don’t let this intimidate you.  You don’t have to have a best selling book to make money.

It also doesn’t have to be 200 pages long.  Some popular e-books are less than 50 pages long.  As long as you get your point or story across, it doesn’t matter how long or short an electronic book is.

DON’T limit yourself.  You aren’t guaranteed you will sell any of your Amazon Kindle books, but there is a good potential to make money.  For that reason, don’t limit yourself.  Do you want to create an e-book on a popular subject, such as working from home or saving money?

Maybe you also want to turn on your creativity and write a romance novel?  Then why not do both?  In fact, the more books you write, the easier it will be to make money.

It's a good idea to write your e-book in Microsoft Word or possibly Open Office, which is free and does most of what Microsoft Office does.  Microsoft Word comes standard on most computers and is available for sale separately.  This program is good because it has a spell and grammar checker.

If you are an inexperienced writer, you will probably make mistakes in your grammar or spelling.  However, Microsoft Word will catch most mistakes for you.   By typing your e-book in Microsoft Word, you not only get editing help, but your document is automatically ready for upload.  Word documents are acceptable for conversion into a Kindle book and Amazon automatically converts them into the correct digital text format for you.

NEVER add “fluff” to increase your word count or page numbers.  Ebooks come in a number of different formats and sizes.  Don't fall into the trap of thinking that you need to have an e-book that is 300 pages long.  If you are writing a how-to book on how to save money at the grocery store, just start writing.

If you get your point across in only 75 pages, that's all you need.  Slightly lower the selling price of your book to compensate for the small amount of content.  Honestly, readers don’t want to waste their time with fluff or fillers.

Make sure that you have proofread your e-book before uploading and converting to digital text.  As you may already know, Microsoft Word catches most grammar and spelling errors for you.  But, it isn’t 100% full proof, so make sure you have proofread your document at least twice before converting it to a Kindle ebook.

Finally, don't forget to add a table of contents.  Whether you write a fiction or non-fiction book, make sure you have added a table of contents.  Put the name of each chapter or section and the page it starts on.  Just in case you didn't know, the table of contents comes after the cover.

I hope these tips have helped you to put you on the right road to writing  your Amazon Kindle ebook and that it will be a great success.

Are you an author who is interested in writing e-books for the Amazon Kindle platform?  If so, you may rethink your decision many times before getting started.  You may wonder if writing e-books for the Amazon Kindle is worth the time.  So is it?  It depends.

As with any other moneymaking opportunity, writing digital text e-books for the Amazon Kindle has its risks.  You can write an e-book, convert it to digital text on the Amazon.com website, and list your book for sale, but you aren’t guaranteed sales.  A good cover, a detailed description, a good book, and a fair selling price can increase your chance of profits.  But, it is important to look at the popularity of the Amazon Kindle.  Over a year after its release, it is still a hit.  As long as people buy and use the Kindle, you can make money.

As previously stated, the Amazon Kindle is a popular e-book reading device.  Why is that?

It is portable.  The Amazon Kindle pushes e-books to the next level.  Before, users could not escape their computers to read a digital book.  Even those with laptops were at a disadvantage, because they couldn’t curl up with a good book without a bulky laptop in the way.  The Amazon Kindle provides users with freedom.

It’s weight.  The Amazon Kindle weighs 10.3 ounces.  This is less than most paperback books and all hardcover novels.  As previously stated, it caters to those who want to curl up with a blanket and a good book.  They can actually do so because the device is so light!

It is durable.  With portable devices, durability is vital.  Those who use these devices on the go, like the Amazon Kindle, are more likely to drop or damage it.  The good news is that a traditional drop shouldn’t damage the Amazon Kindle.  In fact, visit Amazon.com and they have a drop test video for you to watch with your own eyes!

It is easy to clean.  Unfortunately, many consumers do not consider cleaning ease when buying electronics.  Not only do some readers like to curl up with a blanket and a good book, but a snack too.  Visit Amazon.com and browse the reviews.  Many users mention spilling a small amount of liquid or dumping crumbs on the device, but they are all easy to clean.  This helps to extend the life and use of the Amazon Kindle.

It is wireless.  The Amazon Kindle is equipped with Whispernet.  It uses Sprint’s data network to connect users to the Amazon Kindle Store on the go.  So, not only can owners purchase an e-book at the drop of the hat, they can do so without a computer and connecting cables.  This sets the Amazon Kindle apart from its only viable competition, the Sony Reader.

In conclusion, there are many reasons why the Amazon Kindle is not only a popular e-book reader, but a hit.  As a writer, you can and should use this popularity to your advantage.  Write an e-book, register for a free Amazon.com account, visit the digital text platform, enter in your product description, covert your e-book to digital text, set your selling price, and publish.  Within 24 hours, your book should be listed for sale on Amazon.com.  According to their Terms and Conditions, you get 35% royalties from each sale.