Kindle and ebook sales have “virtually” (no pun intended) taken over book sales in the United States. The growth in sales of these books is pretty amazing, but it really should not surprise any of us.
The sheer number of mobile devices available today, and the rapid creation of more every day, it seems, makes perfect sense. You and I always have a connected device with us.
Media Consumption At An All Time High
Even if you do not own a Kindle, Nook, iPad, or Nexus, or the latest and greatest ebook and media consumption device, you can still read ebooks via free or inexpensive apps.
Most of you probably spend a significant amount of time reading content on your phone. Whether it be email, Facebook updates, Twitter, news articles, or blogs, we are all constantly reading something on our phones.
Kindle Books Can Provide More Value Out of Your Media Consumption
That is how I was turned on to reading ebooks, and specifically reading Kindle books. I realized I was spending so much time reading on my phone, almost to the point of addiction. Picking up my phone when it wasn’t even necessary, and searching until I found something, anything, to read.
I love to read, and it almost seemed “slow” to pick up a physical book and read. Then when I went somewhere I would have to pack up my book or books and carry them with me in hopes that I’d get a free moment to open it, flip pages to where I left off, and resume reading.
The Great Kindle Discovery
When I discovered the free Kindle App on my Android smartphone, it was over! Just like I addictively picked up my phone to consume sometimes useless content, I could now do so and read something that was really valuable to me.
I began to discover free Kindle books, and learned that many authors gave away their Kindle books the first five days upon release. So with just a little diligence, I could begin to build a nice Kindle book library, and get some value out of my ridiculous habit of constantly looking at my phone.
More Reading and More Enjoyment
I read pretty regularly, but since I began reading Kindle Books my reading has dramatically increased. Pre-Kindle I tried to read at least one book per month.
Sometimes I’d get in a groove and finish one book in less than a month. However, most of the time it would take me the full month and then some. And that included the books I really enjoyed.
Post-Kindle the quantity and quality of my reading has increased. On average, from start to finish, I read about a book every 7-10 days. A couple of weeks I have read more than one book. But it is not all about the number of books read. Let me share with you a little trick…
Taking Notes on Your Kindle
My Kindle app allows me to highlight and take notes for each book. The same thing I did with my traditional books. But how many times do we go back and read those highlights and notes taken in a traditional book? I’ll speak for myself, not a lot, if at all!
It is tedious to first find your book, think what I might have found important or interesting enough to highlight, and then leaf through the pages to find it.
When I highlight and note my Kindle books, I can read them right on my device. I can also open my notes via any web browser. Once they are open in a web browser, I can clip them via Evernote. If you are not familiar with Evernote see a couple of my posts on Evernote.
All my notes are now in my brain/favorite app, organized, and are searchable by keywords. Would you review more of your book notes if you had access to them 24/7, and they were organized? Speaking for myself again, I will, and I have!
| Whether you are just getting started with Evernote, or have been a long-time user, I suggest you buy Brian Kelly’s awesome and very practical e-book, Evernote Essentials, Second Edition. It is very much worth the money, and worth setting aside a couple hours to work through the 95 pages. It will save you many hours and even days of learning Evernote, and help you get the absolute max out of Evernote. |
What is not to love?
Now do you see why I LOVE Kindle Books? If you love to read, it is perfect. If you don’t love to read, but read your phone all the time, get a free Kindle App, get some free (or inexpensive) Kindle books, and begin to read something with a little more value.
To give you some ideas of good Kindle books to read, I am sharing the books that are on my device at this very moment. I’ve read some of them already, some are in process, and some are on my list to be read. Check them out and pick up the ones that interest you.
Kindle Books on My Device Right Now
- Building Family Ties with Faith, Love, & Laughter by Dave Stone
- Every Writer Needs a Tribe: A Practical Guide to Finding (and Writing For) Your Audience by Jeff Goins
- Kindle Publishing Revolution by Ryan Deiss
- Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World by Michael Hyatt
- How to Fight Laziness with Bible Verses by Dr. Mirian Kinai
- How to Build a Profitable Niche Blog by Dee Ankary
- The Power of a Praying Life by Stormie Omartian
- Thrive Foods: 200 Plant-Based Recipes for Peak Health by Brendan Brazier
- The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living Doing What You Love, and Create a New Future by Chris Guillebeau
- Evernote Essentials: 2nd Edition by Brett Kelly
- You Are a Writer (So Start Acting Like One) by Jeff Goins
- The Barefoot Executive: The Ultimate Guide for Being Your Own Boss & Achieving Financial Freedom by Carrie Wilkerson
- The Circle Maker: Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears by Mark Batterson
- Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life by Brendan Brazier
- Twitter for Good: Change the World One Tweet at a Time by Claire Diaz-Ortiz
Question: Do you own a Kindle or e-reader? What do you like most about reading with this format? Please share in the comment section below.