I wasn't expecting much for the price, but I've got to say that I really didn't get my money's worth.
Like many Kindle owners, I kept seeing this title pop-up everywhere. My initial reaction was that it was a scam - some guy trying to con as many people into buying a cheap book as possible (hey, if 10,000 people buy a book for a few bucks, it all adds up, right?).
Turns out there's actually quite a bit of content here. I didn't find it particularly useful, but there are lots of words - don't worry that you're only going to get a two-pager with a few web links. That's not the case.
After reading through this, though, I was left with a few thoughts I hope my fellow Kindle readers will appreciate:
1) It's not a scam, but let's be clear that advertising for the author's website/blog, "Kindle Nation" is probably a big reason this book exists. I can understand pitching it a bit up-front (nothing wrong with a bit of self-promotion), but there's an entire chapter in the middle of the book entitled, "How to Contact Kindle Nation"...
2) It's the Kindle-owner feel-good book of the year! Way too much of this "book" focuses on telling you how great your Kindle is. I agree, of course. The Kindle is awesome, but most Kindle owners should know this without having to read a book about it. :) It's kind of like buying a new TV, and then going out to buy a book about how great your new TV is... Oh, and this new edition talks about getting this free content WITHOUT NEEDING A KINDLE!!! If you pay any attention to the Amazon website, you'll already know that there are Kindle apps for all kinds of devices... No need to buy a book to tell you that.
3) I didn't actually learn anything. The vast majority of information in this book is available on Amazon's Kindle website or in the Kindle manual for free - and it doesn't even provide full end-to-end, step-by-step instructions for most things...you'll still need the manual. The few truly 'new' topics (e.g. Calibre) are pretty easy to find by Googling "Kindle".
4) Not well-written. I'm not an author (and anyone reading my review will probably agree), but the author is just so damn verbose it's not funny. And it's not like the extras words make the steps you need to go through to get the free content easier to understand (that's what bullets are for - and there aren't a lot of those in this book). This is written in a style that makes you feel you're in a 3-hour, one-sided conversation...
Don't get me wrong - some people may well find it useful to buy this.
If your friends all have iPads and you want some talking points around what's great about your Kindle so you can still show your face at parties - this book is for you.
If you're technologically challenged and need someone to hold your hand through Kindle Basics, don't like reading things 'on the web' and you're finding the manual a bit hard to understand - this book is for you.
If you love Kindle Nation and are looking for ways to subsidize it - this book is for you.
If you enjoyed the rambling prose of this review and didn't feel that I could have got my point across simply by saying, "This book sucked" - this book is for you. :)
I gave it two stars instead of one because it does deliver what it claims to and I didn't find any spelling mistakes.
But seriously folks...like...wow. KINDLE FREE FOR ALL: How to Get Millions of Free Kindle Books and Other Free Content With or Without an Amazon Kindle (NEW and UP-TO-DATE: MAY 2011 - For ... Latest Generation Kindles and Kindle Apps)
I've only had a Kindle for about 3 months now. In that time, I found a Kindle blog that I enjoy which referred this book.
As I don't know as much about the Kindle as others, I'm finding this book to be pretty darn useful. And, I think I will get much more use from it as time passes.
I've found the links to be handy, as I have taken the suggestion of the author to put this on my Kindle for PC, as well.
It's also written in a very amusing manner, as well. I do disagree with the author that the lighted cover is a good deal at $60 (I think that is much too expensive), but that is a pretty minor quibble, indeed.
If you know a ton about your Kindle, this probably isn't necessary. For a newer owner, I think it will be quite handy. You will find handy information about free book sites (including Baen)and info. about some of the history. Also various interesting trivia - such as Oprah admitting she had never read Dickens. Odd that she recommends a book she hasn't read, but there you are.
For the cost of 99 cents, this wasn't a hard purchase for me to make.
As other reviewers have mentioned, I wasn't sure what I was going to get for 99cents --- But I pay that much for a song on iTunes, it seemed like a good idea at the time . . . and I am grateful that I bought it.
I'm surprised at the reviewers that say that the only folks to whom this may appeal is those new to the Kindle. While SOME of the information is in the User's Guide, I found much in Steve's book that was quite helpful.
For me the book was a steal if only because of the Chapter on Calibre. As a long time user of eReader on the Palm, I had several books that I was hoping to convert for reading on my Kindle. Books that are not (yet) available on the Kindle and that it would be nice to have readily available electronically.
The other thing that I really liked about Free for All is that it is current and up-to-date. I have also downloaded Michael Gallagher's "Tips, Tricks, and Shortcuts" but that book has some way to go to be current for the latest generation (3) of the Kindle. It is readily apparent that Steve's book is current (December 2010).
Yes, he touts his blog. The blog is an excellent resource for books. But there is so much more to this book than just mentioning Kindle Nation that I really have to wonder if a couple of the other reviewers and I even downloaded the same book.
I like having all of the information in one place in my "Kindle Resources" collection. - Audible - Kindle Free Books - Ebook - Kindle 3'
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