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Amazon press conference

Live from Santa Monica, Amazon is holding a press conference where it's widely expected the company will announce new Kindle Fire tablets and Kindle e-readers.

  • David Carnoy 9/6/2012 6:02:28 PM
    Citing writers' rejection letters.
  • Jay Greene 9/6/2012 6:02:35 PM
    Bezos showing rejection letters to authors such as Stephen King, Dr. Seuss and Kathryn Stockett, author of The Help.
  • Jay Greene 9/6/2012 6:03:10 PM
    Bezos wonders how many authors stop after so many rejections. He's building toward self-publishing.
  • David Carnoy 9/6/2012 6:03:19 PM
    Says many great manuscripts are sitting in desk drawers...
  • David Carnoy 9/6/2012 6:03:46 PM
    Talking up Kindle Direct Publishing.
  • Jay Greene 9/6/2012 6:03:49 PM
    Kindle direct publishing gives authors the ability to keep copyrights and reach audiences. "It's working," Bezos says.
  • James Martin 9/6/2012 6:03:52 PM

    Kindle Direct Publishing

  • David Carnoy 9/6/2012 6:04:21 PM
    Of top 100 Kindle books 27 are self-published.
  • Jay Greene 9/6/2012 6:04:24 PM
    The challenge of direct publishing, as a guy who's published a book, is that you lack the marketing and distribution. It makes it much harder to break through.
  • James Martin 9/6/2012 6:04:31 PM
  • David Carnoy 9/6/2012 6:05:05 PM
    Testimonials from popular indie authors.
  • Jay Greene 9/6/2012 6:05:20 PM
    There are plenty of folks who try to publish books on their own and fail. Turns out editing is important. It can work. And Amazon is showing a video of author who have succeeded. But there are plenty more who don't.
  • Roku User 9/6/2012 6:05:48 PM
    We will still have the problem of people "self publishing" works by just copying other people's work and publishing it. I wonder how Amazon is going to address this?
  • David Carnoy 9/6/2012 6:06:27 PM
    One author paid cash for her kids' college tuition thanks to e-book sales.
  • Jay Greene 9/6/2012 6:06:56 PM
    Some of the Kindle Direct Authors are in the audience, Bezos says.
  • Jay Greene 9/6/2012 6:07:36 PM
    Now Bezos talking about Kindle Singles, writing that's between magazine articles and books.
  • David Carnoy 9/6/2012 6:07:43 PM
    Now Bezos talking up Kindle Singles -- short "books."
  • Jay Greene 9/6/2012 6:07:49 PM
    3.5 million Kindle Singles sold so far.
  • James Martin 9/6/2012 6:07:56 PM
  • David Carnoy 9/6/2012 6:08:11 PM
    Kindle Serials.
  • Jay Greene 9/6/2012 6:08:16 PM
    Bezos announcing Kindle Serials.
  • Jay Greene 9/6/2012 6:08:28 PM
    Buy once and receive all installments of a book.
  • David Carnoy 9/6/2012 6:08:39 PM
    Bringing serials back. Back to the future.
  • James Martin 9/6/2012 6:08:49 PM
  • David Carnoy 9/6/2012 6:09:04 PM
    You can subscribe to an author's serial.
  • Jay Greene 9/6/2012 6:09:16 PM
    8 announced today.
  • David Carnoy 9/6/2012 6:09:31 PM

    8 serials will be available at launch.
  • Jay Greene 9/6/2012 6:09:42 PM
    Neal Pollack's Downward-Facing Death. "Yes, that's a yoga murder mystery." Bezos.
  • David Carnoy 9/6/2012 6:09:45 PM
    You will be able to give authors feedback as they write.
  • James Martin 9/6/2012 6:09:52 PM
  • Jay Greene 9/6/2012 6:09:53 PM
    $1.99 per single.
  • David Carnoy 9/6/2012 6:09:59 PM
    Reissuing Dickens novels.
  • Jay Greene 9/6/2012 6:10:24 PM
    Bezos says Kindle buyers read 2.56 times as much as they used to.
  • Jay Greene 9/6/2012 6:10:34 PM
    That stat was from 2008.
  • David Carnoy 9/6/2012 6:10:44 PM
    Interesting fact: Bonfire of the Vanities was originally written as a serial in Rolling Stone.
  • Jay Greene 9/6/2012 6:10:54 PM
    In 2011, the number jumped to 4.6 times as much reading for new Kindle customers.
  • David Carnoy 9/6/2012 6:10:58 PM
    Here comes the Fire (s).
  • Jay Greene 9/6/2012 6:11:00 PM
    Moving onto Kindle Fire now.
  • James Martin 9/6/2012 6:11:12 PM
  • Jay Greene 9/6/2012 6:12:07 PM
    Kindle Fire is 22% of tablet sales in the US, Bezos says.
  • Jay Greene 9/6/2012 6:12:22 PM
    Nobody would have expected that, Bezos said.
  • David Carnoy 9/6/2012 6:12:38 PM
    They are keeping the original Fire. Upgrade it. 20 percent faster. 40 percent faster overall (more RAM as well).
  • Jay Greene 9/6/2012 6:12:39 PM
    new Kindle Fire - 40% faster, longer battery.
  • David Carnoy 9/6/2012 6:12:42 PM
    $159.
  • James Martin 9/6/2012 6:12:45 PM
  • David Carnoy 9/6/2012 6:13:08 PM
    I thought it would be $149. Ships 9/14.
  • Jay Greene 9/6/2012 6:13:16 PM
    "We want to have the best tablet at any price." Bezos
  • David Carnoy 9/6/2012 6:13:17 PM
    Fire 2 coming...
  • James Martin 9/6/2012 6:13:20 PM
  • David Carnoy 9/6/2012 6:13:23 PM
    Fire HD.
  • Jay Greene 9/6/2012 6:13:37 PM
    The new device - The Kindle Fire HD
  • David Carnoy 9/6/2012 6:13:49 PM
    Wow. There is a big one.
  • Jay Greene 9/6/2012 6:13:52 PM
    Showing a larger device as well. That's a bit of a surprise.
  • Jay Greene 9/6/2012 6:14:14 PM
    The new large device is 8.9 inches.
  • David Carnoy 9/6/2012 6:14:23 PM
    It's a big Fire. 8.9-inch display.
  • David Carnoy 9/6/2012 6:14:37 PM
    1920 x 1200 resolution.
  • James Martin 9/6/2012 6:14:47 PM
  • Jay Greene 9/6/2012 6:14:52 PM
    And the pictures of the device seem to show a camera, which the current Fire doesn't have.
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