For eBook fanatics, getting hardcover books can be frustrating. The point of reading on a mobile device is so we won’t have to deal with big, clumsy books. For those that may have purchased books in the past, the cost of upgrading can be prohibitive. Today, Amazon announces the rollout of their Matchbook program, designed to get us on-board with e-reading.
If you’re unfamiliar, Amazon’s program is aimed to get those who may have purchased a hardcover or paperback book via Amazon the digital replacement, at a discounted price, or sometimes free. Starting at $2.99 and scaling down in dollar increments, Amazon wants to limit your out-of-pocket cost to go digital.
They also want you tied into their system, and using their app. Amazon is quick to point out that their app is available anywhere, so you definitely won’t go wanting once you go digital. With an already robust eBook catalog, Amazon may just have most of your physical book purchases available for you digitally.
Amazon will look up your purchase history via the Matchbook page, and tell you which books are eligible for digital. Of course, they won’t know what you purchase outside of Amazon, but it’s a great feature for those who may have lost a book, or just don’t want to lug them around.
aww… if only there was a way to do something similar to Vudu’s “Disc to digital” conversion… maybe partner with a retail store (like best buy, or maybe a bookstore if any of them still exist) and have the store stamp the bar code (indicating it has been converted already, so the NEXT owner of the physical book can’t claim another ebook)…
i have many many books i’d love to migrate to digital format, but very few came from amazon in the first place. 🙁
Vudu is owned by Walmart..they could always look into other ways to offer UltraViolet.
huh? i’m not sure if you understood what i said there. my point isn’t that Vudu’s service doesn’t work for me (i actually haven’t tried disc to digital; but i’ve been with vudu since before walmart bought them out); my point was that i wish Amazon’s Matchbook program worked more like vudu’s disc-to-digital….