Amazon Debuts "Kindle for the Web", Which Is Pretty Much What It Sounds Like

Amazon.com today introduced the beta version of “Kindle for the Web”, which enables people to read and share digital book samples in their browsers without the need to install or download anything.

The company says it aims to lure bloggers and website publishers who participate in the Amazon Associates Program to embed samples of Kindle books on their websites (here’s how).

It seems like a win: these website owners will earn referral fees from Amazon when customers complete book purchases using the links on their websites.

Website visitors can simply click the “Read first chapter FREE” button on a book product page on Amazon or on other websites, and the first chapter will open within the web page.

Customers can change the font size and line spacing, adjust the background color, and share their favorite books with friends and family via Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail. There’s also a way to embed free chapters on your own site if you fancy.

To see examples of Kindle for the Web on authors’ websites, go to the blog of author Karen McQuestion and the free sample of her bestselling Kindle book “A Scattered Life,” or the website of author John Miller and the free sample of his book “The First Assassin.”

Pretty neat if you ask me – what do you think?