On Thursday, Amazon launched Spanish and Italian language Kindles, as well as Kindle Stores for both languages. 2011 has been a big year for the bestselling e-reader on many fronts, including a big refresh on the Kindle lineup. Now it is time to take on the international scene.
Amazon.it’s Kindle Store opens with 16,000 Italian language titles, which includes a variety of Italian bestsellers and free classics. The store also has over 800,000 books in English as well as other languages.
The Amazon Kindle is taking on the international marketplace by increasing its presence in Europe. France and Germany were added earlier this year. Hopefully the company will venture into more countries in Europe, Asia, and even Africa in the near future.
Italian language titles can be accessed on the Kindle e-readers, as well as on the Kindle apps for iPad, PC, Mac, and for smartphones. So, if readers don’t actually own a Kindle, they still have a bunch of other options that allow them to read the books they want.
The press release announcing the new additions featured the Kindle Direct Publishing service that is available to authors worldwide. This service puts both famous and independent authors on a more even playing field. This year has seen a lot of new independent authors who have been quiet successful with sales of their e-books. Kindle Direct Publishing has given authors a chance who otherwise wouldn’t have made it to the major publishing companies.
I’ve really enjoyed discovering new authors, and have found that many have exceptional writing talent. The addition of international independent authors makes it even better!
Italian language books are available to over 100 countries worldwide in addition to Italy. This gives readers an opportunity to learn more about Italian literature. I think it is important to get to know other languages and cultures because today’s world is so well connected on a global scale.