We're Getting a Kindle!

Those of you who have already "friended" me on Facebook no doubt heard my squeals of utter delight earlier this week when the CEO said, "Hey, we need to get one of those Kindles. Go ahead and order it."

I wasted not a minute, going straight to Amazon to put us on the waiting list. By all indications, our little electronic bundle of joy will be arriving on March 2 (I didn't see the need to pay extra for express shipping).

A few people have asked why we're getting a Kindle. It's complicated and simple at the same time. The simple explanation is that if we are going to understand our customers and move into the digital age, all of us here at JIST need to get some hands-on experience using this device and others like it. I envision it being like the class pet, which we will all take turns taking home on the weekends.

The more complex explanation is that we are going to start putting our titles out in Kindle editions. But they have to be converted. Amazon takes a bigger discount if they have to do the conversion for you. If you do it yourself, you have to be able to test each conversion and see how it looks on the device. And the only way to do that is to own one; ergo, the need to make the leap and get one. Rumor has it that some other major publishers are too cheap to do even that, so I imagine us as being very progressive in this respect.

I look forward to passing along our impressions of the new Kindle in the coming months. Maybe Joe Wikert fell out of love with it, but this is essential remedial learning for us.