Kindle Books Under A Dollar

When searching Kindlespace for a good read at under a dollar, you end up finding mostly independent authors. Sure, there are thousands of classics (many of them free) and the few big name authors whose publishing houses have temporarily set their prices to free or $1.00. But independent, self-published authors can't set their books are zero cost (unless they do so on their own web sites). Instead, they have a minimum price of 99 cents required by Amazon (one exception is if they are also published at Mobipocket.com, where they can list the book for a penny, then have Amazon pick up the title that way, as happened with Soul Identity, below). The biggest problem, though, is in finding those independent authors amidst the thousands of public domain titles (many of which have no indication of such in their listings). That price, $0.99, is so popular with those who care more about getting readers than making millions (at least for now), that all the books on today's list are currently available at that price, unless otherwise stated. Below are a few that I've run across, mostly from postings by the authors themselves. Unlike those big name writers at the major publishing houses, the independents have to do all their own publicity, so you'll find them haunting many forums where books are being discussed, especially those discussing Kindle books, since Amazon makes it so much easier for them to find an audience (vanity presses and print on demand are there for hard copies, but the cost per book often means that only a few read them outside of libraries).

The Complete User's Guide To the Amazing Amazon Kindle 2: A Kindle Owners Toolkit Of Over 500 Tips, Tricks, & Links (For Amazons Revolutionary e-Book Reader & Free Wireless Web Browser) by Stephen Windwalker has been marked down to 99 cents (from $2.39). For those who haven't done much with their Kindle 2 other than read books purchased from Amazon, this is a must have purchase. What if you still have the Kindle 1 (or have both)? This older version ($3.99) is still available, but has been updated for the Kindle 2 (and no longer seems to be the recommended edition). The only copy of the original Kindle 1 Guide I could find is this Complete User's Guide to the Amazing Amazon Kindle 1 & Complete Step-by-Step Guide To Publishing for the Kindle combo edition ($9.99). Frankly, many of the tips in this guide will work on the Kindle 1, in any case. Sure, the buttons are bit different, but most of the information on using the web and finding free books will apply to both. Some of the techniques will be different (deleting content from the Home page, for example, or the use of the Content Manager), but the information on using GMAIL or publishing your own content to your Kindle will be useful to all Kindle owners. What if you are using the iPhone, though, you ask? He's got that covered too, with No Kindle Required. Many of the added features in the Kindle are not needed in the iPhone/iPod Touch, what with Safari and more built in, so this title concentrates on using the reading app, shopping in the store and syncing your devices, if you have more than one. Also included are excerpts from the Kindle 2 title, so you may only need this latter volume if you have both.

Sandy Nathan's Numenon (Bloodsong Series) has received good reviews in paperback (18.95) and has now been marked down to $0.99. There are no reviews on the Kindle Edition, which seems to be a common problem amongst some independent, self-published authors, as they are very much dependent on Amazon linking their different editions together. I couldn't pass up what a reviewer called an adult Harry Potter of epic proportions similar to Clan of the Cave Bear (neither of which is available for the Kindle). Set in modern times, an RV caravan of modern Native Americans are driving towards a religious retreat when "all hell breaks loose."

A couple of other authors have figured out how to link in their hard copy reviews (or been lucky) and they have also ventured into the 99 cent territory this week. Bobby's Trace by Edward Patterson and The Feathery by Bill Flynn have solid 4 to 5 star reviews. I'll admit the first isn't a genre I normally read, but horror/ghost stories are very popular and how often does a computer programmer get a starring role? The lead character has lost his life partner to AIDS, but the story revolves more around his relationship (much like Brokeback Mountain) and grief, rather than being in the gay erotica genre. The Feathery is a more mainstream title, with good old-fashioned intrigue and murder over the possession of sports memorabilia (in this case, an original golf ball from when the game was invented). You get a little history, a little PGA golf tour and British Opens and what is looking to be a great read, all for under a buck!

Keith Knapp has updated Moonlight for the Kindle, something that isn't possible with traditional publishing. Readers found some formatting issues, he fixed them and all you have to do is redownload the book to get the new version. Moonlight is an apocalyptic horror tale and, as he says, "not for little children". If storms tend to take down the electricity in your area, I'd recommend that you read it during the day (or somewhere with a generator), since everything begins when the power fails and the lights go out...

Bryan Belrad's Rage of Night also looks to be an intriguing horror/fantasy tale, even if two of the reviews read like aid advertisements or as if they were written by the author or his mother. But an honest, but good, third review holds out promise that it's an 80 cents that won't be wasted (and let's face it - that isn't enough to get you something from the bargain menu at McDonald's, anymore).

One I just started reading is Boyd Morrison's The Adamas Blueprint. When I reached the end of the sample, I not only bought this book, but both of the others for the Kindle: The Ark and The Palmyra Impact ($1.59 each). This a a pure action/thriller, not fantasy, and I definitely recommend it.

A Death at the North Pole by Joel Andre is another self-published mystery and has received mostly positive reviews (although one said he could stand to do a little more proofreading). A prominent figure (guess who?) is killed at the North Pole and a cynical detective sets off to solve the murder. As you can probably guess, not one you will want to use as a bedtime story for the little ones.

Shadow of the Ghost: Book 1: Lord of Chaos Trilogy by Tanner Artesz is $0.99 thru the end of the month. The second book in the trilogy is planned for a May release and will also debut at that price when released. I'll admit I haven't gotten more than a couple of chapters into this one and I'm not sure when I'll get back to it, as it is a fairly complicated fantasy, but the reviews and reader comments on other forums are a solid four stars.

Another fantasy that I may start on, instead, is The Gateway (Harbinger of Doom) by Glenn Thater. Dennis Batchelder, author of Soul Identity had this to say: "set in a world of men, gnomes, elves, and wizards, [The Gateway] asks a tough question: what if we've got it all wrong? What if the God we follow turned bad, and the one we call the Devil is really a maligned angel on a quest to rid the world of evil? So goes Thater's tale, and he tells it in a voice as pretentious as Tolkein's." Tolkien may have been pretentious, but that isn't always a bad thing, at least in his case. In any event, it's in my TBR queue.

If you prefer a female heroine, be sure to pick up Catherine M. Wilson's When Women Were Warriors Book I. The first in a trilogy, with Warriors Book II and Book III both available for the Kindle (but $7.99 each), When Women Were Warriors is set in a world where women are nurturing and warriors, rather than attempting to set a female heroine in a man's world. Relationships and personal growth are as much, if not more, a part of this series as strength of arms and war. Warning: This series does include some scenes of F-F sex.

Another female heroine, albeit a dead one, is central to Charlie Martin's Shadowslayers (Blackwood) ($0.80). A sorceress who has fallen in battle, she works from the afterlife while her husband, another powerful wizard, stands the empires last chance against the evil dragon-god Derrezen. One reviewer was even motivated to buy her own paperback copy, after reading a friend's copy, a sure sign of a great re-readable book.

And of course, there are some I've mentioned earlier this month: Soul Identity ($.01), Mighty Hammer Down ($.99), Legends of WitchBane ($0.99), Empress ($1), Pleasure Unbound ($1). These (and some others above) are all time-limited reductions in price and at the last two are scheduled to go up in April.

So, there you have it - twelve good picks at 99 cents, two at 80 cents, one for a penny and the last two at a dollar each. Seventeen titles you can pick up for less than the cost of a single hardback at your local bookstore, a total of $15.49, and without even leaving your house (or the beach).

Kindle Bargain Bundles

One of the major advantages of ebooks is that you don't have to try to hold those huge volumes that are produced when authors release omnibus editions. With an ebook, the only difference between a three (or six) volume book is that the progress bar moves slower. And in ebook form, these multi-volume bundles are often a bargain, so long as you want all the volumes bundled together. With trilogies and series, the most often encountered bundles, this is usually not an issue, unlike movie bundles, where the genre (action, thriller) may be all that ties the bundle together.

The Alex Kava Bundle is one of the largest bundles I've seen offered at Amazon. This bundle contains A Perfect Evil, Split Second, The Soul Catcher, At the Stroke of Madness, A Necessary Evil, the first five novels in her popular Maggie O'Dell series and One False Move, a stand-alone novel, all for the price of $18.12. That's $3.02 per book and purchased separately they would cost $30.12 (at today's prices/discounts). Exposed, currently the last in the series, is available, but at $13.47, while Black Friday is scheduled to be released in October of this year.

The Study Series by Maria V. Snyder is one that I read in paperback and really enjoyed. This bundle includes Poison Study (not available otherwise on Kindle), Magic Study and Fire Study, and also includes as a special bonus, the online read written exclusively for eHarlequin.com, Assassin Study! The Heather Graham Bundle combines romance, suspense and a dash of paranormal and contains four titles (The Island, Ghost Walk, Killing Kelly and The Vision) for $14.37 (under $3.60 each).

In Her Name by Michael R. Hicks is somewhat unusual in the trilogy/bundle category. This volume, a bargain $5.59 (versus the $19.75 print price), was released as a single book. But the author has had numerous reviewers and book clubs tell him that it is more suited to be published as a trilogy. Some were reading it in print and it is large and heavy to hold open, while book clubs like to tackle books of smaller length. At 684 (9"x6") pages and 2.1 pounds, it's definitely a long book. So, it's being broken up into three volumes and will be published as single volumes. I've no idea if the price will rise once this occurs (and the cool blue swordswoman won't be on the cover of the first volume; no word yet on the last two covers), but the original bundled volume will still be available.

Almost Human - paranormal vampire series - volumes 1, 2 & 3, by Melanie Nowak, is $9.99 as a bundle, while the separate volumes (Fatal Infatuation, Lost Reflections and Evolving Ecstasy) are $4.79 each, saving you $4.38 when purchased together. This is the beginning of an ambitious series - there will be four trilogies, a total of 12 volumes when complete. This author hasn't hit the bestsellers lists (most self-published authors never will), but has great reviews at Amazon and on several forums, some of which she stops in, from time to time, and answers questions directly. The series is in the vampire/romance genre and has a somewhat controversial relationship, which an older vampire and a young girl/woman (it's unclear from the description exactly how old she is and I haven't read this one ... yet). Then again, just because the vampire in Twilight looks physically young, he's also much, much older than the teen heroine.

Jennifer Armintrout's Blood Ties Bundle ($13.47) is another vampire themed series and this bundle contains four volumes (The Turning, Possession, Ashes to Ashes and All Souls' Night). There is only one review of the bundle so far and it is only one star - but the individual books have a number of reviews and tend to be 4 and 5 stars. I've started this series and I like what I've read, so far. If you prefer a more steamy vampire romance, check out Kimberly Raye's Love at First Bite Bundle. Four volumes of vampire cowboys for $9.99.

For those that prefer their romance to be vampire free, Harlequin has dozens of bundles available, mostly in the $7.96 to $9.99 price range. One noticeable exception is the Men Made in America Mega-Bundle, which contains 11 volumes for $31.68 ($2.88 each) and "features stories from all fifty states starring all-American cowboys, sailors, policemen, businessmen, ranchers and more! The first Men Made in America Mega-Bundle includes The Redemption of Deke Summers by Gayle Wilson, Found: His Perfect Wife by Marie Ferrarella, Arizona Heat by Jennifer Greene, Deceptions by Annette Broadrick, Dr. Dad by Judith Arnold, Send Me a Hero by Rita Herron, Tangled Lies by Anne Stuart, Love by Proxy by Diana Palmer, The Temptation of Rory Monahan by Elizabeth Bevarly, Mysterious Stranger by Patricia Rosemoor, and Bayou Midnight by Emilie Richards." Once you've made your way thru this one, you may also want to pick up Men Made In America Mega-Bundle 2 and Men Made in America Mega-Bundle 3, each containing eleven more volumes at the same $31.68 price. For 95 dollars, you get 33 book in all, enough to satisfy even a voracious reader (at least for a few weeks!).

Another sure bet is the Jennifer Crusie Bundle at $9.99. Crusie blends humor and romance and the four in this series are no exception: Getting Rid of Bradley, Strange Bedpersons, What the Lady Wants and Charlie All Night.

Not all bundles are bargains though. Check out Blossom Street Bundle by Debbie Macomber. At $18.01, it contains three volumes (The Shop on Blossom Street, A Good Yarn and Back on Blossom Street) and costs more than those three titles purchased separately ($16.92). Had they tossed in Twenty Wishes, currently at $13.47, that would have been a bundle I could go for.

The Chronicles of Elantra Bundle by Michelle Sagara is described as high fantasy meets police procedural. Containing the first three volumes in the series, Cast in Shadow, Cast in Courtlight and Cast in Secret, the current price of $16.42 is also slightly above the sale prices of $5.04 for the individual volumes ($15.12 total). The list price of the bundle is also higher than the list prices for each volume separately, so it may always make more sense to buy these separately. Here again, had they included the fourth in the series, Cast in Fury, the bundle would have been incredibly tempting (and I've already sent samples of these individual titles to my Kindle).