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Amazon Ebook Pointers

How to buy and read a "Kindle" ebook on a mobile device
or in a country that isn't an Amazon "KDP Marketplace"

(Other Booksellers)
 

Purchasing Amazon Ebooks

On Mobile Devices

One of the first things to know about buying ebooks from Amazon on a mobile device is:
You cannot buy a Kindle book through the regular Amazon (or Amazon Business) app.
Sad, and frankly perplexing, but true. So how DO you buy Kindle books on a mobile device? There are two options:

  1. Open a browser, like Brave or Safari, on your phone. Log into your Amazon account. Then find the book(s) and buy it with "one click".
  2. Get and open the (free) Kindle app. Find the book in the app and click 'Get book'. The app will open your default browser on your phone. Log into your Amazon account there. You'll be on the right page to buy the book with "one click".

And, conveniently, once you've bought one of the volumes in the series, the Amazon web UI might offer you a button to buy the next volume in the series, then the one after that. So once you're there, you're set.

In Non-"KDP Marketplace" Locations

Suppose you're not on a mobile device, and you're using a normal web browser. When someone uses a universal link like mybook.to/aieverywhere1 to take them to the right store, it gets them to the store for their location. But some Amazon regional stores are not “KDP marketplaces”. If it’s not a KDP marketplace site, it won’t allow buying or preordering any Kindle books.

KDP support’s suggested solution: Browse to a KDP marketplace store elsewhere in your region (maybe with incognito mode) and buy the ebook there.

For example, if you’re in Sweden or another Nordic country, you could try amazon.de or amazon.co.uk. If you’re in Argentina or another South American country, you could try amazon.com.mx or amazon.com.br.

Based on what we see on the Amazon pricing page, here’s the list of supported KDP marketplaces for ebooks. If you’re browsing for an ebook from any other country, try one of these sites instead:

Amazon offers a way to set your default country store preferences. Most folks who just want to buy an ebook now and then will probably not want to do this, though.

 

Reading Amazon ebooks

Amazon calls ebooks "Kindle" books. But you don't need to have a Kindle device to read these ebooks. Here's how to do it.

Here are three ways to read a "Kindle" book you've purchased on Amazon, after you get the email confirming that the ebook has been delivered to you:

  • Read the ebook on a Kindle device
  • Install the free Kindle app on your mobile device (Android or iOS) and read the ebook there. Amazon has setup tips here.
  • Read the ebook in any browser. After you log into your Amazon account, there are two ways to get to the book:
    • On the page where you bought the book, the Buy button will turn into a Read Now button after purchase. Click that button to read.
    • Browse to read.amazon.com/kindle-library, find that book in your library, and read it there.
    These example links are for amazon.com. If needed, replace the domain with the right one for your country, where you bought the book.
Enjoy your book!

 

Other Booksellers

In addition to Amazon ebooks, our books are now widely available in both print and audiobook formats and from other retailers: