Kindle Paperwhite for Dummies (21 page)

Kindle Support

Figure 6-1:
Restricting your search to the Kindle Store.

One frequently asked question at KindleBoards is “How do I contact Kindle support?” Just click the Kindle Support link, as shown in Figure 6-2.

Figure 6-2:
Click the Kindle Support link to find help.

Click the Kindle eBooks link, and you land on a page that should happily satisfy your browsing dreams. In the center of the page are lists such as Kindle Select, which features 25 noteworthy books for the week, New & Noteworthy, Kindle Singles, Picks for You, and other options (note that this page changes frequently) with the book covers prominently featured. The left side of the page includes Book Deals, Popular Features (such as
The New York Times
Best Sellers), and Categories for searching specific topic areas. This allows you to drill down a bit more while browsing. Gay & Lesbian? Travel? Click the link, and you’re presented with a plethora of choices to capture your fancy. The right side of the page shows two lists that are updated hourly: Top 100 Paid and Top 100 Free. The Kindle Daily Deal is featured prominently at the top of the screen.

Even though over a million Kindle-compatible e-books are in the Kindle Store, still millions upon millions of printed books are in the world. Unfortunately, they aren’t all available in a Kindle edition. If a particular book you want is for sale at Amazon (U.S.) in print form, but not in a Kindle edition, click the Tell the Publisher! I’d Like to Read This Book on Kindle link on the book’s product page. Does clicking the link make a difference? We suspect that it does. For example, popular author J.K. Rowling was originally opposed to e-books, but the Harry Potter series became available for purchase in 2012. The Potter books are available also to borrow for free through the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library. Consumer demand likely influenced these changes.

Searching and browsing on your Kindle Paperwhite

“Wait a minute!” we hear you saying, “I don’t want to use my computer to search for e-books. Can I search from my Kindle Paperwhite?” Of course you can! Simply tap the Store icon on the toolbar. If the wireless in not turned on, you will receive a message to take your Kindle Paperwhite out of Airplane mode, as shown in Figure 6-3.

If you have a Wi-Fi–only Kindle Paperwhite, you need to be somewhere with a Wi-Fi hotspot. If you have a Kindle Paperwhite 3G, you should be good to go anywhere that has 3G service.

Figure 6-3:
Turn off Airplane mode to connect wirelessly.

 
 When the wireless is on and has a good connection, tap the Shop in Kindle Store icon (see the margin) or tap the Menu icon (also in the margin) and select Shop in Kindle Store from the drop-down menu that appears. Either way, you see a page similar to the one shown in Figure 6-4 when you connect to the Kindle Store.

At the top of the screen, you have the option to browse Books, Newspapers, Magazines, Kindle Singles, Kindle Serials, and Games and Active Content. As you move down the page, you can browse the Kindle Select 25, Kindle Best Sellers, Kindle Daily Deals, and New & Noteworthy. The bottom panel changes frequently. In Figure 6-4, it displays the Kindle Select 25. Other times, the bottom panel might feature Recommended for You: books that might be of interest to you based on your prior purchases. The more you buy from Amazon, the more tailored the recommendations are to your interests.

At the top of the screen is a Search field so that you can search the store, just as you do from your computer. Tapping in the Search field displays the onscreen keyboard. Type an author’s name, the title of a book, or a search term.

To exit the store and return to the Home screen, tap the Home icon or the Back icon.