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Kindle e-bookstore and self-publishing platform now available in Mexico

Both readers and writers in Mexico have a reason to rejoice today, as Amazon has just launched the Kindle Store and Kindle Direct Publishing in their country. The e-bookstore will feature over 70,000 Spanish-language titles, as well as e-books in indigenous tongues like Nahuatl. To help fill up those new e-readers, Amazon will also be offering upwards of 1,500 free books among the store's 2 million titles. The availability of KDP is especially significant, as it offers both unknown authors and big name writers like Paulo Coelho (who's using it to release his books El Alquimista and Once Minutos) an alternative path to publishing. Additionally, Gandhi, one of the largest bookstore chains in Mexico, will now sell the basic Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite in its brick and mortar shops for MXN$1,399 (USD$105) and MXN$2,399 (USD$180) respectively. For more info, check out the source links below or the press releases after the break.

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Amazon Launches Mexico Kindle Store with Over 70,000 eBooks in Spanish and 1,000 titles at Special Prices Starting at MXN$9 (www.amazon.com.mx)-Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite Now Available at Gandhi Stores in Mexico

New Kindle Store offers over 2 million eBooks sold in Mexican Pesos, including the most Spanish language best sellers, more than 1,500 free books in Spanish, and hundreds of thousands of exclusive titles, including works from authors like José Emilio Pacheco, Elena Poniatowska, Sergio Pitol and Carlos Monsivais, as well as comic books from Mafalda and Familia Burrón

The Mexico Kindle Store also includes titles with Nahuatl and other Mexican indigenous languages from the Instituto Nacional de Lenguas Indígenas, preserving an important part of Mexican heritage

Kindle-the Smallest, Lightest Kindle Ever-is now available for purchase with a suggested retail price of MXN$1,399 at Gandhi stores as well as Kindle Paperwhite, the world's most advanced e-reader, with an innovative built-in front light, 8 weeks of battery life and a slim and sleek design-with a suggested retail price starting at MXN$2,399

Kindle books can be read anywhere with free "Buy Once, Read Everywhere" Kindle reading apps-Mexican customers can read Kindle books on free Kindle reading apps for iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Android phones and Android tablets, PC and Mac

Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) now available for Mexican independent authors and publishers

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 29, 2013-- (NASDAQ: AMZN)-Amazon today launched the Mexico Kindle Store (www.amazon.com.mx), offering Mexican customers the largest selection of the most popular eBooks, the most Spanish-language best sellers, over 1,500 free books in Spanish and a broad selection of titles from leading Mexican authors and publishers. In total, the Kindle Store offers over 2 million titles, hundreds of thousands of which are exclusive, and more than 70,000 in Spanish, including titles from authors such as Carlos Fuentes, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Mario Vargas Llosa, Isabel Allende and Paulo Coelho, among other Mexican and internationally known authors. In addition, Amazon announced that Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite are now on sale locally in Mexico at Gandhi stores. For more details, visit www.amazon.com.mx.

"The vast majority of Mexicans do not have access to a bookstore in their town, so we're happy to launch the Mexico Kindle Store today and bring a huge bookstore with over 2 million titles to anyone with an Internet connection," said Pedro Huerta, Director of Kindle Content, Latin America. "We are also excited to bring Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite to Mexico at Gandhi stores. Kindle Paperwhite offers an unparalleled reading experience, with a display that reads like real paper, an innovative built-in front light, a small and light-weight design and 8 weeks of battery life so customers can easily dive into their favorite books."

"In order to provide a new experience and bring books to all our customers in an innovative way, we will offer Amazon's Kindle in all of our bookstores. We believe it is a great option to enjoy reading at an affordable price. We are confident it will have very good acceptance by readers," said Alberto Achar, Marketing Manager at Gandhi. "It is very important to us to take books to anyone interested in reading, using all possible channels. Amazon's Kindle is a device that easily and quickly serves this purpose."

New Mexico Kindle Store-Lowest Prices with Largest Selection of any eBookstore

The new Mexico Kindle Store offers over 2 million books and hundreds of thousands of exclusive titles, including works from award-winning authors such as José Emilio Pacheco, Elena Poniatowska and Carlos Monsivais, as well as popular comic characters like Mafalda and Familia Burrón. The Mexico Kindle Store offers titles with Nahuatl and other Mexican indigenous languages, making it possible for current and future generations of customers to forever access an important part of Mexican heritage. The new Mexico Kindle Store offers low prices for the most popular eBooks in Mexico and, for the launch, Amazon is offering over 1,000 eBooks with special prices starting as low as MXN$9, including works from Paulo Coelho, Quino and Nicholas Sparks. Amazon today also announced that independent authors and publishers are now able to make their books available in the new Mexico Kindle Store using Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) (http://kdp.amazon.com.mx).

Free Kindle Reading Apps- "Buy Once, Read Everywhere"

With the free Kindle reading apps, customers can read their Kindle books on the largest number of devices or platforms. Kindle reading apps are available for iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Android phones and tablets, Windows 8 PCs and tablets, PC and Mac. Amazon's Whispersync technology synchronizes a customer's last page read, bookmarks and annotations across all of their devices, so they can always pick up where they left off.

Kindle Paperwhite-World's Most Advanced E-Reader- Available Starting Today at Gandhi Stores

Reviews of Kindle Paperwhite are overwhelmingly positive and reinforce that Kindle Paperwhite is the best e-reader in the world:

"So, do all of these features add up to the best e-reader out there? In a syllable: yep. Amazon was clearly focused on creating the best possible reading experience with the Paperwhite, and it's delivered." – Engadget
"Forget Everything Else, This Is the E-Reader You Want." – Gizmodo
"The Kindle Paperwhite is a reader's dream...I'm wildly impressed with the simplicity and beauty of this device." – TechCrunch
"It's light, eminently pocketable, and presents the best electronic reading experience." – Wired
"Amazon has brightened the picture for readers with Kindle Paperwhite--quite literally and in more ways than one." – USA Today
"With an excellent built-in light and Amazon's best-in-class ebook selection, the Kindle Paperwhite rises to the top of the e-reader pack." – CNet
"The Screen Makes It the Best E-Reader Yet" – Time

Advanced E-Reader Display

Kindle Paperwhite's display features a 212 ppi display that makes text in books crisp and clear at any size. Images are sharp, rich and show great detail.

Innovative Built-In Light

Backlit LCD displays direct light up through the display into the user's eyes. Kindle Paperwhite's innovative front-lit display guides light underneath an anti-glare layer and down toward the display, away from the reader's eyes. This means a reader can read for hours with less eye fatigue and strain. The screen brightness is easily adjusted for reading in any light. The Paperwhite display provides an incredible experience in the dark and in direct sunlight.

Breakthrough Battery Life

Kindle Paperwhite's built-in front light is designed to be used at all times-both in daylight and in a dark room-for the clearest, crispest reading experience. In order to use the light at all times, Kindle Paperwhite sustains the battery life that customers love about Kindle. Amazon's light guide technology precisely diffuses the light across the screen and only requires four LEDs to light the entire screen (unlike LCD screens which can use up to 50 LEDs). The light guide is so efficient that Kindle Paperwhite has a remarkable 8 weeks of battery life, even with the light on at all times.

Free 3G

Kindle's free 3G connection means customers never have to hunt for or pay for a Wi-Fi hotspot-they simply download and read books anytime, anywhere. Amazon pays for the 3G connection on Kindle Paperwhite Wi-Fi + 3G, so customers pay no monthly fees and sign no annual contracts.

Built-In Wi-Fi

Kindle Paperwhite comes with built-in Wi-Fi, letting readers discover new content at home or on the road anywhere you can access Wi-Fi.

Books in 60 Seconds

Find a book and start reading in seconds with our fast, free wireless delivery. No computer required to download content.

New Touch Technology

Kindle Paperwhite's new capacitive touch technology is uniquely integrated into the Paperwhite display, allowing for a thinner form factor for Kindle Paperwhite and even better touch accuracy.

Slim and Sleek Design

At just over a third of an inch thin and weighing 213 grams, Kindle Paperwhite is thinner than a magazine and weighs less than a typical paperback.

Hand-Tuned Fonts

Every font on Kindle Paperwhite is hand-tuned for maximum readability. The Amazon typography team worked at the pixel level to ensure consistency of stroke thickness and shape profiles across all individual glyphs, aligning each size to the specific grid of the new Paperwhite display. This allows for unprecedented sharpness of fonts. Kindle Paperwhite's high resolution display also allows for elegant typeface options, such as Baskerville and Palatino, which use thin stems that would not render well on a lower resolution display.

Time to Read

Time to Read helps readers know the amount of time it will take them to finish a chapter or a book. This feature is smart-it personalizes the time for each customer based on their reading speed and is constantly updated as the reader's speed and habits change. With Time to Read, it's never been easier to decide when to start a new chapter or finish the chapter you're reading.

Features Built Just for Readers

Each Kindle offers a variety of font styles and sizes, so customers can easily customize their reading experience. Kindle Paperwhite also comes with built-in dictionaries for instant lookup of words, Real Page Numbers, support for bookmarks and annotations, and more.

Worry-Free Cloud Storage

Customers' Kindle books are automatically backed up in the cloud, so they can re-download their books wirelessly for free.

Sharing

Customers can share highlighted sections, notes and meaningful quotes on Facebook and Twitter directly from Kindle without leaving the book.

Parental Controls

Parental Controls allow parents to restrict access to the Kindle Store, Cloud Archive and the Experimental Web Browser so they can give their Kindle to a child worry-free.

Top-Rated, World-Class Customer Service

Whenever customers shop on Amazon, buy a Kindle, or buy Kindle content, they know that they are also getting Amazon's world-class customer service. Customers have been shopping on Amazon.com for over 15 years, and they continue to do so because of the unparalleled, end-to-end customer experience.

Beautiful Leather Covers with Auto Wake and Sleep

Covers for Kindle Paperwhite feature a premium textured leather exterior and a subtle woven nylon interior to provide the lightest and thinnest form of protection. The integrated magnetic clasp ensures the cover remains securely closed while in a backpack, purse, or briefcase. The cover automatically wakes Kindle Paperwhite upon opening and puts it to sleep when closed, making it easy to dive right back into the book.

Kindle-the Smallest, Lightest Kindle Ever-Available Starting Today at Gandhi Stores

Kindle is the lightest, fastest and most affordable Kindle ever. Weighing just 170 grams, Kindle is small and light enough to fit easily in a pocket and take everywhere.

Pricing and Availability

Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite are available starting today at Gandhi Stores.

Kindle is available with a suggested retail price of MXN$1,399

Kindle Paperwhite is available with a suggested retail price of MXN$2,399

Kindle Paperwhite Wi-Fi + 3G is available with a suggested retail price of MXN$3,499

For more information and to begin shopping at the new Kindle Store, visit www.amazon.com.mx.

For high-resolution images and video of the Kindle family, visit www.amazon.com/pr/kindle.

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Kindle Direct Publishing Now Available for Mexican Authors and Publishers, Enabling Them to Make More Money and Reach a Global Audience

Mexican authors and publishers can now self-publish their Spanish-language books on Amazon.com.mx and all Kindle stores globally, while fully retaining their copyrights and setting prices in Mexican Pesos

MEXICO CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 29, 2013-- (NASDAQ:AMZN)-Amazon.com.mx today announced that independent authors and publishers are now able to make their books available in the newly launched Mexico Kindle Store using Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) (http://kdp.amazon.com.mx). Mexican independent authors and publishers can utilize the Spanish-language KDP website to make their books available to customers in Mexico, and more than 175 countries worldwide. They can also price their books and receive payments in Mexican Pesos all while retaining control of their content and copyrights.

"Mexican authors and publishers can now self-publish their books in the new Mexico Kindle Store with KDP, making their books available to customers in Mexico and all over the world," said Pedro Huerta, Director of Kindle Content, Latin America. "KDP is a powerful, self-service platform that allows authors to boldly experiment and fulfill their dreams of publishing. We've already seen many Spanish-language authors experience great success using the platform, and, in fact, there are many KDP titles in the Mexico Kindle Store already."

Best-selling and iconic author Paulo Coelho is offering his books in the Mexico Kindle Store via KDP, including El Alquimista and Once Minutos. "I've been making all of my work available digitally for years now, and am excited to offer all of my books in the Mexico Kindle Store," said Coelho.

KDP is a fast, free and easy way for authors and publishers to make their books available to Kindle customers in Mexico and around the world via the Kindle Store, Kindle devices and on free Kindle reading apps. Authors can earn 35% royalties on their books, and the 70% royalty option is also available for sales to Mexico for titles enrolled in KDP Select. KDP Select is an option for authors to make their book exclusive to Kindle, and have it included in the Kindle Owners' Lending Library on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr and Amazon.co.jp, where they earn money each time their book is borrowed. Authors enrolled in KDP Select also have access to a promotional tool that gives them the option to offer their enrolled titles for free for five days every 90 days. To learn more about KDP Select, visit http://kdp.amazon.com.mx/self-publishing/KDPSelect.

Today Amazon also launched the Mexico Kindle Store (www.amazon.com.mx), offering Mexican customers the largest selection of the most popular eBooks, the most Spanish-language best sellers, over 1,500 free books in Spanish and a broad selection of titles from leading Mexican authors and publishers. In total, the Kindle Store offers over 2 million titles, hundreds of thousands of which are exclusive, and more than 70,000 in Spanish, including titles from authors such as Carlos Fuentes, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Mario Vargas Llosa, Isabel Allende and Paulo Coelho, among other Mexican and internationally known authors. In addition, Amazon announced that Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite are available today in Mexico at Gandhi stores. For more details, visit www.amazon.com.mx.

About Amazon.com.mx

Amazon.com.mx is operated by Amazon Mexico Services, Inc., an affiliate of Amazon.com, Inc., based in the United States. Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth's Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth's most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices.

About Amazon.com

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth's Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth's most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as Books; Movies, Music & Games; Digital Downloads; Electronics & Computers; Home & Garden; Toys, Kids & Baby; Grocery; Apparel, Shoes & Jewelry; Health & Beauty; Sports & Outdoors; and Tools, Auto & Industrial. Amazon Web Services provides Amazon's developer customers with access to in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon's own back-end technology platform, which developers can use to enable virtually any type of business. Kindle Paperwhite is the most-advanced e-reader ever constructed with 62% more pixels and 25% increased contrast, a patented built-in front light for reading in all lighting conditions, extra-long battery life, and a thin and light design. The new latest generation Kindle, the lightest and smallest Kindle, now features new, improved fonts and faster page turns. Kindle Fire HD features a stunning custom high-definition display, exclusive Dolby audio with dual stereo speakers, high-end, laptop-grade Wi-Fi with dual-band support, dual-antennas and MIMO for faster streaming and downloads, enough storage for HD content, and the latest generation processor and graphics engine -- and it is available in two display sizes -- 7" and 8.9". The large-screen Kindle Fire HD is also available with 4G wireless. The all-new Kindle Fire features a 20% faster processor, 40% faster performance, twice the memory, and longer battery life.

Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.ca, www.amazon.cn, www.amazon.it, www.amazon.es, www.amazon.com.br, www.amazon.in, and www.amazon.com.mx. As used herein, "Amazon.com," "we," "our" and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.

Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, new products, services and technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.