How to Read Blogs On Your Kindle
A walk-through on how to subscribe to blogs with a Kindle e-reader.
Do you have a favorite blog you’d like to keep up with while out and about? Or from under a shady tree? Or the comfort of your bed? Another favorite reading spot? Amazon makes it easy to subscribe to blogs on the Kindle.
Before I go further, let me warn you that this feature isn’t free. Though it costs you nothing to read these blogs online, Amazon charges to cover the cost of wirelessly transmitting the text and images to your Kindle. While the author does get a tiny cut (35%), most bloggers aren’t making much, so don’t begrudge them the price tag. Amazon offers this feature more out of convenience than anything else. Fortunately, the cost isn’t a lot. Blogs are either $0.99 or $1.99 a month.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s find out how to subscribe to your favorite stock investing, humor, or e-publishing blog. (Note: Not every blog is going to be available. While more and more bloggers are hopping on board, it is something each person has to sign up for.)
Head to the front page of the Kindle Store (currently, this is done by selecting kindle from the main menu and then “kindle store”). There should be a menu on the left side of the screen. Scroll down – waaaay down – and you’ll find blogs on the bottom, under ebooks, magazines, and newspapers.
Select from categories such as “Arts & Entertainment” and “Business & Investing.” Once inside your chosen category, you can sort blogs by bestselling, price, reviews (people can review the blogs the same way they would a book), etc., or you can search in the box at the top if you have something specific in mind.
Once you find something interesting, it’s time to sign up for a free trial. This is a nice feature, since you may have some doubts about paying for a blog subscription. This gives you a chance to see the content displayed in your Kindle, see how often it’s updated, etc. You can subscribe with Amazon’s 1-click feature, and, as long as you cancel within 14 days, you won’t be billed. If you decide it’s worth your money, you can do nothing, and you will be billed monthly.
Note: You can only activate the free trial once for each blog, and blogs you purchase are only available for download on one Kindle (unless you buy more than one subscription).
Once you sign up, the blog posts will be delivered via Amazon’s whispernet. As with ebook delivery, there’s no need to plug into a computer. Just make sure your wireless is turned on and you’re in a wifi spot.
While there are a number of blogs on numerous topics, you may want to pick up one of the Kindle-specific blogs for an early subscription.
If you’re new to the Kindle, try “Kindle Shortcuts: Hidden Features, Kindle-Friendly Websites, Free eBooks & Email From Kindle.”
Looking for good deals on ebooks? “Kindle Nation Daily” and “Free Kindle Books Plus a Few Other Tips” are good resources.
Whatever your interests are, there’s probably a blog out there for them, and chances are you can read it on your Kindle.
