I have no problem with the book prices, really. If you want lower than 9.99 prices, you can wait for the paperback to come out (when prices generally are in the $5-$6 range, it seems), the same as those wanting less than $25 hardbacks wait until the paperback comes out (which, these days, is often a trade sized book at 9.99, with paperbacks often $7-$9).

What I would change:

1) the ability to transfer a book from my account to another one (just like lending a book, it would disappear from my media list and my kindle the next time it hits whispernet). It simply isn’t feasible to share an account between family members, in all cases (it really only works for non-adult children and spouses; not adult children and their parents or adult siblings). Ideally, I could enter an email address and give it to anyone, but it would also be perfectly fine if Amazon limits me to 5 addresses that are stored permanently and then lets me pick only from those. In which case, it should work more like the current sharing of books in an account - we both have a copy - but with an added restriction that the account it is “shared to” cannot then share the book. That restriction would not be needed if the book is fully transferred.

It’s true that this might cut into sales of their ebooks - but so does allowing resale of paper copies (although they get a cut there). Even if no full-blown sales of ebooks is allowed, just fixing the sharing so an adult child can share a book with a parent or sibling that has their own amazon account would tremendously increase acceptance. After all, with other ebook formats, you can load in any 4 PID’s and share a book between those (at least with most vendors).

2) Add an online referral system that works FROM the Kindle itself. Have it automatically tie into the associates account of the person sending the referral (or just give the person a credit of a free couple of books, which is well below the referral fee). This would allow a very easy method of sending someone a referral link when they ask about your Kindle when they see you using it. Have the referral link expire or not (as far as getting credit for the referral), but don’t rely on the person remembering to go to Amazon and hunt down the Kindle).

3) Fix book links in the Amazon Daily that load to the Kindle to bring up the Kindle version of the book. Or at least the non-mobile page, so that you can see if there is a Kindle version available or add it to your wish list to check again later. Since the web site already knows you are on a mobile web browser and changes the page displayed, it should be a simple matter to bring up a Kindle version of the page (if one exists). Alternatively, have an option to search the kindle store instead of going to the web page in the link, when an amazon link is detected in the blog.

4) Add a button to “save for later” from the Kindle Store (that ties in directly with the same list updated from the Kindle).

5) Add a button to print book pages that says “Request for Kindle”. It’s a lot easier to have Amazon approach an author or publisher with numbers in hand, rather than each individual person having to attempt to track down contact info for each author/publisher and send an email requesting that they release on the Kindle.

6) Add pre-orders for Kindle versions of books (with pricing attached). There are books I know I want, but I have to keep in a wish list of print versions, then periodically remember to see if they have released and if kindle versions are available. I’d much rather simply have them appear on my Kindle overnight on the release date.

I like the 2nd idea very much. I think affiliates could benefit a lot from the idea. Amazon associates program is probably the best, most cutting edge, affiliate program that is out there with all the AJAXified gadgets and Flex widgets, so it wouldn’t be surprising to me at all if they out with that feature soon.

I think maybe adding an API would allow people to write their own wishlist programs and do all kinds of stuff with the Kindle platform. Also, I think