I’ve purchased a lot of ebooks since I bought the 1st generation Sony eReader back in 2007. Most of the books I bought were really good, but others I didn’t even finish.

Because of the ‘convenience factor’ ebooks have (you can buy them on a whim without a trip to the bookstore), it’s easy to start buying ebooks without much thought. And even at the average price of $9.99 a pop, it adds up fast.

Let’s face it, not every book we buy is a ‘winner.’ I’ve bought some pretty bad books in my life. I’d hate to add up how much I’ve spent on bad books. It’s pretty depressing think about.

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Amazon has caught on to at least one Kindle lending website, where users can borrow ebooks from other users by utilizing Amazon’s ebook lending service.

The website Lendle had their API cut off by Amazon. The API allowed Kindle users to link their Amazon accounts to the Lendle site, giving others access to lendable ebooks in their library.

Ars Technica describes how the service works:

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Ebook sales continue to increase, despite a shaky economy and Borders Booksellers declaring bankruptcy earlier in the year. No doubt the increased sales are helped by the recent flood of tablet computers.

An article from Reuters says that ebook sales for January are up 115% compared to January 2010. This is according to the Association of American Publishers.

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Mention the word ‘piracy’ and people usually think of pirated ebooks, music, movies/television, or maybe one-eyed swashbuckling pirates roaming the Caribbean for merchant ships to plunder.

All the above are good examples of piracy. But what most people don’t think of as being a pirated item is a print book. Yes, it happens. All it takes is a good book, copy machine and lots of free time.

When you think about it, it’s not all that different than pirates scanning print books to make illegal copies of ebooks. The only difference is the end result: One results in a digital product and the other a print product.

Here’s a post from the Teleread blog that gives an example of this:

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Len Riggio gave the keynote speech at the Association of American Publishers, giving a very upbeat and cheery picture of the digital book world.

Barnes & Noble, the country’s largest book retailer, has appeared to seemlessly merge their brick-and-mortar stores with their aggressive digital strategy.

Publishers Weekly reports:

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HarperCollins is implementing a new policy for public libraries – a library may only ‘loan’ out an ebook 26 times. The problem with HC’s decision is that they are ignoring the new, and very different, economics of ebooks.

Ebooks have an infinite supply. As long as there’s a digital ebook file, the book can be distributed to an infinite number of people without printing, shipping or storage costs.

The reason for the limits on library lending are sketchy, at best. John Marshall, President of Sales for HC, said this:

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In a press release issued today, Kobo announced new funding to continue growth. Kobo is rapidly rising in the eReader market. They tout 2.7 million users.

According to the press release, the new funding will help them expand:

The new funding will support Kobo

Some are saying Amazon should give away their popular Kindle away for free. Not a bad idea. After all, the price of eReaders has dropped drastically over the last several years.

I paid around $300 for my Sony PRS-500 in 2007. Now you can get a Kindle or Nook with a lot more functionality for less than $150.

Amy Gahran from CNN argues that giving away the Kindle would be a smart move for Amazon:

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If I asked you how long ebooks have been around. 4 years? 5 years? A few might even say 10+ years. If I told you that ebooks have been around for 40 years, you’d ask what the heck have I been smoking?

Yes, ebooks have been around in one form or another for 40 years.

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Just came across this deal on Mediabistro and thought I’d pass it along. People’s United Bank is giving away a FREE Amazon Kindle when you open up a new account with a minimum deposit of $25. Account must stay open for at least 6 months.

The offer expires 3/18/11, so you better get into gear! As always, some restrictions apply – read the fine print!