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I haven't shared any industry news recently. Mostly because there hasn't been any. But then ShelfAwareness shared a little ditty today in the daily newsletter. 

Amazon.com is taking preorders for a new kind of kind of Kindle called the Kindle with Special Offers, which sells for $114.00. That's right, it's a whopping 25 bucks less than the cheapest Kindle already on the market. 

What is a "Kindle with Special Offers" you ask? It sounds a bit saucy, doesn't it? You know, in a kind of friends with benefits sort of way. But alas, it is not that kinky. 

A Kindle with Special Offers is simply a Kindle with commercials. 

Oh and they throw in a bit of Amazon money when you buy it so you can get a CD or a pair of jeans or something. Basically, the e-reader will display ads on the screensaver and running along the bottom of the home screen. They will not be featured in books, probably because Amazon realized that would have been shooting themselves in the foot if they'd allowed that. And it would be a nightmare to orchestrate from a technological and no doubt legal point of view...

I'm not completely opposed to the idea of the ads. I'm more perturbed by the price. If I'm going to sacrifice my pretty screensavers and wallpaper for advertising, the device better be cheaper than $114.00. I don't care how much Amazon money they throw at me. 

I'll repeat my disclaimer again. I am a Nook owner. I am a Nook-seller, when it comes down to it. 

And I hope to god that Barnes and Noble never comes up with such a tacky idea like putting ads on an e-reader. I'd rather pay the extra money up front and not have to deal with Visa wanting me to check out their newest special offers all the time. I already ignore those ads on the internet. I really don't want to have to push past them when I'm settling down to read a good book.