Amazon is targeting educators and textbook authors with
its new Kindle Textbook Creator. Authors use the tool to create PDFs of educational content that works on multiple devices.
Once the content is finished, it’s uploaded to Kindle
Direct Publishing for use by students. The tool allows students to highlight in
multiple colors, store notes in a single location, create flashcards, and find
definitions and information for difficult terms, while providing authors with
70% royalties.
Blogger Nate Hoffelder sees even more benefits for
Amazon.
“There may not be much money in digital textbooks, but
there is value in getting teachers and students to use the Kindle apps,” he
wrote in The Digital Reader. “This keeps them in reach of the Kindle Store where
Amazon can sell them other e-books.”