100 sites for fiction writers: #75 - Kindlegraph

This is an ongoing series looking at websites that can be of help to fiction writers with their craft and career.

Kindlegraph

In ye olden days, readers and fans would attend public appearances by authors to see the author speak, maybe to buy the author a drink, and also to get him or her to personally sign a copy of a favorite and/or newly-purchased book.

With the advent of digital publishing, for a while it seemed as if this ancient interaction between authors and readers might go by the wayside.

But fear no longer.

Now there is Kindlegraph.

At Kindlegraph, Kindle e-book authors can join and add a list of their e-books, then readers can go to the site, do a search and send the writer a request for a digital signature. At that point, the author gets a note in his or her e-mail asking for the digital signature. All the author has to do is go back to the Kindlegraph site, sign-in and go the the list of requested signatures. With a click the writer is taken to a page with a couple of windows, one in which the writer can type a personal message, then another where the writer can sign his or her name by typing it in or through utilizing their computer's mouse (or whatever control device you have). When the writer is finished, another click sends off the signature to the reader's Kindle, and the next time that reader opens the writer's e-book on the Kindle, at the beginning will appear the personal message and digital signature.

Hopefully all that made sense. It's a lot easier than I've probably made it sound.

One thing I'd like to point out is the readers and writers don't have to create a special membership for the Kindlegraph site, but must use their Twitter account instead. This is both good and bad, depending upon your viewpoint. I didn't have a problem with it.

Just to be clear, authors must add each of their e-books available for the Kindle separately. That way readers can get a different signature for all the author's books, or at least the ones available.

To my knowledge, there is not a site similar to Kindlegraph for other e-reading devices, such as the Nook or any of the tablets out there. My guess would be that this will change eventually. For now, digital signatures are only available for the Kindle, but maybe that's one more reason to have a Kindle.