Will Kindle sales spike because of 'Oprah effect'?

Oprah Winfrey, the empress of taste makers, is about to anoint the Kindle.

Oprah, who became a force in book publishing in the mid 1990s when she began recommending her favorite titles on her TV show, said during Friday's broadcast that the Kindle, Amazon.com's electronic book reader is her "new favorite gadget." She also called the device "life changing."

Oprah Winfrey says the Kindle is "life changing." Oh, and look, there's Amazon's standard Kindle pitch.

(Credit: Amazon.com)

There's nobody in publishing who hasn't heard of the "Oprah effect." This is the term given to how the daytime TV star's recommendations can send book sales soaring. She is credited with reinvigorating sales of John Steinbeck's East of Eden. The 51-year-old title spent seven weeks atop the The New York Times bestseller list.

That was at the height of Oprah's popularity. Her show's ratings, however, have sagged in the past year. What's unclear is how much impact her endorsement will have on the Kindle. The good news for Amazon is that Oprah's adoption of the Kindle is a signal that the device is transitioning from early adopters to the mainstream. Amazon played up Oprah's glowing testimonial by posting clips of her show on its front door.

Amazon said this week that the company is happy with Kindle sales but declined to break them out. The company said it wouldn't release the next version of the Kindle until next year at the earliest.

[rexworld]

I wouldn't equate a drop in ratings with a drop in influence. Remember that there are now other outlets for somebody like an Oprah to spread her influence (YouTube, email, DVR's, etc.). Just because the ratings for her show have dropped does not necessarily mean fewer people are paying attention.

People in the media are too fixated on ratings because it's a single easy measure of reach, but in this day and age it is not the only measure of reach. There's so many other ways for consumers to intake media besides sitting in front of their TV at a specific hour of the day to catch a specific show.

[megustansalchichas]

Waiting for kindle 2.0 with same technology but smaller form factor -it's not yet small enough to fit in a pocket. An why the heck aren't they putting e-ink in phones? I would rather have a phone where I can browse the (text) web forever before having to recharge my battery if I'm already paying ridiculous prices for unlimited data usage.

[quantum_force]

The leaked prototypes for version 2 are bigger than the current version..by quite a lot.

[sciontcya]

Lord.
Give the Oprah thing a rest.
Will some idiot, clueless housewife buy one 'cause Oprah says "it's great"
Sure.
But said housewife will soon put it in the drawer next to the Palm Pilot and other crap nobody uses any more.
I'm so tired of Oprah, and I've never seen the stupid show...

[Mr. Dee]

Did you know that Oprah uses Windows but owns a (RED) iPod nano?

[mrefranklin]

According to Oprah's site, the featured object is indeed the Kindle. Mystery solved. The best news for interested parties is that through November 1st you can get $50 off the Kindle by typing in OPRAHWINFREY as a checkout code at Amazon.

http://thepugetnews.com/2008/10/24/the-oprah-bump-for-kindle/

[sanenazok]

Re: will there be an increase in sales? Sure that's what celebrity endorsements exist! I've never bought something for this reason, but plenty of people do. I would sooner trust Oprah than most other commentators, but that only says something about the other talking heads rather than Oprah.

[sanjayb]

What Oprah has done is introduce the Kindle to the mainstream. I don't think the Kindle was widely known outside of the tech head group and people that are comfortable with tech and love to read. I bet most of Oprah's crazed studio audience didn't know what the Kindle was until Oprah explained it. The Kindle will definitely see a spike in sales. Question is will this just be blip? I must admit, after seeing Oprah's show I kinda wished that we had the Kindle here in Canada.

[ev61]

Those who bash Oprah do not understand her nor her influence. She is the most successful woman in the entertainment industry and has been for quite some time. Those who caught the show today knew by the first moment of it how much she is capable of. She decided Il Divo needed to perform a song on the show and poof, they were performing...

There is no reason to discredit her, especially one who has not watched her show. The Kindle became the biggest seller of the season in part because of its appearance on the show.

[rjpotts]

Who cares what Oprah thinks. Are you so brain washed that you are going to go out and buy a product just because she said it was good? Do you not have a brain where you can read about the product yourself and make an informed decision? Did she do a product comparison between the Kindle and other eBook readers, providing compelling reasons as to why one should purchase the Kindle over another.

If Oprah thought rocky-mountain oysters were the tastiest thing she had ever eaten would you go get some too? If Oprah thought having a colon cleansing once a week was good for her posterior would you go out and do it too? People who do things just because someone on TV or radio tells them its a good idea are stupid. Learn to think for yourselves.

[bennyd317]

HaHa, I just went upstairs and my mom was watching Oprah and she started telling me about the "brand new gadget called Kindle" These are going to start flying off the shelves, (virtual shelves that it)

[wgilbert5]

I have one of these "gadgets" and I can tell all of you that it is the best thing I've ever bought for just me. I didn't even know that Oprah was touting the device (I bought mine last year), but if she is as impressed as I am with it, her enthusiasm will rub off on the American public. I wouldn't trade it for any other item for sale on the internet.

[ejob]

Yeah, go on sheep, buy what you are told to!

[jordanking34]

To all the people that are upset about people buying things because Oprah praises them on their show, I would ask them if they've ever given something a second look or looked upon it favorably because someone they respected recommended it. I would definitely give the Kindle a look if I'd never heard of it if my friend mentioned it, especially if they had recommended things in the past that I enjoyed.

Also, the Kindle is far more expensive than a paperback book, so while there will probably be people who just go ahead and buy it, there also many others who will think long and hard about it, and also probably look for alternatives if the idea of an eBook reader appeals to them.

I think it's good that Oprah mentioned it, because if anything, if the Kindle/eBook readers get more popular, they'll also get better.

[Kennesaw6773]

"Oprah effect." This is the term given to how the daytime TV star's recommendations can send book sales soaring? It is now having the opposite effect, the people that Oprah?s chosen one Obama is getting ready to screw are the ones that can afford gadgets like these. Oprah?s endorsement definitely made a difference for me. Take the Kindle off the list of items to consider. to buy. ( I don?t want to read Obama?s book either)

[bobotherentedmule]

Oprah is endorsing wiping your bottom with the left hand only - anyone using the right hand for anything other than holding a Kindle will be kicked out of the book club.
Jordanking34...yes, I sometimes do follow through on a purchase based on the opinions of someone I respect, but they're people that have intimate knowledge of the product (or technology) I'm interested in - Oprah is a talk-show host - if I were going to buy a couch, I'd ask her - an eBook reader? I don't think so. I wonder if she'll allow Amazon to let Kindle users put "A Million Little Pieces" on it. My prediction: Sheep buy it, ends up in the junk drawer a month later. (Including the clods who get one under their seat at a show).

[molotov]

Oprah effect is more like Oprah defect.

The host of the show is very imbalanced in terms of quality representation. I wonder why the lady only praised the Amazon Kindle and not Sony eReader as well? Though, supposedly, she is very powerful - she is also very easily influenced. Does she even know who are Chechov or Kamus? Or even Kundera? She belongs to the bunch that read romance novels that are so full of garbage that not only diminish your touch with your soul - but also degrade your level of reasoning. This is very prevalent and undeniably true because she tries to make people feel good by recommending them nonsensical garbage. The Kindle advertisement that was given did nothing for the survival of the Kindle, but instead put it in jeopardy.

How many Kindles have been sold? No one knows. If Amazon pulls the plug on the device - what then? How about everyone just realize that an Apple iPhone or iPod touch can deliver just as good as Kindle and more. Oh yeah and the clumsy keyboard is a non-issue on Apple products. Amazon - get up to speed, you dinosaur. SOHO, NYC

[RadioPictures]

molotov's reasoning is idiotic. The last lines show a level of stupidity rarely matched here.

[unterdenlinden]

The only reason the Kindle is Oprah's "favorite new gadget" is because she got it for free and because gets paid to promote it on her show.
Personally, I don't like "The Oprah", but I have to give her credit for knowing how to make money.

[Springerlicious]

Oprah is an idiot. Could she please throw herself in front of oncoming traffic now. Thanks.

[paindoc66]

Let's face it. America is STUPID. I agree with rjpotts post above. But, if the kindle promotes reading I'm alll for it. I just hope people have the capacity to comparison shop. I understand some are technically challenged, but if you take the time to read manuals it's amazing what you're able to do!!