Short Kindle Supply is Keeping E-Book Fans Waiting

March 16 ,2008 — -- Julie Ann Shapiro's debut novel Jen-Zen and the One Shoe Diaries is among more than 100,000 digital titles for sale on Amazon's Kindle e-book reader. But the author is one of many readers who cannot get hold of a Kindle. "I wish I could tell you I had one," she sighs. "Most people I know are frustrated about not getting one."

The company takes Kindle orders on a first-come, first-served basis. But the online retailer won't reveal how many have been sold or when supply will catch up with demand.

"We can't go into details about exact wait times," says Amazon vice president for digital products Ian Freed, conceding that the company underestimated demand. "We've had to ramp up manufacturing pretty significantly, and ramping up a manufacturing takes a little time." Amazon's Senior Vice President Steven Kessel told a group of publishers recently that Amazon's focus is "on getting back in stock" with Kindles.

JupiterResearch vice president and research director Michael Gartenberg says, "It's almost like the literary version of a Wii" — a comparison to Nintendo's difficult-to-come-by video game console.

Judging from online discussion groups, the Kindle wait time seems to be about four to six weeks. It took a month before Sacramento-based digital library consultant Kris Ogilvie got hers. "What I didn't like is that they didn't really keep you informed about how long it would be," she says. But Ogilvie is happy with the device and says she's already recommended it to others.