You may never know how many times I lazed out of getting a book I really wanted to read. It has been said that the good reads have a tag to them. Even though this might not entirely be true, I know we’ve once met head-on with the frustration of not being able to download a free pdf of a book we’ve gone over and through the Google pages for.
I like to spend on my growth really… whatever it takes. This one time, I was nominated to take part in a little Facebook challenge that required me to post a book cover of a book I’ve read or loved, one book a day for ten days. I was reminded of a book I always promised myself I’d read. I had always gone over its summary and listened again and again to its author using her experience to coach people who were interested in personal growth alongside spiritual consideration. On this particular evening, I had the strong conviction to share this particular book cover for the challenge, but there was one more test to hit, I had to read the book just so I could be exactly sure about what I was sharing.
I was panicked upon remembering that the book went for a price and there was no free copy anywhere, or let’s just say I didn’t know of any available crack copy yet. Guess what, as the very evil we always fight always advises, “You’ll get it another day”, this was when I remembered that I’d always procrastinated about getting a MasterCard account, which would be my lifesaver in this situation. I needed it to purchase the book. I started to negotiate with myself over giving myself another day to process the account, as I held on with the book for just a bit.
To say or not to say, I cracked out of that mindset just before I’d start to get comfortable with what my thoughts suggested, quickly took to WhatsApp and texted a friend I knew had a wealth of cards; business cards, a thousand tech club membership cards, and of course debit cards- he’s always swiping, Ajooga!
Need I share a screenshot! You can almost imagine what my text said. Yes, I asked him to help me purchase the book and I’d quickly send through his refund via Mobile Money. How limited can we be! In this generation! You can’t imagine how embarrassed I was after the solution he gave me. Very simple! I didn’t have to go to the bank. Quick quick, let me share the link- MTN momo card.
That article gives you step-by-step instructions on how to process your own Mastercard using your MTN Mobile Money account. I knoooooooow! I couldn’t believe it too, but it worked. This friend sure knows his way around tech. Don’t worry, I’ll be sharing his profile when we come to the end of our story.
I quickly processed a MasterCard by dialing a code that you’ll find in the link I shared above. Big ups to MTN Uganda by the way! Their service solutions have saved us anger bursts in ways they will never know.
Wait, my frustration wasn’t over yet. I typed the book title in my browser and there I was, presented with only one workable option- to pay for the book on Amazon. I went ahead and entered my card details. I had double-checked my details after typing, like that moment when you’re about to send a 6-figure amount of money to a friend via Mobile Money and you have to make sure you’re sending it to the right contact so you ‘triple check’ the number and convince yourself that you haven’t come to your next careless transaction yet.
Anyhow, I had some details entered, but I was served with an additional form where I had to fill details I thought were unnecessary. Let me show you.
I wasn’t interested in having the book shipped to me. I just wanted permission to download a copy of the book.
Contents
Introduced to Amazon Kindle
My friend sent me a link to the Amazon Kindle app on Playstore, which I hurried to download. The story is about to get delicious.
The book I was buying had a tag saying Kindle Edition.
What’s Amazon Kindle?
Kindle means ‘to ignite’. The developers of the Kindle edition of Amazon suggested this name to signify the ability of this function to light up the intellects of the readers.
Amazon Kindle is the function of Amazon (a large online seller that deals in numerous products), that provides reads for the people who are interested in purchasing e-books.
On Amazon Kindle, you can read a book without interruptions such as those from adverts and pop-ups. It’s a serene place, I tell you.
You can download your Amazon Kindle app from playstore or Appstore.
Once your app is ready, you can sign up for an account using you email and/or phone number. Amazon will send you an email to verify your new account
Read Also: How to Buy from Amazon, Alibaba, Aliexpress and ebay in Uganda
What I learnt
The Billing address details were no threat or fraud. It’s details you enter the first time you purchase something using your Amazon account. It’s a safety precaution in case of any issues anytime in the future. Even on the Amazon Kindle app, I was asked to fill the form, which I did.
And this is why you’ve got to love Amazon Kindle.
It gives summary reads so you can be sure you’re purchasing the right book. If you’re interested in getting the full book, Amazon shall point you to that option, “Purchase the full Book. See details in Kindle Store + the book price.”
You don’t have to have membership for you to purchase a book on Amazon Kindle.
The app is free for Android.
Also, you can use Amazon Kindle without Wi-Fi. All you need is mobile data.
Once you’ve downloaded the book, you can read it without a data or Wi-Fi connection.
Was I able to get the book?
Oh yes, I did get the book, read part of it fast, and ran back to Facebook to do my challenge. I was able to share the book cover of the book I bought. Sometimes, satisfaction comes from such little things as getting a book and sharing it with friends. By the way, if you’re into the habit of reading, you’re going to need this Amazon Kindle, even so, because the world is fast turning into an e-world. The books will be right there- on our devices. No dressing up on Saturday to check the street for a book. It’s safer getting the e-copy. I’ll tell you why in my next post. Just like that, a friend saved my challenge. You can connect with him on LinkedIn here.
And that’s my story. What’s yours? You can write to me on [email protected] so we can have a good laugh.