# How Long is the Kindle Sample?



## Dave Dykema (May 18, 2009)

I don't own a Kindle yet, or else I would just check this myself.

When people get samples, I've heard they get anywhere from the first chapter to 10% of the book. How much do they really get? Is it a percentage, which would make it a different length for every book they get, or is it a standard length, like 10 pages?

Thanks.


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

Not sure what the standard is.... Sometimes I get a chapter or so.... Sometimes, I don't even get any text, it doesn't get past the titles or dedications.


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## ak rain (Nov 15, 2008)

do you have an Itouch or Iphone you can try it out I think
sylvia


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## Dave Dykema (May 18, 2009)

My friend has an iPhone and his sample is 11,181 words long. The total book is 108,626--so he got slightly more than 10%.

This confuses me when i read about people not getting any text or anything beyond the title and dedications (not in my book, but others). Those books must be really short.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

According to Amazon, the publisher decides how much of the book is released as 'sample'.  10% or so is standard, but some do more, some do less. . . . .


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## Dave Dykema (May 18, 2009)

10% is what I figured. Thanks!


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## Lynn McNamee (Jan 8, 2009)

The issue with samples is that the program does not care what the content of the 10% is. For example, many novels have a lot of 'preface material' like dedication pages, cover pictures, or even some blank pages. 

So, if a novel has a lot of preface material, that might be all you end up seeing in the sample.


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## EllenR (Mar 31, 2009)

RedAdept said:


> The issue with samples is that the program does not care what the content of the 10% is. For example, many novels have a lot of 'preface material' like dedication pages, cover pictures, or even some blank pages.
> 
> So, if a novel has a lot of preface material, that might be all you end up seeing in the sample.


I have gotten samples that had nothing of the actual book in them. It was absurd. I got mostly table of contents and dedications.

EllenR


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## Dave Dykema (May 18, 2009)

In other words it's 10% of the total megabytes, or gigabytes, or whateverbytes.

_Wrong Number_ is a rather short book (51,200 words). I just uploaded a new version that added a cover, T of C, and made some corrections pointed out by a reviewer. I wonder how much of the story shows up in a sample?


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