Amazon unveils MatchBook to pair print, digital books

Online retailer Amazon will launch a new service next month that allows consumers to acquire the digital versions of purchased print books for a lower price. The program, Kindle MatchBook, will be available this October.

Consumers who have purchased a physical book dating back to 1995 can snag the Kindle version for around $3. "In addition to being a great new benefit for customers, this is an easy choice for publishers and authors who will now be able to earn more from each book they publish," said Russ Grandinetti, vice president of Kindle Content. All the standard Kindle features will work with titles purchased through MatchBook, such as WhisperSync and Popular Highlights.