Amazon has just announced that the Kindle digital platform is now available to authors and publishers all around the world to upload and sell their books in English, German, and French. Up until now only authors and publishers based in the United States were able to sell their books in the Kindle format. This is great news for authors and for readers since it opens up the e-commerce of books to everyone who has access to the Internet.

Twenty-five million e-books were downloaded in 2009. That number is expected to grow at geometric proporions in 2010. A new record was set, in fact, on Christmas Day 2009.  That day, for the first time, Amazon sold more e-books than paper and ink books. Why? The reason for the buying bonanza was the high number of people who received Kindle readers as Christmas gifts and went online to purchase their first downloads.

Look for more news on digital publishing formats when the anticpated introduction of the Apple Tablet occurs next week.