Reading free samples on the iPhone Kindle app

One of the essential apps for the iPhone for me is the Kindle app.  While I'm not always carrying a book in my back pocket, I nearly always have my phone with me when I'm out.  So now when I'm standing in line or have a spare moment, I can read a few pages of whatever book I'm currently interested in.

One of the best features of the Kindle app is the ability to get free chapters of every (as far as I can tell) book that is available to purchase.

For non-fiction books, you often get the introduction and the first chapter, and for many non-fiction books that is sufficient to get a decent sense of the book's argument.  So my Kindle app is loaded with dozens and dozens of free samples.  About once a month, I'll browse through a physical bookstore and just snap photos of any books that look interesting.  I keep track of books mentioned in reviews or articles. Then when I have a few moments, I'll download free samples of all these books.

It is smart business for Amazon, since I end up buying maybe 5-10% of these books.  These are often books that I never would have read or purchased without the free sample feature.