Amazon UK is now stocking all of John Grisham's titles as Kindle books, the first time the author's books have been available electronically to UK or EU customers.

Amazon's Kindle is the market leading e-reader, but new entrants such as the Alex e-reader and Barnes and Noble's Nook, are popping up everywhere. Also Apple is breathing down Amazon's neck with the iPad - a million sales already and that's just in America.

The Kindle is designed to do just one thing well, while the iPad is designed for lots of things. Which maybe just as well for Apple, which lacks first mover advantage with e-books, in contrast with the wild success of mobile apps on the iPhone.

Also Amazon has huge distribution clout and deep, if not always harmonious relationships, with the publishers: the Kindle store has 370,000 books in stock for UK customers.