I have a Kindle e-reader myself, but don't like a single monopolist like Amazon to control the market. So I try, whenever possible, to skip their market place. And that is perfectly possible. But say goodbye to one-click shopping.
(same argument probably also applies to the Kobo store, another popular eReader-manufacturer, but perhaps less evil for not being Amazon and supporting 'local' shops, e.g. Bol.com in the Netherlands… which is basically the Amazon of the Netherlands, and a huge market player…)
Many books these days come without DRM(!) … they're still watermarked, but that doesn't stop you from converting books.
So, it takes some dedication but my approach is:
Dit artikel van murblog van Maarten Brouwers (murb) is in licentie gegeven volgens een Creative Commons Naamsvermelding 3.0 Nederland licentie .