SEATTLE – On the heels of disclosing that Amazon now sells more electronic books for its Kindle e-reader than it does hardcovers, the online retailer has released a new, lower-priced Wi-Fi model of the Kindle.

The new model, 23 percent smaller than the earlier versions of Kindle and sporting an improved e-ink display, will not have 3G Internet access, instead turning to Wi-Fi.

The company says the new model is lighter than a paperback and thinner than a magazine.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said he expects the lower price to make it possible for families to buy multiple units.

Amazon says it expects e-books for the Kindle to begin outselling paperback books sometime during the next year. It says the Kindle has been its best-selling product for two years running. Considering the volume of Amazon sales, that’s impressive.