E-books are the next big thing. I don’t think anyone can deny that. My children are much more comfortable reading from a screen than they are reading from a printed page. And the smaller the screen the better for their short attention spans, it seems.
And even I, as old as I am, am quite comfortable reading from my laptop. Once the prices on the Kindles and Sonys come down, I’ll really enjoy reading from the screen. I want the search-able text and the margin notes. I would love to have my whole stack of “to be reviewed” books digitized.
I have a confession, though. I’ve never bought an e-novel. The reason being the same as the reason I’ve never bought a POD novel. It’s just too easy for people to think they have something to say and to publish it (much like bloggers, I know, but I’m not charging for all this blather that comes pouring out of my mouth). But when trusted publishers start putting out e-books, yes, I’ll buy. I’ll probably start buying from smaller companies, too. Post a killer first chapter that makes me have to have more and I’ll buy even if I’ve never heard of you.
The only think holding me back now is the price of the readers. They cost as much as some laptops and for that price it seems we should get color and great sound and Internet, too. Drop the price or give us more product for the money, I think. An i-touch i-pod that is three times bigger than the current one, and that can be switched from a color screen to a “like paper and ink” screen with a back-light, would make me very happy. I’d even be willing to pay a couple of hundred dollar more for it. I have no idea whether that’s possible (I’m still completely amazed that sound can travel through the air on radio waves or whatever it travels on), but it’s what I’d like all the same.
What about the rest of you? Will you read e-books or will you shun them?
I have to buy an e-reader first. I think I’ll jump in soon!
Me too. I’ve been stubbornly waiting for the price to come down, but I took my son to buy his fourth X-box system a couple of weeks ago and I realized his game systems cost more than an e-reader.
He buys them with his own money, but still. If he can afford all that junk, I should be able to justify an e-reader. I mean, it is work related. Kind of. If I don’t get paid for doing a task does it still count as work?
I think it should.
If only I’d had an e-reader when we lived in China. I couldn’t take enough books with me, and it was impossible to find English novels where we lived. I think for travellers they are an absolute boon.
I have read a couple of first chapters online and gone on to buy the books – I think that’s a great idea. And I have read and reviewed a couple of POD books that were excellent. But when something is not traditionally published, like you I tend to be even more skeptical.
I’m not rushing to buy an e-reader, because I’m not convinced I need one. I do so much reading on the computer screen that frankly I welcome a book as a break for my eyes. Plus, I love the feel and smell and heft of a good book. Mmmm!
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