Okay, so, admittedly, I used to think that electronic books were lame. That they were the only way authors that couldn't get a "real" publisher got their books out. And they didn't look good. And they didn't cost what real books should cost. And they were... well... lame.
Enter: The Internet. It has changed the world of publishing (and music and films and medicine and...you name it.)
This summer I was doing some research on book publishing and couldn't believe how much, and how rapidly, things are changing and evolving. I was stunned to read that Barnes & Noble is pretty much up for sale. Small independent bookstores have been closing for years - due to, not only the big Mega-stores like Barnes & Noble but, discount stores like WalMart and Costco. We consumers love to go into Barnes & Noble to get coffee and hang out and browse all the pretty books - but how many of us actually buy enough books there to cover costs? We see what we want to go home and order for less money on Amazon. So, it may be even buh-bye to B&N. Sad. But, I guess, unavoidable.
Enter: Digital Publishing. Exit stage left: Traditional publishing.
Great article #1
Great article #2
Spotlight: Center stage on the Kindle. I just got one and I have to say I AM IN LOVE. Totally and completely. It is compact and can hold more books than my giant oak bookshelves. I can curl up on my bed, read a book, then order the next one (for less money than it's printed version) and start reading without once upsetting my perfectly tucked in, ridiculously cozy, blankets. If only it could rub my perfectly tucked in feet and feed me chocolate - it would be the ultimate night-in companion. Well, actually...
Never mind.
Times, they are a changing. I think that we will always have printed books but they will be limited editions of books that do really well electronically or that we buy directly from authors when they speak and teach somewhere out in the real world. Other than that it looks like publishing is all pretty much going digital.
Go getcherselves a Kindle, Internetland. You'll be oh-so glad you did.
E-books. Not lame after all. Who knew?
12 comments:
I just have the Sony EReader and love it to death. Even better, I can download from the public library. for free
I read your Mother's Goodbye, I Love You on my kindle. Not only was it a fantastic way to read a book, but it gave my privacy as well. No one could see the title and inquire as to why I was reading it. I'm still in the closet and am slowly working my way out.
There's something about turning pages and actually feeling the paper that makes a book a book. Plus, the printed word is easier on your eyes. Kindle can go to hell...
ohhh, i am on the fence WRT the kindle. on the one hand, i want one so i don't have to get up and turn off the lamp when i start to fall asleep. on the other hand, i love LOVE the smell and the feel of a book in my hand.
Sad about the independently owned bookstores...wal mart can go to hell.
Jeez Em-I would have totally agreed with Brian up to the moment I read your post. And, it is because I completely love and trust your judgement (hahahahahaha-uh-jk-but, really) that I now may have to join the kindle movement. So-did you go kindle over nook because of the eminent demise of Barnes and Noble? I have heard that the nook is superior...
Anyway, lunch the next time I am in SLC? You know I adore you.
May I just echo Dazee's comment. We have the Nook (B&N) and can get our books free from the public library (at home, via NetLibrary).
Kindles are proprietary in nature like IPods so you are limited to buying your material from Amazon--nothing new is free through Amazon.
I recently fell in love with the Kindle. It's the only thing I want for Christmas. :)
Brian, when was the last time you bought or read a book? Yeah, I thought so. Kindle does not use LED or back lights.It is actually e-ink and the exact same as a book on your eyes--unless you need a bigger font, then it's easier because you can change font size.
So if you bought a crappy real book that you hated, do you continue reading it because of the "feel of turning the pages"? Sure you did. Those pages are MUCH more valuable than the words printed on them....People who are hostile to e-readers are usually a) non-readers b) technophobes or c) both.
Ironic how you use digital words to tell digital words to go to hell....
@Tracy--you need a light to read Kindle. It's exactly like a book. No light or back light. You can get a little clip light for it OR a book, though.
@Sally--You can get many free books through Amazon--and they have so much more of a selection--it blows B&N away. BUT--you can get a lot of things free--even on your phone!
I'm amazed at how little people know and how eager they are to spout off their opinions about Kindles. Astounded...sorry to hijack, Em. Back to the grind.
JulieAnn: Are you an author? Well, I am, and my books are books, not e-books (not yet anyway). Yes, I read a lot, and I also dislike change (I'm over 40, get over it)...and I love lugging around cases of my books to sell...nuff said. Why don't you buy one of my books?...then we could be friends...LOL.
www.mountainkingsnake.com
Brian, you're funny :) I would argue that carrying around 100 copies of a field manual on Herpetology that was self-pubbed doesn't make you a real author. Many people in the industry frown upon vanity publishing. But I won't say that because you probably put your heart and soul into your books and worked very hard on them; therefore, you are a real author in my eyes.
Saying that e-books are not "real books" is akin to that. The book that comes from an author is real, filled with words, ideas, plots and characters. Would you tell JA Conrath that his books aren't real? (I believe he's sold over 100k copies already--and not from his trunk).
Now, as for your age--I'm going to bet we're close. I'm 42 this month. I have yet to get over it--the point is, you assume too much.
Finally, Brian, I am the author of 6 novels, three published by publishing houses. The other three are in various stages of editing. I have been published since 2006.
I enjoy not hocking books out of my trunk. I enjoy using the medium of the electronic and digital world at my fingertips. And I would totally buy your book if I wasn't completely turned off by snakes! Yuck!
Cheers,
JulieAnn
Well, Julie...a novel is different than a non-fiction book. A herpetological book has a limited audience. A limited market. Which might be even more limited on Kindle. I don't know...but there's just something fun about walking into 20 stores a day and creating new outlets for my Rattlesnake Guide, not to mention all the traveling I get to do, new places to visit, new scenery, etc. I live for that. And, once I walk in a store and sell them my books I don't have to do it again. Re-orders are by mail.I may never be a rich author, but I have fun with it. Plus, I have a real job too. So, I kinda like selling on the Internet, at shows, and to stores. And one of my books might cure that snake phobia of yours, you have no idea what you're missing...
Brian (author since 2004, nyah, nyah) LOL
Oh yeah, and I don't have a trunk...I have an SUV. I also have 3 more books in the works, one of them was supposed to come out this month, but my publishers building burned down this week in Chatsworth, CA. OY!
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