“What’s with the e-book? I don’t read my books on the computer!” I’ve been hearing this a lot lately when I try to tell people my newest book will be coming out in digital format only (for the time being at least).
Before I try to talk you into it, let me tell you that I completely sympathize. Before May of this year, I had never read an e-book. I say this somewhat shamefacedly because, really, how could I presume to be an e-book author having never read an e-book? I preferred my books in paper, the feel, the smell, everything about them.
I’ll tell you, though, since I remedied that with my own Sony Touch eReader (just like the pretty red one to the left), I’ve become a convert!
First, let me tell you all the things e-books aren’t:
1) They aren’t (if they are put out by reputable publishers) hastily written, poorly edited, crap. I wrote THE KISS TEST prior to writing VENUS ENVY and VENUS GUY TRAP, and it took just as much time, love, and attention that my two print-published books took to produce.
Once Carina Press purchased the book for publication, it was edited with the same loving care as my other books by Gina Bernal, a former editor with a major print publisher. Never once did I feel my book didn’t get as much (if not more) care and attention that my print books got.
Many print publishers simultaneously publish their printed books in digital format…same book, alternative way to read it. The publisher for THE KISS TEST is Carina Press, an imprint of Harlequin, the largest romance publisher in the industry. Every book they publish, print or digital, potentially affects their reputation. They don’t accept every book submitted to them for publication.
2) They don’t have to be hard on the eyes. This was my main concern when contemplating reading digital books. I work at a computer for the day job, then I write at a computer. My eyes are often protesting mightily by the end of the day. I thought the last thing I would want to do is read books on a computer.
But when I tried out the Sony eReader, which utilizes eInk for its display (as does Amazon’s Kindle reader), which is very much like a printed page…no backlighting. Plus, you can zoom in and set the font size for whatever is most comfortable for your eyes. I’ve found I nearly always enlarge the font, and I have read for hours and hours with no discomfort at all.
3) They aren’t only able to be read on a dedicated e-reader like the Kindle or Kobo or Nook. There are other ways to read e-books without buying an e-reader. Though e-reader prices are coming down quickly and noticeably (the Sony eReader I bought is available now for somewhere around $80-100 less than the price it was when I bought it!), they still might seem a little pricey. Rest assured, there’s no reason to buy an e-reader just to read e-books.
Susanna Fraser, my RWA chaptermate and fellow Carina Press author, has a great explanation on her blog about how to read an e-book without buying an e-reader.
Hopefully, I’ve allayed some of your fears. If not, what are some of your worries about e-books? I’ll try to address them in another blog entry. I’ll also come back another day and and tell you some of the advantages of e-books over print. Because, while I won’t ever completely give up printed books, I am now definitely a fan of digital format!
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Shannon, I completely agree with you! I am somewhat resistant to all the latest “tech crazes” as I think some of them are to our detriment but I must admit that the e-reader is not one of those detrimental devices.
Admittedly it is probably not for the “casual reader” such as my husband who reads about 2-3 books annually but for those of us who are die-hard genre readers or just avid readers altogether who purchase more than ten books annually or actually have a lot on the Keeper shelf, they’re handy.
I myself have a Nook and I adore it ever so (I even named it Etta!) and I read more now than I ever have, which is saying a lot. I can devour books faster and more comfortably with Etta than I could with hardcover books. And nothing beats being able to put my entire library in my purse!
Congrats on diversifying and best wishes on the release! Etta and I can’t wait!
Can I just say that I LOVE that you named your e-reader, Manon?! That’s so great! I didn’t name mine, but I did buy it a beautiful cover that makes me smile whenever I see it.
I agree about dedicated e-readers not being for the casual reader. I may steal that point when I write the post about all the advantages of digital books. Hope you don’t mind!
I’m a first time reader of your site. Great post. You make some important points about e-books and e-readers. I think many readers are accustomed to the tactile feel of a paper book in their hands, but once they start reading e-books they will realize how portable and more accessible they are. Here’s a short blog I did about the Book library vs. the E-book library: http://allaboutereading.com/?p=76
Bakari, I’ll definitely hop over to your site to take a look. There is a definitive “breaking-in” period of realizing you’re still reading the words you want to be reading, even though you don’t have the same sensation you get from holding a real book. I LOVE the portability, though. I’ll talk about that for sure in my post on the advantages. I love that if I’m near the end of one book, I can still take it with me and know that when I’m done with it, I have another in my e-reader to start reading again right away, instead of having to carry more than one book with me.
I would love to buy e-books, if only for their searchability and to make space on my shelves, but nothing I want to buy is available in anything but hardback and paperback.
That can be a challenge, Rick, can’t it? I have found that to be the case as well at times. So, in those cases, I just buy the print book.
I think, as time goes on, we’ll find this to be less and less of a problem. Publishers are really coming to realize that digital books are getting a bigger and bigger share of the market as time goes on, so they’ll be hopping on the train very soon, I think, and making sure more of their titles are available in e-book format.