Read an E-book Week 2007

[Steve Jordan]

Mark your calendars: March 4-10 2007 is Read an E-book Week, and it's a year not to be missed! This year, I'm joining award-winning author Rita Toews in supporting and promoting Read an E-book Week 2007.


The e-book is currently experiencing impressive growth and development. Established and celebrated authors are publishing electronic editions of their bestselling books, while major electronics manufacturers are experimenting with new display technologies and bringing cool e-book readers to market. Traditional publishing houses are taking notice, as more and more readers are taking e-books with them, to read on breaks, on their commutes, and on vacations.


I myself have been surprised, as I've researched the field. I turned up over 500 e-book publishers and sellers, in a cursory search, and have contacted almost 300 of them directly. Not bad, for a medium some say will never make it beside paper, or have never even heard of it!



The e-book is already following the path that the paperback book blazed a century ago, from lowly and illegitimate roots, to a place of respect beside hardback books. And during Read an E-book Week, we’re going to help it along by encouraging e-book readers, authors and publishers to pitch in. Please visit Read an E-book Week, March 4-10 2007 to find out more about Read an E-book Week, including background on the e-book revolution, planned activities in 2007, and tips from Rita and Steve on things you can do to support e-books!

(Rita Toews created Read an E-book Week in 2002. She has written and co-authored award-winning children’s books, crime novels and historical dramas, available through www.Domokos.com.)

 

[nixie]

Sorry to be a killjoy, but I won't be taking part.E-books don't appeal, I've tried but I can't get any enjoyment from them.

 

[Steve Jordan]

WHAT!?!
...uh, I mean...

Seriously... your response is certainly not unheard of, lots of people haven't gotten into e-books yet. That's one of the main reasons why Read an E-book Week is designed to raise awareness of e-books, and get people thinking about them.

A lot about e-books has changed favorably over the last few years, but some people are more adverse to the things that make e-books what they are. If I may ask, Nixie, what is it about e-books that turns you off?

 

[nixie]

I don't like reading straight from the screen,even when I print them it of its not the same. Nothing beats the feel and smell of a real book, its part of the enjoyment.

 

[Aleksei]

I have read lots of e-books, though I definitely prefer the real deal.

 

[Steve Jordan]

I hear from a lot of people who have that nostalgic tie to paper. It's true, the act of balancing a book in your hand, physically holding the pages apart, and manually flipping them over, one by one, is an experience unlike any other. And there's nothing like the sheer volume of a well-stocked library.

However, I can think of one thing that always beats the "feel and smell" of a real book: The quality of the literature. Childhood's End, Catch-22 or Beggars in Spain are no less enjoyable on a computer or e-book reader, any more than a paperback version of either is any less enjoyable than a hardback version.

E-books are just another format... and while it's one that does not offer the tactile qualities of paper, it does provide other advantages that paper cannot match. Essentially, they are simply a new way to read great literature, and eventually, they will stand side-by-side with hardbacks and paperbacks.

And e-books are improving in quality. E-book readers are a long way from "reading straight from the (computer) screen"... if you haven't seen one, you should take a look some time. You might find that you can still enjoy a good story, whether it's on paper or not.

Of course, if you can't give up paper, that's up to you. Hopefully it won't prevent you from someday enjoying content that's only available in electronic formats.

 

[philoSCIFI]

I wouldn't mind giving e-books a shot. Any recommendations on particular e-books or helpful/related sites?

 

[Chrystelia]

I'm very glad to hear about this. I'm with Ebooks all the way. Literature should not be restricted to just one or 2 formats.

I myself buy a lot of Ebooks from fictionwise.com. I have a very good reason for preferring Ebooks.

 

[Patrick Mahon]

I'll put a foot in both camps - I like reading books made of paper, and the physical and psychological issues (feel, smell, memories etc.) should never be underestimated. But I can see that sometimes an e-book might be a more convenient alternative, in exactly the same way that I sometimes get stuff on audiobook to listen to in the car.

So I welcome the awareness-raising week, as a means of promoting e-books as another possible format - not as a replacement to the book, but another way of reading one.

 

[Nikitta]

I plan to get more into e-books once I have a good portable device to read them on, as sitting in front of a computer is not a position I find a good position for reading a book.

I think I've found a good device in the GP2X, which I plan to order when I get my new credit card, but until then - it's not going to happen.

 

[Lucien21]

I keep waiting for a good e-ink device like the Sony Reader to be available in the UK.

It's just like reading from paper and has none of the eyestrain of LCD screens.

I might pick one up in Florida.

It's weird that people will spend hours surfing the web or reading forums posts, but e-books are somehow not allowed.

Save the planet read an E-book it ecologically better than paper.

 

[Steve Jordan]

I wouldn't mind giving e-books a shot. Any recommendations on particular e-books or helpful/related sites?

These days, many of the major online booksellers like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc, also sell e-books. Fictionwise, as Chrystelia mentioned, is a good place for e-books. There's also Baen Books (for sci-fi), Project Gutenberg (for classics), ElectricStory, eReader... most of those will get you into the "mainstream" e-books.

There are others like me and Rita, who sell our own novels as e-books. I invite you to take a look at her site, Domokos.com, and mine, SteveJordanBooks.com, to see what we have to offer, and as I mentioned at the top of this thread, there are hundreds more sellers and publishers beyond ours!

There are also new e-book readers out that beat the experience of reading on a computer screen: The iRex Iliad has been out for a few years; and Sony's new e-book reader uses the new e-ink technology that looks more like print on paper than you might imagine (Borders books sell the Sony readers, if there's one near you, maybe you can take a look at one there).

Handheld PCs can read e-books. Most handhelds come with a setting called "cleartype," which softens the text on your screen and makes it easier to read. FYI, you can also get and use Cleartype on most Windows PCs, and it will make screen reading easier on a CRT or LCD monitor.

So there are some good tips to get you started. Enjoy!

 

[Chrystelia]

and soon you can also read Ebooks on mobiles I think, or maybe in some places that's already possible.

 

[Nikitta]

and soon you can also read Ebooks on mobiles I think, or maybe in some places that's already possible.

It is already possible with some phones, since they're becoming increasingly like PDAs. However, reading an entire book on such a small screen can't be pleasant.

 

[Chrystelia]

That's true... but I guess people can get use to anything if they want. If they feel comfortable enough to watch movies and sport coverage via the cell, I'm sure reading Ebook is not a problem.

 

[Karsa Orlong]

No, thanks.

 

[Steve Jordan]

That's true... but I guess people can get use to anything if they want. If they feel comfortable enough to watch movies and sport coverage via the cell, I'm sure reading Ebook is not a problem.

That's true. People who give it a try, and have an open mind, discover that once they are into the book, the medium doesn't matter! This especially applies to kids, who don't have years of preconceptions and habits built up around paper books, and are already acclimated to electronic media.

 

[Frozeninja]

I've read e-books before, but i don't get the same enjoyment out of them as normal books. I think for me the problem is that I'm stuck in front of the computer where as my normal reading position tends to be lying down or curled up somewhere. More comfortable that way.

 

[BookStop]

Ebooks are alright, but after a while don't you suffer from eye strain? I haven't read novels on a screen in a while, as I prefer the comfort of a paper book, but I did give it a try a while back on a PDA. after a couple hours though, ouch, eyes started to go. Haven't tried any of the newer ereaders, could be they are easier on the eyes.

 

[Steve Jordan]

If you have only tried reading on a PC screen, you should try it with a handheld computer (or PPC) or an e-book reader, like Sony's reader for instance. I use a PPC, and do not experience eyestrain at all, largely thanks to the Cleartype setting. And the Sony reader is almost like reading on actual paper... you really should see it! Either of those can be read anywhere, daylight or night, indoors or out. The Sony Reader apparently just got the Travel + Leisure 2007 award for Best Travel Gadget.