e-books, hardbacks or paperbacks our thoughts.

[Wybren]

I did cover art for a kindle book, it was very specific as to the size and dimensions of it Perhaps though some people aren't bothering to put cover art on their e-books because they figure it isn't as essential as cover art for print books.

 

[AE35Unit]

I did cover art for a kindle book, it was very specific as to the size and dimensions of it Perhaps though some people aren't bothering to put cover art on their e-books because they figure it isn't as essential as cover art for print books.

You did? How cool!

 

[Wybren]

I did indeed, and at the request of another Chrons member no less

 

[Diggler]

As for cover art I suspect that will be on the back burner until e-ink can do colour.

I find the illustrations displayed in e-ink to be quite fantastic. Though cover art would obviously have to be pencil or ink. I like the cover art on my books, but I can live without it in an e-book.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Here's another funny thing I've just noticed with e-books.

I was trying to buy a novel that is not available in the UK - (US book), and I thought it'd be great to have it on the Kindle.

When I tried to buy it from the US it was blocked. Apparently the publishers have decided that the book is only available to the US market and I'm unable to buy it.

As an ebook.

If I wanted to buy the paperback, it would be sent immediately...

Strange.

From what I understand it has to do with the rights that the publisher has.

For ebooks (and I believe this applies to other digital media, like MP3s, as well) the point of sale is considered to be the location of the buyer, as opposed to sales of physical products where it is the point of origin that matters. Since the publisher in question might not have the explicit rights to sell in UK, you can't buy the ebook from there, unless they get their contract modified to give them those rights (or if another publisher gets them).

So even though it is a digital file off the Internet, which is a global platform, the geographical restrictions come into play. This, along with the stupidity of DRM, is the main problem holding ebooks back. It's even worse for someone like me. Living in Dubai, I essentially can't buy any ebooks, since it is not a significant enough market for any publisher to have specified rights to sell for. The end result is that I always have to go through a VPN and 'pretend' I'm in US whenever I need to buy a book.

 

[Vertigo]

The problem is that sometimes the publisher is different for different geographic areas but they really do need to get this sorted out.

 

[Bugg]

For me, personally, the issue is shelf-space, in that I haven't got a lot of it. I fill them up with books then, inevitably, have to clear some out to make space for the new ones. I make regular trips to the local Cancer Research shop to donate the books I don't want anymore. Inevitably, down the line I decide I want to re-read something (at the moment it's China Mieville's Perdido Street Station) and find I don't have it anymore.

So I was given a Kindle for Christmas and have really been enjoying using it. It's allowed me to buy books I wasn't sure about, or try authors I hadn't read before, without using up that precious shelf-space, and I'm still buying treebooks by the authors I like to collect, or where ebooks aren't available. I'd say, since getting the Kindle, my reading has been about a 50/50 split between ebooks and treebooks.

Edit: The one big negative with Kindle versions, imo, is maps - they're virtually unusable and - liking fantasy as I do - I do want to look at them.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

Yes, a fantasy without maps is a rare thing...

 

[Tansy]

I love my kindle it is my favourite thing ever I'm reading so much more and carry it everywhere, I'm still buying paper books for my shelves but love how I can think of wanting to read something and have it downloaded and in my hands in seconds

It would be good if they upgraded it to let you zoom into the maps though

 

[jonathanpoku]

I love books whether they are paperback, hardback or e-books, to me the format they come in doesn't matter. However, I’m happy that we have e-books today for two main reasons 1) my book collection takes up a hell of a lot of space in my house and e-books eliminate this problem and 2) the e-book has made professional self publishing easy and affordable for talented up and coming writers who are often overlooked by the traditional publishing industry, because they would rather publish books by celebrities like Jordan.

 

[Metryq]

the e-book has made professional self publishing easy and affordable for talented up and coming writers who are often overlooked by the traditional publishing industry

Another possibility occurred to me today that I had not considered before. Authors—big and small—had to publish short stories in magazines, then wait until they had enough of them to make an anthology before releasing a book. Now authors can sell short stories directly; one was recommended to me by Amazon while I was buying a novel from a different author.

Sure, there have been places like Smashwords and other services where small authors try to get discovered, but since when could even big authors publish a short story directly to the readers? iTunes and other services bypassed the music album business model. Short videos and single TV episodes can be purchased one at a time. And now writers can sell shorts, too. It is both a buyer's and seller's market now, which is win-win for everybody...except professional middlemen. Sorry, guys.

 

[rune]

Ive read ebooks, hardback and paperback. I like paperback the best. I find e-books hard on my eyes, and also you just dont get that nice new book smell
The only reason i prefer paperback to hardback is the price

 

[Bugg]

I don't know if this has been mentioned elsewhere hereabouts (I'd be amazed if it hasn't, but a search didn't reveal anything - apologies if it has already been mentioned), but Gollancz are starting to release thousands of SF classics in ebook formats, starting in September, many of which have been out of print. It could be a great way to get hold of some hard to get books, I think.

I can't post the link (too few posts), but there is a full list of included authors on the sfgateway.com website.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

that "second hand book" smell is pretty good, too...

 

[Vertigo]

Edit: The one big negative with Kindle versions, imo, is maps - they're virtually unusable and - liking fantasy as I do - I do want to look at them.

I would agree with this and though the Sony has a zoom function I don't find it much use as you generally need to see all the map at once. Fortunately you can usually find a downloadable copy of most maps on the web, normally from the author's own site. So I just download that, save it alongside the book, print it and keep it folded up in the cover of my ereader whilst I'm reading the book.

By the by, I got this offer from Amazon, the other day:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fantasy-Science-Fiction-Exclusive-Digest/dp/B004ZFZCKY/ref=amb_link_160728327_1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=auto-sparkle&pf_rd_r=15AM2ADM7ESHW8VKCBEE&pf_rd_t=301&pf_rd_p=249431067&pf_rd_i=Fantasy%20%26%20Science%20Fiction%20mag

for free subscription to the Fantasy and Science Fiction magazine. I know absolutely nothing more about it than that as I haven't had time to look. As far as I'm aware it is open to anyone to subscribe for free.

 

[Overread]

I do often feel that the old short story completions/magazines/periodicals that used to be around (and in which the likes of Conan were born) and which are now far more restricted and not in mainstream is a great loss. The ebook might well give them a new chance at life which is great for us readers and also for writers keen to get their name and shorter works out there.

 

[Vertigo]

Well it might be worth signing up for it just to see what it's like, I'll probably give it a try.

 

[FireDragon-16]

Personally, I prefer paperbacks because they're lighter than hardbacks and I think e-books take the fun out of reading because you're basically holding a really small laptop. You also have to consider the battery life whereas with a physical book you can read whenever and you don't need to change the batteries.

The only time I would even consider having an e-book is when I travel, especially the times I've gone overseas because that would have really saved space in my luggage...

 

[Wiglaf]

To me, e-books still seem too expensive. However, if the price came down, they could be a great replacement for paperbacks and perhaps school textbooks. It would also be great if you got a copy with hard back books. There is something about a wall of leather bound volumes that an e-book could never replace though. A giant leather or cloth clad tome with gilt writing on the cover embodies the magic and rarity of knowledge and fine tales; a little plastic screen does not.

 

[Diggler]

that "second hand book" smell is pretty good, too...

Living in the sub-tropics, the second-hand book smell is mould