Watching: Time Team
Listening to: Nursery Rhymes…over and over again
Making me smile: My little boy enjoying his bath
I’m not shy about the fact that I’m an eBook convert – I have a huge love affair going on with my Kindle and the stories I write are only available as eBooks. So I keep a close eye on what’s happening in the world of eBooks and thought I’d share a few facts:
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eBook sales growth is in the triple digits~ eReader sales continue to grow and the devices continue to evolve: Kindles are slimmer and smaller with 3G WiFi, the Nook comes in colour, the iPad offers a multi-purpose device
~ Many publishers are starting to offer digital lines: Harlequin has Carina Press and Avon has announced Avon Impulse
Image: Barnes and Noble, Inc
~ Some self-published eBook authors are finding great success – author Amanda Hocking is a regular in the Kindle Top Ten Bestsellers and off her success has reportedly sold her new YA series to St. Martin's for $2 million.Image: Barnes and Noble, Inc
~ Several established print authors (such as J.A. Konrath and Barry Eisler) have left print for eBook
~ Many publishers and authors are ensuring their backlist books are being digitised (Harlequin is working hard to digitise its backlist of category books so your favourites are always available!)
Do I think paper books are dead? No. Not yet anyway and not for a very long time. There are still plenty of things to be sorted out in the eBook world: geographic restrictions, standard file types, advances and royalties…but I certainly believe digital is the way of the future.
So what are your thoughts on eBooks? Do you own an eReader? Do you read eBooks? If yes, what do you love about eBooks? If no, what's stopping you?
It's such an interesting time, isn't it? Ten years ago ebooks were classed by many as second rate. Now they are streaking ahead of the game! I don't have a Kindle. Doubtless I will get one soon or I'll be left behind.
ReplyDeleteAnd I hear A mandaH signed another big contract last week!
Hiya Anna,
ReplyDeleteI'm a believer! I love reading eBooks on my iDevices. Mainly because I love to be able to see a book I like and start reading it immediately. I'm not a waiter. :)
I also love whole they're always new and neat. No dog-ears!
Ahhh, bath time. Lovely. Takes me back.
E x
Hi Robyn --
ReplyDeleteDefintely interesting times. eBooks (esp. self-pubbed ones) were dirty words a few years back but things are changing fast.
I can't express how much I love my Kindle. You *have* to get one (-:
Hi Em --
ReplyDeleteI know you're a believer!! I'm not a waiter either and that is certainly the best thing about eBooks for me -- download instantly and read straight away. No dog ears is great too (-:
My little man loves his bath, has done from his very first. He's very cute floating around in there (-:
Anna, I'm really looking forward to getting an eReader. I love e-ink technology because I find a backlit screen hard on the eyes at times. Maybe when my next birthday to rolls around... :-)
ReplyDeleteHey, Anna! I see you're watching Time Team - Isn't it a great program! They make archeology so *accessible* and they do lots of interesting *little* digs with those tight time frames. I suspect the purists in the field might sometimes shudder but the program definitely brings the magic of history to a wide audience.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, ebook readers... I'm not quite a believer yet... but I think I might be in the not too distant future. I think it would definitely make reading ebooks much more pleasurable than sitting at my computer which is what I do now. The idea of being able to have multiple books on one lightweight gadget is so very tempting... but on level my inner technophobe is resisting!
:)
Sharon
I own a reader but I have to confess to still reading a lot of books in actual paper form! I LOVE holding a book and just seeing them all lined up on my numerous shelves. However as a newly signed Carina Press author, I'm hoping ebooks are definitely the WAY OF THE FUTURE!
ReplyDeleteHi Anna,
ReplyDeleteI really really REALLY want an ereader, seems every time I look into buying one some more important expense crops up!! MInd you, they are very affordable these days =)
Hi Michelle --
ReplyDeleteeink is defintely the way to go. I love that I'm not limited to reading in the shade with my Kindle. And at night, I need to turn the lamp on, just like reading a paper book. Hope you get an eReader for your b'day!
Hey Sharon --
ReplyDeleteI'm addicted to Time Team! I've always loved history and I love that they can just unearth all this history under a field or someones backyard.
I swear, once you get an ereader you'll never look back. Being able to carry hundreds of books on one tiny device is a huge benefit. You always have all your fav books close at hand. And hubby is *much* happier with the weight of my bags when we go on holidays (-:
Hi Rachael --
ReplyDeleteI will admit that I do love seeing books on shelves but for me, all the benefits of my Kindle mean I haven't bought a paper book since.
HUGE congrats on your sale to Carina!! So exciting.
Hi Mel --
ReplyDeleteeReaders just keep getting cheaper and cheaper. Here's hoping you can get one soon!
Anna
ReplyDeleteYes I own an e book reader a Stash and I enjoy reading books on them but I also love my paper books.
I can get an ebook within minutes instead of waiting a week or more for the post but there are still a lot that I can't get because I live in Australia, I am sure that before long this should be sorted I hope anyway.
I will never stop buying paper books as well though
Have Fun
Helen
Digging my heels in at the moment, Anna -- but I'm sure I'll end up with an e-reader eventually! I like the tactile relationship you have with books -- and I like being able to read in the bath, not something you'd want to do with an e-reader! (Yes, my books do end up damp around the edges and I have even dropped the odd one in the bath.)
ReplyDeleteAnna, we've discussed my sad lack of an ereader before, and it comes down to two things: 1) expense of buying one / being unsure of what's best, and 2) my chronic eyestrain, which sometimes means I have to stay off a computer for days at a time, so any extra time on a screen of any kind is something I'm wary of. But I do think once I get one I'll probably be a complete convert. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Helen --
ReplyDeleteSounds like you have a good blend of e and paper books!
Hey Emily --
ReplyDeleteI read my Kindle in the bath all the time! Yes, I need to be careful but so far I haven't had any incidents (-: You can get cool gel covers that help waterproof them...or there is always the old sandwich bag trick.
Hi Rachel --
ReplyDeleteLike I said to Mel, eReaders are getting cheaper and because ebooks are cheaper than paper books, they do pay themselves off within 10 or so books.
Chronic eyestrain sounds awful! You poor thing. You defintely need an eReader with eink technology (like the Kindle) -- they aren't backlit and look just like the page in a book.
Thanks for the advice, Anna. I'll probably pester you with emails about that eink technology when I'm ready to buy. :)
ReplyDelete