Book Publishing and ebook Readers
Mark Chillingworth states in his post, Wiley: publishers must push e-books, states that Wiley and others are urging book publishers to push ebook readers. The emphasis in the post is on textbook publishing, and, if I’m understanding correctly, the idea is that publishers could improve their bottom line if they were able to deliver more (text)books digitally; to do that, they’ve got to get readers to adopt ebook readers.
Well, maybe. I mean, that does make sense, but the ebook readers currently available still leave a great deal to be desired.
The iLiad is newish, looks good, uses something that’s supposed to be paper-like. But it weighs four pounds and costs around $700. The Sony PRS costs less, around $300, but is getting hard to find – which leads me to suspect they aren’t great. Some PDAs allow you to read ebooks, but their screens are tiny.
Simply put, we have yet to see a really good ebook reader at a reasonable price. You know, one that fits in your pocket or purse, weighs around a pound or two, doesn’t require delicate handling and is truly easy to use in bed, bath or at the beach. I suspect we won’t see ebooks really take off until there’s an ebook reader that fits this description and costs $99.
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7 opinions for Book Publishing and ebook Readers
Lori
Oct 25, 2007 at 1:36 pm
Anne, I think if you’re looking for alternatives to print publishing, why not just release an audiobook? I would listen to a book more than I’d tote around an e-book reader.
Thoughts?
Anne Wayman
Oct 25, 2007 at 2:24 pm
Lori… my son is with you… he loves audio books… however, I still love reading… and I often lug around books and magazines… different strokes.
Mary Emma Allen
Oct 25, 2007 at 4:44 pm
I find it difficult to make the transition to e-books and have yet to use a reader that isn’t my computer. I like to curl up with a good book. However, when I’ve taught writing and reading workshops for youngsters, I find they don’t have the adversion to the modern technology. They’ll probably become as accustomed to e-book readers as they do to their ipods.
allena tapia
Oct 26, 2007 at 8:56 am
I went to an Engadget link on this, and the comments really show that different people need differnt things. For example, why does the Iliad have all that STUFF in it that a straight out reader would enver use? And the MP3player..etc etc. It’s weird, all this tech stuff…. I dunno. I like my phone and PDA all on one-0 So I have a blackberry. Then I have my computer. Then I have an MP3. Then a book reader… Ugh. I’d like to combine as much as possible, but would never give up my laptop….
Anne Wayman
Oct 26, 2007 at 9:18 am
MaryEllen… the ipod is a truly good piece of technology… I haven’t seen a truly good ebook reader.
Allena… I’m so behind the curve… some of the mini-laptops look good to me… when their price comes down.
Michele
Oct 26, 2007 at 11:13 am
I love to read. I look everywhere for books or ebooks. I love ebooks just as much as I love books.
With that said, here are the pros and cons I see:
As for portability, ebooks aren’t very portable, printed books are.
As easy as it is for someone to share a book, it’s much easier to share an ebook. Just email multiple copies to your friends. They get the book free of charge. Happens with songs, movies, tv shows and ebooks all the time. I agree it’s piracy however you look at it, but you could set yourself up to be ripped off or otherwise taken advantage of if you produce only ebooks.
Personally I think the best option would be to go with 3 types of publishing: print, ebook, audio book.
Then I’m only published as a freelance article writer, my works of fiction are still being worked on :)
Hope this helped!
Could You Write A Novel On Your Cell Phone?
Oct 29, 2007 at 10:59 am
[…] week I muttered about the lack of good ebook readers. Mary Emma Allen, who blogs at HomeBizNotes commented she thought younger folks would move into […]
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