Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Maryellen Brady on July 5, 2010 at 3:15pm

I'm an 'old school' person when it comes to reading. I love the library and book store. I love holding the book in my hands. Reading on a screen hurts my eyes. BUT, this is how I grew up, and habits are difficult to change. I look at e-readers as a way to coax the younger generation raised in an era of hand held video games to fall in love with the written word.

It doesn't have to be a competition. I don't see why we can't live in a world with 'options'.
That of course is just my opinion!

Permalink Reply by alissa bader on July 7, 2010 at 8:34am

I recently bought an e-reader -- a Barnes and Noble Nook. I love it. Then again I bought it primarily for technical books and periodicals. In this day and age, paper's sort of a waste for those kind of things.

I live five blocks from what is considered one of the better independent booksellers in the country, and their selection sucks. I guess it's part of the nature of being an independent bookseller -- you can't have everything. I wish every city could have a Powell's or a Strand -- this huge space where you could find anything, you don't need to wait. I think Google Books could be onto something here...

Permalink Reply by Susan Bearman on July 5, 2010 at 6:53pm

J.A. Konrath came to our writers group a couple years ago. He is a wealth of information and very generous to other writers. His Website is great and has lots of info and his opinions on e-books. He even did a financial breakdown on his blog one time about where he made money in e-publishing vs. traditional publishing (he does both). His Website has a whole page for writers, and his blog is called a Newbie's Guide to Publishing. All of it is really good stuff.

Permalink Reply by Natalie Miele on July 7, 2010 at 8:46am

I must admit, I'm conflicted on E-Books -- I absolutely love going into a bookstore and picking up a book, paging through it and holding it, but I travel so frequently for my job that having a small lightweight E-Book to carry around is much more appealing than a heavy hardcover! I'm not sure if I can do it, but I might try...? I wonder how it will be to read a book on a screen versus turning the pages, putting a bookmark in to mark my place. I wonder!

Permalink Reply by Stacy-Deanne on July 8, 2010 at 8:01am

I got an ereader for Christmas this past year and I really love it. It's made it easier for me to read more books. I stopped going to bookstores (for books), about four years ago because they never carried books I wanted. I always had to end up ordering from Amazon after making a trip to several stores or calling around for them to say they don't carry what I wanted. One of my favorite genres Is Interracial Romance (which I also write) and bookstores don't carry many of those at all, if any. There are a lot of genres and a lot of authors that aren't even carried in stores and I find more options online. I'd prefer not to read print, but if the author's book isn't available in ebook form and I want to read it, I will but I'll order it from Amazon. Saves me the hassle and the time of someone saying, "We don't carry that but can order it." I can order it myself, LOL.

I shopped at Barnes and Noble and Borders back when bookstores were the "in" places to buy books, but I wasn't lucky enough to find a salesperson who recommended books. Most of the workers didn't know where the books were or what was even sold in the stores. They had to get on the computer and find it for you, so they definitely didn't have the knowledge to recommend books to customers. LOL.

I love the digital age though, just more books offered you won't find if not for ebooks. So many other genres, it's amazing.

Best Wishes!

http://www.stacy-deanne.net

Permalink Reply by Celine Keating on July 13, 2010 at 7:05pm

I share the same unease! Clearly, since so many serious readers of books also enjoy the ease of e-books, bookstores to survive will have to find a way to carry both formats. Another aspect of the bricks and mortar store is the atmosphere. In my neighborhood B&N drove out all the small stores years ago, and we all lamented it. But B&N did something right - with the cafe, the magazines to browse through - and most especially the bathroom! - it created a welcoming atmosphere. It's almost a day care center, some days, but hey, the little ones are learning to love books. The smaller stores have to be nimble to survive, so maybe this will be part of the answer.

Permalink Reply by Dasaya Cates on July 14, 2010 at 11:42am

For me, tradition and the love of books and libraries says that I wish there would always be some type of "in-print" manifestation of works. However, my realistic side says that I think we'll see less books in the coming years. e-books are becoming more popular and with the e-reader technology getting more advanced (read: less expensive), people will start to buy more of them. Also, as a writer, I know that if I produce an e-book today, I make more money on that than I do a traditional printed book. That's an incentive for a writer. You also can have a tremendous amount of control over your stuff and publishing it. It's easy to publish an e-book and it's also easy to get it onto certain readers like the Android and iPhone markets; Audible. Then there are those Amazon and Barnes & Noble people ...

Permalink Reply by Meg Waite Clayton on July 14, 2010 at 5:11pm

I saw an interesting statistic in Publisher's Weekly (I think it was PW) this morning: for the first 4 months of this year, ebook sales were 55% of mass market paperback sales. And ebook sales for May were up 167%, while print book sales were down a few percent. Hmmm....

Permalink Reply by Stacy-Deanne on July 15, 2010 at 10:34pm

What I like the most about ebooks is the varieties of genres and books. The genres allow for readers of cross-genres or rare genres to find books they like too. It's a refreshing thing then having to just read the same type of books. I also like the variety of authors. I'm discovering some amazing authors who may not be in print, but are definitely talented.

And Dasaya, it's mainly true about ebook authors making more than print authors. I'm a print author. My last two books were with one of the big guys and I know how hard it is for a traditionally published author to make money off books. A lot of ebook authors I know sale much better than print authors. One lady paid her mortgage on her ebook sales alone! Can't remember the last time the average print author could say that on just one royalty check. I also know that if an ebook author can get books out fast, they do make more money than a print author because they can make money off their backlist at a rate a print author never could. The best part about epublishing is there is a higher royalty rate AND the authors get paid every month instead of only twice a year. Also, with ebooks becoming more popular, print sales are only gonna get lower. It's just the sign of the times.

My next book comes out with a print house but it's also gonna be on Kindle and I'm gonna make it my first priority to push the Kindle version even more than the paperback because that's where the money is these days, ebooks.

Best Wishes!

http://www.stacy-deanne.net

Permalink Reply by Meg Waite Clayton on July 19, 2010 at 4:52pm

Amazon's Rosy E-Book Newss

Permalink Reply by Susan E. Willis on July 24, 2010 at 1:43am

Hi Guy's, Here is a bit of news from across the water in good old blighty!

News update taken from The Express newspaper, dated 10.4.10.
Sales figures show a remarkable rise in the numbers of readers in the thirty-something bracket who have developed a passion for Mills and Boon novels. The boom is being put down to electronic reading gadgets that allow people to enjoy romantic fiction in secret without the supposed embarrassment of being seen with an old-fashioned bodice ripper. Digital Mills and Boon sales have risen by 57% at Tesco in the five months since the Sony reader went on sale. (Tesco in England is one of our largest chain supermarkets.)

PS. I love the term old-fashioned bodice ripper!!
Susan

Permalink Reply by Kara aka Mother Henna on March 24, 2011 at 4:08pm

Never thought I would embrace it, but had a kindle in my hands for the first time last week and WOW.  I love that no matter what I'm reading, the book weighs the same.  I can take it with me soooooo easily.  I can highlight and make notes.  And I don't have to pack boxes of books when we move!  Then I heard that NOOK has touch screen version now, so I'm investigating that now, too.  It all just opens up so many other additional possibilities for reading, finding interesting new material, publishing.

 

I will say though, that I am -- probably always will be -- a lover of the kinds of books that are handmade, or those short run, handbound, graphic novels, like what Lindy Medley did with that first volume of Castle Waiting -- that "hand made" edition sold out in no time -- and I can't even find copies of it for sale anywhere anymore:

 

http://www.fantagraphics.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=...

 

Just saw, too, that her Volume 2 is out in hardback...again, I think it's one I'd want print. 

But here's to expanding my formats and embracing the eReader, too!

k-

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