March 11, 2009
Did you know it’s Read an E-Book week?
No? You must not hang out in the same places I do. Let me tell you a thing or thirteen about e-books.
Getting started: hardware
1. You don’t need a Kindle or a Sony eReader to read e-books. You can read them on your iPhone, your iTouch, or your good old computer screen. I’ve also heard that some people use their Crackberries or PDAs for them. Find your mojo.
2. I yearn for the Sony reader, myself, but am torn as to the 505 or the 700. My local Target has the 505 in stock. Yes, I just checked. No, I’ve never visited it in the store.
About e-Books
3. I’ve got a good twenty e-books stored up on my hard drive, waiting to be read. Among them are releases by my good friend Lex Valentine.
4. e-Books are books like any other. The only difference is that they’re a big computer file. But they have pages and covers and dedications, just like any other book. Some even have illustrations. (No, I’ve not seen an illustrated erotica e-book yet, but I’m sure that’s because I’m not looking in the right places.)
5. Some of the hottest authors out there started in the e-book form. You’d be surprised at how many e-authors have Thirteening in their past. And some in their present! Can you name any?
6. So why am I waiting to read all these great e-books I’ve got saved up? Because whenever I read on either of my computers, I feel guilty about not writing! I need a dedicated reader.
7. People who use readers swear by them. Think about it: you can carry multiple books on an airplane without being weighed down. No need to pack your books at the bottom of the suitcase — or to lug all those pages and spines around. If you’re like me and you like to travel light, this is awesome!
8. We download music. Why not download books??? (but like music, e-books are NOT to be shared. Please don’t commit a crime. Buy your own books, and encourage your friends to do the same. They are generally but not always less expensive than print books. Remember, I said NOT ALWAYS.)
9. Just like real books, dropping an e-reader into the bathtub is very, very bad. However, it’s easier to read on a reader that’s in a plastic bag to keep it dry than it is to read a real book in a plastic bag. How will you turn those pages?
10. You never know if you’ll like it until you try it. There are even promotions where you can download free e-books. Keep your eyes open for them. (And share any that you find out about with the Win a Book team!)
11. E-books are predicted to have the largest sales increases in the entire publishing industry. Even if you don’t like them, they are here to stay. At a minimum, you owe it to yourself to find out what the fuss is all about. (see above for info about freebies!)
12. Yes, you can get an e-copy of my own book, The Demo Tapes: Year 1. Use this link.
13. Yes, we’re working on a version of The Demo Tapes for the Kindle. That’s the Tour Manager’s department, so stay tuned. Now that our best man’s complaining about not being able to get my book on his Kindle, it shouldn’t take too much longer. I hope.
There you go! It’s Read an e-book week, so what are you waiting for??? (Me, I’m reading one called Darc Ages. I’ll let you know when my review of it is up.)
(note to Tour Manager: this is NOT a plug for my birthday present. No matter how many people tell you otherwise, it is NOT a plug. Got that? And yes, boys and girls, the Tour Manager knows me well enough to know I am not a fan of reverse psychology. I’ll get a reader when the time is right and not a moment beforehand, thankyouverymuch.)
Janet
March 11, 2009 10:01 pm
re: #5 – you, and the two Colleens are all I know.
It’s your BIRTHDAY!?! What would you like? I have books and solid perfumes and a few extra BPAL scented oils…you name it!
Janet’s last blog post..13 things that should NOT be on my desk at work
Susan
March 11, 2009 10:11 pm
No, no. The birthday’s NEXT month.
Kristen
March 11, 2009 10:12 pm
I just can’t get into reading ebooks, I miss the feel of the paper and turning pages.
Kristen’s last blog post..Thirteen Dinnerware Patterns I Love
jen
March 11, 2009 10:13 pm
Informative list! I have been meaning to download a book into my iphone!!
jen’s last blog post..Thursday 13
Alice Audrey
March 11, 2009 10:57 pm
I’ve just started to get into eBooks in the last year. With my poor eye sight, I’m liking them more and more.
Alice Audrey’s last blog post..T-13: Thirteen Identical Slices of Cheese
JM
March 12, 2009 3:33 am
I have a file full of ebooks that need reading. I’m not against ebooks, but it’s hard for me to read them because I work on the computer more or less all day. Staring at the screen for my evening hours as well doesn’t really appeal.
Time to get a reader, methinks…
Nicholas
March 12, 2009 3:51 am
Sorry, but you’ll never convince me that reading from a screen (which always hurts my eyes after a while) is better than reading an actual book.
I did download an ebook once, because a friend had written it. I printed it out an dread it that way.
Shelley Munro
March 12, 2009 5:44 am
Great idea for a list. I love ebooks and find myself buying more ebooks than print. Less storage space required and I can get books sooner than I can at my favorite bookstore. I read on a PDA. I fell in love with a Sony reader last year during my visit to the US. I should have bought it then. BTW, I have some free reads on my website 🙂
Shelley Munro’s last blog post..February 2009
Hootin' Anni
March 12, 2009 5:54 am
I hope this isn’t the ‘sign of the future’…but I fear it is. I like the chance to go to a bookstore, smell the paper pages, feel the book, have it in my hand as I sit outdoors on the patio, lounging and reading.
My thirteen is now posted…come join me? Happy Thursday.
Carmen
March 12, 2009 8:34 am
It’s also small press month. So I say we should all go buy independent authors and those with ebooks! 🙂
Carmen’s last blog post..Thursday 13 Friendship Poems
Bobkat
March 12, 2009 9:08 am
I have Stanza on my iPod touch and it was so useful to download several books onto it. The only thing I didn’t like is the fact that the screen is so small so I had to page all the time.
I must admit that though I’m not a luddite, I am an old fashioned gal at heart. I like paper books on my shelf 🙂 I think I will probbaly use ebooks (especially as some are only available this way) and buy anything I love in paper to keep.
Brenda
March 12, 2009 9:23 am
Huh, e-book week. Cool. I have to read my e-books on my computer, but someday I hope to get a Kindle. Happy TT!
Brenda’s last blog post..13 Encouraging Quotes… to Keep You Plugging Away at Your Work-in-Process
Adelle Laudan
March 12, 2009 9:46 am
A Reader is definitely on my Wish list. Great post. I have a couple free eBooks on my website as well.
I like reading shorter stories on the computer, but I still love the hard copies.
Happy T13!
Adelle Laudan’s last blog post..
Lex
March 12, 2009 10:00 am
Thanks for the shout out, love! You know I have read books on my T-Mobile Dash, but my eyes are getting old so I bought a netbook, an Acer Aspire One. The 10-inch model is just out and I LOVE the thing. It fits in my larger purse. I can take it anywhere. It does all the stuff a bigger laptop does. It’s just missing the DVD drive and I can buy an external for less than $100 for those occasions when I might need to hook it up. The 8-inch models can go for as little as $250. My 10-inch with 160 GB hard drive, 1 GB RAM, Windows XP, and a 6 cell battery cost me $349 from Amazon, no tax, no shipping. It was a great deal!
Lex’s last blog post..Release Day!
Anne
March 12, 2009 10:34 am
I have to admit, I don’t typically read e-books. I think the last one I read was fake Harry Potter books before the last one came out. I will have to give it a try although I am a big fan of the physical aspects of books.
NicoDesigns
March 12, 2009 11:23 am
Great list! I was excited about Kindle when it first came out but waited it out. I still would like to get a reader. And that is a hint for my hubby.
erika
CanCan (Mom Most Traveled)
March 12, 2009 1:31 pm
I am so nostalgic, I love everything about books…the smell, the feel of the pages. That will be hard to give up!
Wylie
March 13, 2009 9:00 am
I love both print AND ebooks — different times/places for both. But I’m stuck reading them on my computer. How I’d love love love a Kindle…
Tour Manager: she’s using reverse-reverse psychology. Wake up man, and get your ass to Target!! 😀 😀
Wylie’s last blog post..Why have I lost my blogging spark?
aneerietapestry
March 13, 2009 9:27 am
Great Thursday 13. I found it an interesting read, since I’ve recently been considering investigating ebooks (although I’m a bit daunted that all the ones I most want to read, along with the Kindle, aren’t available in the UK yet).
Thomma Lyn
March 13, 2009 8:29 pm
A reader’s on my wish list, too. Here’s one I’m seriously considering. Don’t know if you’ve heard of it yet — the eSlick reader. 🙂
Thomma Lyn’s last blog post..Frog Eggs
Bethanie
March 14, 2009 10:19 am
As you know, I HEART ebooks big time! There are many, many reasons, not least of which is I ALWAYS have something to read as long as I have by smartphone with me, which I always do. For me, the experience of reading is exactly the same – I don’t miss the paper and page turning at all, and in fact, find ebooks much, much better for reading in the middle of the night when insomnia strikes (which it does a lot). No need to turn on a light (or more likely, use my phone as a light source!). No need to change position every time I turn a page (I like to read laying on my side…). I’m actually lusting after the Kindle at the moment, although I won’t be sold on it until I know how well it deals with PDF files…
Anyway, happy 13 and happy ebook week!!
Bethanie’s last blog post..The Grindstone