Just think what it would be if readers could find more of their favorite authors’ backlists in ebooks, or current titles too. The growth in ebook sales *is* surprising, but then, the easy, seductive lure of click-buy-download-read-instantly is hard to resist, once a reader is familiar with an e-reader device like the Kindle or Kindle apps for other devices.
Computer-savvy readers see the advantages, once they try them, along with the parts that need improving.
So…how soon will ebook sales be greater than pb and hb combined, or are we already there?
According to the article, for February at least we’re already there.
I’ve had a Kindle for 2.5 years now and I can barely read any other way. I’ve got a whole library of paper books, which I haven’t touched for a long time.
The one thing I’m missing on my Kindle is the backlists of all my favorite authors. Once Cyteen, Gehenna, et al. are available I’ll snap them up…
I am more likely to read what is in my Kindle before looking at my paper stack too. I am almost to the point where I am thinking “what, they expect me to read at an odd angle with two hands and lug this thing around?” So spoiled, but when your habits change because of a Kindle they really do change.
I read one handed, use the dictionary feature (to the point my thumb goes for it even when I read a paper book), and don’t miss the wrist strain at all. I guess it is only natural for a scifi fan to embrace tech. Paper books will probably become like the hipster vinyl trend. They’ll still exist, but for collectors and hipsters.
hoo boy – I am just not READY for this! What happens when the technology moves on and leaves the readers high and dry and out of date? Paper and print doesn’t age like that!
A nerd will make something that will convert your files into the next format. Believe in the nerds. They can’t do anything for your DTB in case of fire or flood or theft or downsizing though. Having experienced all four of those I prefer my digital copies and nerd backup system. And having worked in an archive I can tell you that your books of today will not age as nicely as those from 200 years ago. They aren’t made that well anymore. My books from the late ’90s are already showing age.
It’s a very serious problem. At least with CC we encourage everyone to make a DVD of the files and keep it up to date. We also intend to keep up with the formats as they change.
That’s the real trouble with software in general. What happens when MegaCorp changes their policy on this or that? What happens when MegaCorp is bought or fails? What happens when the formats change, and we’re left with old-format files? Backups. *My* copy versus *theirs*, when I’ve bought the ebook. — What happens when my Kindle is too out of date, no longer supported?
I’ll still want my ebooks, that’s what. — And I still love *real* books. That’ll never change.
I know I’ve got to put up with all the hoorah until they get things worked out. These are still the beginning steps.
We’re on the threshold of the future, and one way or another, we have to take that first step and keep going forward.
I download my books to the PC as back-up for Amazon, Webscriptions, etc. That way you have a copy for your current device. The big problem with the Kindle books is that they are tied to a specific device and when you upgrade your Kindle you have to download them again.
That’s the DRM business Tulrose is talking about. If you buy DRM-free books, you AREN’T tied to one proprietary device. All our books are DRM-free, but of course the big corporations don’t trust our readers the way we do, so they naturally want everything as proprietary as possible. You find some publishers wanting to do a proprietary format of their own—this didn’t work. Nobody wants to be stuck with proprietary things that only work for one narrow type. And the successful readers actually will read more than one format: Kindle and Nook. It’s the actual format of the book you buy that restricts you most narrowly: keep to DRM-free as much as possible and your collection will not obsolesce suddenly as a result of some company going belly-up.
E-books are the way to go. They use no paper or other natural resources, they require no bookshelves, and take up no space — the space part is a big consideration for a bibliophile like me.
Actually each eReader requires over 33 pounds of rare earth metals to produce, including columbite, which is mined in the Congo. African slaves mine it, destroy the mountain gorilla environment in the process, then commit genocide fighting over the scant resources that are left! I don’t support that, so I don’t have an eReader. Its just like the Prius where producing the batteries causes more environmental damage than just having a regular car.
For recommended reading, I would check out “The Shallows”, “Book Love”, and “You Are Not a Gadget”. They should be ordered in paperback (made almost entirely from recycled paper, and soy ink) from the closest indie bookstore.
I appreciate your concern over the rare earths issue, which is involved (far more significantly) in cellphones, etc, as well as the e-readers. However, in one of those strange paradoxes of global consideration, it may be the very popularity of these devices combined with publicity about the Congo situation which is forcing change in the market, and doing it because some corporate and associational heads have a conscience and are as outraged as the rest of us. Here is a fairly up to date Wiki bit on Coltan, the commercial name for the product: many major US and Japanese manufacturers of electronics are moving rapidly away from Congo suppliers and going for such other sources as exist: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coltan If the market for Congo goods keeps declining at the current rate, it may force change on the Congo itself. If altruism can’t dent the situation, it may take politically and economically weakening the criminals in charge of this operation and making them vulnerable to political unrest.
One hopes, but I think that these criminals are ususally fairly clever about “resource-laundering” as others launder money. I’m sure that if one could do a full-up audit of production, sales and inventories of diamonds from legitimate sources that one would find a huge gap between the legitimate supply and the number of diamonds that were marketed that can be attributed to blood diamonds whose obstensible source was entirely fraudulent.
Just think what it would be if readers could find more of their favorite authors’ backlists in ebooks, or current titles too. The growth in ebook sales *is* surprising, but then, the easy, seductive lure of click-buy-download-read-instantly is hard to resist, once a reader is familiar with an e-reader device like the Kindle or Kindle apps for other devices.
Computer-savvy readers see the advantages, once they try them, along with the parts that need improving.
So…how soon will ebook sales be greater than pb and hb combined, or are we already there?
According to the article, for February at least we’re already there.
I’ve had a Kindle for 2.5 years now and I can barely read any other way. I’ve got a whole library of paper books, which I haven’t touched for a long time.
The one thing I’m missing on my Kindle is the backlists of all my favorite authors. Once Cyteen, Gehenna, et al. are available I’ll snap them up…
Me too Russ.
I am more likely to read what is in my Kindle before looking at my paper stack too. I am almost to the point where I am thinking “what, they expect me to read at an odd angle with two hands and lug this thing around?” So spoiled, but when your habits change because of a Kindle they really do change.
I read one handed, use the dictionary feature (to the point my thumb goes for it even when I read a paper book), and don’t miss the wrist strain at all. I guess it is only natural for a scifi fan to embrace tech. Paper books will probably become like the hipster vinyl trend. They’ll still exist, but for collectors and hipsters.
hoo boy – I am just not READY for this! What happens when the technology moves on and leaves the readers high and dry and out of date? Paper and print doesn’t age like that!
A nerd will make something that will convert your files into the next format. Believe in the nerds. They can’t do anything for your DTB in case of fire or flood or theft or downsizing though. Having experienced all four of those I prefer my digital copies and nerd backup system. And having worked in an archive I can tell you that your books of today will not age as nicely as those from 200 years ago. They aren’t made that well anymore. My books from the late ’90s are already showing age.
It’s a very serious problem. At least with CC we encourage everyone to make a DVD of the files and keep it up to date. We also intend to keep up with the formats as they change.
That’s the real trouble with software in general. What happens when MegaCorp changes their policy on this or that? What happens when MegaCorp is bought or fails? What happens when the formats change, and we’re left with old-format files? Backups. *My* copy versus *theirs*, when I’ve bought the ebook. — What happens when my Kindle is too out of date, no longer supported?
I’ll still want my ebooks, that’s what. — And I still love *real* books. That’ll never change.
I know I’ve got to put up with all the hoorah until they get things worked out. These are still the beginning steps.
We’re on the threshold of the future, and one way or another, we have to take that first step and keep going forward.
I download my books to the PC as back-up for Amazon, Webscriptions, etc. That way you have a copy for your current device. The big problem with the Kindle books is that they are tied to a specific device and when you upgrade your Kindle you have to download them again.
That’s the DRM business Tulrose is talking about. If you buy DRM-free books, you AREN’T tied to one proprietary device. All our books are DRM-free, but of course the big corporations don’t trust our readers the way we do, so they naturally want everything as proprietary as possible. You find some publishers wanting to do a proprietary format of their own—this didn’t work. Nobody wants to be stuck with proprietary things that only work for one narrow type. And the successful readers actually will read more than one format: Kindle and Nook. It’s the actual format of the book you buy that restricts you most narrowly: keep to DRM-free as much as possible and your collection will not obsolesce suddenly as a result of some company going belly-up.
E-books are the way to go. They use no paper or other natural resources, they require no bookshelves, and take up no space — the space part is a big consideration for a bibliophile like me.
Actually each eReader requires over 33 pounds of rare earth metals to produce, including columbite, which is mined in the Congo. African slaves mine it, destroy the mountain gorilla environment in the process, then commit genocide fighting over the scant resources that are left! I don’t support that, so I don’t have an eReader. Its just like the Prius where producing the batteries causes more environmental damage than just having a regular car.
For recommended reading, I would check out “The Shallows”, “Book Love”, and “You Are Not a Gadget”. They should be ordered in paperback (made almost entirely from recycled paper, and soy ink) from the closest indie bookstore.
I appreciate your concern over the rare earths issue, which is involved (far more significantly) in cellphones, etc, as well as the e-readers. However, in one of those strange paradoxes of global consideration, it may be the very popularity of these devices combined with publicity about the Congo situation which is forcing change in the market, and doing it because some corporate and associational heads have a conscience and are as outraged as the rest of us. Here is a fairly up to date Wiki bit on Coltan, the commercial name for the product: many major US and Japanese manufacturers of electronics are moving rapidly away from Congo suppliers and going for such other sources as exist: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coltan If the market for Congo goods keeps declining at the current rate, it may force change on the Congo itself. If altruism can’t dent the situation, it may take politically and economically weakening the criminals in charge of this operation and making them vulnerable to political unrest.
One hopes, but I think that these criminals are ususally fairly clever about “resource-laundering” as others launder money. I’m sure that if one could do a full-up audit of production, sales and inventories of diamonds from legitimate sources that one would find a huge gap between the legitimate supply and the number of diamonds that were marketed that can be attributed to blood diamonds whose obstensible source was entirely fraudulent.