Wednesday, March 9, 2011

It's ebook week - 7 - 11 MAR 2011!


Over the past couple of years ebooks and ebook readers have exploded making them well, practically mainstream. I, myself, have a Kindle and love it.

So, today I thought I'd explore the Pros of having an ebook reader. If you can think of a "pro" that I haven't mentioned, please chime in.

An ebook reader is generally the size of the book. It's slim, and easily to carry around. When I'm waiting in line at a doctor's office, or Jiffy Lube, I can just whip it out and read.

Ebooks are generally cheaper than print books.

An ebook reader saves shelf space. Mind you, for my absolute favorite stories, I will have a print copy for the shelf (but to be a favorite you've got to be "high" up there, like JK Rowling, for example). Honestly, it's kind of nice to unclutter my shelves.

They are good for the environment. If most of you are a little more aware of the Earth and recycle, ebooks help to save trees in the broad sense.

It's easy to buy a book. With a Kindle, I just activate my 3G and browse the library until I find a book I want. I can have a book at the touch of my fingertips. If I buy from a publisher online, I get a format that will convert easily through my program, Calibre (Mobipocket is another great converter) and upload it. For Kindles, PDF will load, but it's hard to read so I usually buy epub or html for my Kindle if I'm buying from a publisher.

Most ebook readers allow you adjust font, add notes, and highlights. Some ebook readers will play audio books, like my Kindle. My Kindle even has text to speech so I can listen to the book in the car on my way to work. This is one feature of my ebook reader I enjoy very much.

The e-ink technology is easy on the eyes. It's black lettering on a grey background for the most part. Some ereaders come with a backlight or a light to help read in low light.

Mind you, I like a good print book from time to time. There's nothing like holding a print book in your hand, turning the pages, enjoying the fresh clean scent and cozying up in a corner. But again, I usually reserve print copies for books I find very interesting and are my favorites.

Right now I'm reading "Beloved Captive" by Melanie Atkins on my Kindle. What are you reading?

QUICKIE EBOOK FACTS:

E-BOOKS TURN 40! That's right - it's been forty years since Michael S. Hart created the first "e-book".

One of the first genres to become successful in the e-book field was that of the romance story.

A company called E Ink recently introduced a new display technology, e-ink, which mimics the look of paper better than any other display technology.

Read an E-Book Week was first registered with Chase's Calendar of Events in 2004. Chase's is a day by day directory of special days, weeks and months used by event planners or anyone looking for a reason to celebrate.

Many ebook friendly sites have a lot of deals this week to promote read an ebook. Visit http://www.ebookweek.com

2 comments:

  1. Good article, Stephanie. I have a SONY Reader, and it has a backlight. I like that. I like the feel of holding paper, though. But, I don't have room in my house to store books, even before I relay them to other people or bookstores. So, an eReader it is. I bought a SONY because it publishes Smashwords eBooks, and I am published on Smashwords. I wanted to be loyal. I'm looking forward to upcoming publication of A Spring/Easter Collection Anthology: Sweet, in which we both have stories to entertain and honor this holiday season. I'd like to take a chance on winning Romance Under the Moonlight. Best of luck with that! Come join me at kindlecloudnine.blogspot.com

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  2. Hey Steph, I didn't forget 'bout cha. sojournblues.blogspot.com. josh p.s. you got another follower 8)

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