I love reading, but in term time it is a real struggle to find the time. To counter this I read in the bath quite a bit. I have never dropped a book, but they can get rather soggy if you are not careful to dry your hands. My choice of reading venue is one of the reasons I had never countenanced investing in a Kindle or similar e-reader. I also liked to think of myself as a good old fashioned paper reader.
When I bought an iphone earlier this year I bought a few ibooks and used the kindle app. Although the screen is small and backlit, I found I didn't really mind forgoing paper as a reading medium. Then I saw my friend's Kindle... it is lightweight and even has a cover so it looks like a book. I think the main attraction is that if you want a book you can get it almost instantly - no more going out to the book shop or waiting for a delivery to arrive. I preordered the new Dresden file (Jim Butcher) and before I knew it, it appeared on my phone.
So, tomorrow I expect my delivery of a brand new Kindle and I shall join the legions of people I had never expected to be one of. Some think e-readers may kill books, I think they will expand book sales - especially from online authors such as Sean Sweeney who don't rely on 'the system' to get published. Now independent authors can offer their works at the click of a button alongside those who pay commission to the big boys at the major publishing houses. However, what will need to evolve is the book shop - they will definitely need to rethink how they do business and how they sell books. Book shops will have to consider how to get the e-reading population through their doors.
When I bought an iphone earlier this year I bought a few ibooks and used the kindle app. Although the screen is small and backlit, I found I didn't really mind forgoing paper as a reading medium. Then I saw my friend's Kindle... it is lightweight and even has a cover so it looks like a book. I think the main attraction is that if you want a book you can get it almost instantly - no more going out to the book shop or waiting for a delivery to arrive. I preordered the new Dresden file (Jim Butcher) and before I knew it, it appeared on my phone.
So, tomorrow I expect my delivery of a brand new Kindle and I shall join the legions of people I had never expected to be one of. Some think e-readers may kill books, I think they will expand book sales - especially from online authors such as Sean Sweeney who don't rely on 'the system' to get published. Now independent authors can offer their works at the click of a button alongside those who pay commission to the big boys at the major publishing houses. However, what will need to evolve is the book shop - they will definitely need to rethink how they do business and how they sell books. Book shops will have to consider how to get the e-reading population through their doors.
No comments:
Post a Comment