258 replies to this topic

[Mikey_C]

I'm not interested, although the positive is this could save a hell of a lot of space in my home, and possibly sweeten relations with my significant other! I have problems reading from a screen, but I admit I haven't tried kindle. I like the physicality of books, even the smell - but I guess the advent of e-books won't eliminate all print however much it takes off.

One thing is worth considering though - could digitizing the written word lead to a similar crisis for the publishing industry through file-sharing and piracy as it has done for music? It seems a bit kamikazi to me.

[budgie]

I use e-books on my Blackberry smart phone..

I view them in such the same way I view music downloads.. I use the electronic versions as tasters.. theyre cheap and easy to use.. If I like the music or book then I go out and by a hard copy..
Theres nothing quite like having a physical item in your hands.. a book to turn pages on or look at illistrations or a CD for sleeve notes etc, you dont get that as much with a digital form..

However digital forms do have one advantage over physical ones.. portability... a decent smartphone or porable e-book reader can hold your entire libruary on it and is always handy.. ever been on holiday and wished you had a specific book with you for those quiet moments? I know I have. I used to carry a MP3 player with a 40Gb hard drive in it that ould allow me access to most of my music at any time but with now having a better phone I just use that too, I dont have the ability to catrry as much music but can still load a Gigabyte or so on.. hats a lotta music.

so for me keep both versions going.. I have a bookcase with my favourites on it, its a great thing to just look at now and again even if I dont actually take a book down.
interestingly a lot of my comic collections on hard disk too and I can read that using a specific comic reading software.. saves me damaging the originals..

For those that have complained about sore eyes reading on the screen just turn your brightness down, thats whats giving you the headaches - the extreme black/white contrast, turn it down or change your background colour.. problem solved.

Budgie

[mbern45]

Does anyone know how authors are paid? Is it a flat fee per book or do they get paid per each book sold?

Because if they're getting paid per book then a system of digital books would be 100% profit for the publishers. They just take their MSword file, upload it to their servers and have no expenses at all. They don't even have to worry about piracy since they won't lose anything if the book doesn't sell, unlike physical books where they still have the printing costs.

If the publishers actually have to sell to make a profit then I can see them joining the music and movie industry in complaining about piracy since they would lose money. No doubt they will blame piracy for lower sales even though they are putting out inferior products that people just don't want to pay for anyways, like the music and industry does.

[HARPERSGRACE]

I still listen to LP's need I say more...

[Officer Aggro]

story was great, but my eyes, oh God, they burned!!!

That would be the big issue with me. I can only stare at a monitor for so long before I need to look away so that my eyes don't get strained. I'm on the computer enough as it is. I'd rather kick back on the couch with a good book anyway.

Edited by Officer Aggro, 10 May 2009 - 09:39 PM.

[BloodNGore]

Yea I really struggle to read pages and pages of text on my computer screen, which is really annoying as I enjoy looking at unpublished work lyk fan fiction or in an online writer's circle.

[Mikey_C]

One problem with e-books is you can print them off at work when noone's looking, then put them in a plain file so the boss thinks you're reading a report. Most annoying for conscientious employees like me.

[daniel]

Yea I really struggle to read pages and pages of text on my computer screen, which is really annoying as I enjoy looking at unpublished work lyk fan fiction or in an online writer's circle.

well, apparently the idea of readers and downloads and whatever is one of those "poke yourself in the eyeball" moments in history, in which people do something without sorting out the implications first. from an ethical point of view, no invention without the maximum effort at predicting its implications on society can be called "progressive". if there is a chance of narrowing the author's profit (as indicated here) as well as an additional boost to piracy than i can't call it "progress" for all the hyborian mead in texas.
and if people who write books will not get paid for them under the pretext of thechnological change that is not progress.

[THE KID]

Barnes & Noble has added a ton of Digital Ebooks online on REH. Is anyone using Ebooks and or Kindles and if so how do you like them? My main drawback is looking at a computer or small screen for long periods of time absorbing eletromagnetic rays and any glare, reflection, or scratches on the screen. I like the feel and touch of a book and even smelling the pages. I hope I'm not the only one who does this. I think ebooks do have advantages as they are quick and easy to download. I'd like to try one for free before actually buying one. Can you ENLARGE the fonts? Are there any stores that give you a free demo and a try at holding and reading from one? Kind of like taking a test drive before purchasing the car.

Two of the FAQs at B&N:

Yes, we offer thousands of eBook samples for users. Just visit an eBook page, look for the "Try It Now" heading, then click the "Get Free Sample" button.? If you choose to purchase the full title, the free sample will be replaced with the full version of the eBook in your eBooks Library. (But the sample remains on your device if you already downloaded it.)

No, our eBooks are not printable.

Pros/Cons??

Thanks in advance.

http://books.barnesa...s...ward&pos=-1

[Strom]

Borders ( locally headquartered here in SE Michigan) has opened a e-book store. Here's the REH books available:


Robert E. Howard E-Books at Borders

Enjoy!

[budgie]

i have some Howard Conan on my HTC Desire in pdf format, easy to read and handy to carry, phones got a decent sized screen so its a piece of cake to read too

Budgie

[terryallenuk]

My wife has asked for one for her birthday and it seems to be a toss up between Sony and Kindle - seems to her to be dependant on availability of books . Any recommendations ?

Terry

[PaulMc]

My wife has asked for one for her birthday and it seems to be a toss up between Sony and Kindle - seems to her to be dependant on availability of books . Any recommendations ?

I'm really enjoying my Kindle. Kindle can read .mobi formats, which is somewhat standard. I know Kindle format is only for Kindle.

I received my Kindle as a gift before I started researching eReaders so I don't have hands-on with Nook or Sony.

If I had, I'd probably be considering an iPad now. (more money, I know)

With the iPad you can get free app readers for everything. Nook, Kindle, PDF - even comic readers.

FYI - I don't know if your wife is a scifi/fantasy reader, but it's worth noting that many Baen ebooks are available for free or pay, too, but you need to go to their website to order them. I don't seem them through Amazon. They have multiple formats available for their books, and they also handle NightShade Books eBooks for many titles, too.

[EM Erdelac]

Well my books are all available on Kindle, so that oughta swing your vote, right?

Seriously, my wife has a Kindle and swears by it. There are a slew of free books available for download. I was not aware of the Baen books thing, but will be headed over there tonight.

[Strom]

Terry - have you considered the Ipad? The best of all worlds and a GREAT reader.

[terryallenuk]

Thanks guys , don't think we have Nook over here . IPAD is probably out of our range at the moment but I might suggest it as I think it's OK for comics !!!??? Then I could borrow it I guess

Terry

[Kortoso]

My sister uses Kindle, but I don't know if she's tried the other options.

[THE KID]

My wife has asked for one for her birthday and it seems to be a toss up between Sony and Kindle - seems to her to be dependant on availability of books . Any recommendations ?

Terry

Hey Terry - I found this link that is pretty cool as it gives demos on both the Kindle and Sony side by side with pretty good narrative. Hope you like it and helps with the decision buying process. Also 45 responses . I hear seagulls in the backgound and also sirens. http://ireaderreview...-touch-edition/

I can see a lot of positives on these kind of machine as there's no page turning or losing your place if the pages flip together. Also, convenient to use and people don't know what you're reading. The biggest drawback to me is being careful not to damage it by leaving it in the hot or cold car because it's electrical. Or dropping it or spilling something on it. I've drop many a book and left them in my car during the hot summer. Also getting a signature on it from the author of the book would be difficult. If there's a way to do that I'm getting one. I have to admit I like to smell the pages of a book as well as comics.

Edited by Richard, 27 July 2010 - 07:17 PM.

[terryallenuk]

My wife has asked for one for her birthday and it seems to be a toss up between Sony and Kindle - seems to her to be dependant on availability of books . Any recommendations ?

Terry

Hey Terry - I found this link that is pretty cool as it gives demos on both the Kindle and Sony side by side with pretty good narrative. Hope you like it and helps with the decision buying process. Also 45 responses . I hear seagulls in the backgound and also sirens. http://ireaderreview...-touch-edition/

I can see a lot of positives on these kind of machine as there's no page turning or losing your place if the pages flip together. Also, convenient to use and people don't know what you're reading. The biggest drawback to me is being careful not to damage it by leaving it in the hot or cold car because it's electrical. Or dropping it or spilling something on it. I've drop many a book and left them in my car during the hot summer. Also getting a signature on it from the author of the book would be difficult. If there's a way to do that I'm getting one. I have to admit I like to smell the pages of a book as well as comics.

Thanks for that Richard I'll pass the link on to my better half ! I'm with you , until they smell like an old book or comic I'll pass . Though I thought that when it was suggested we get a computer 10 years + back and look what happened to me !

Terry

[PaulMc]

I have to admit I like to smell the pages of a book as well as comics.

I'm with you , until they smell like an old book or comic I'll pass.

"Barbarians" to the bitter end, eh?

All I can say is - try it, you'll like it.

For me it's not one or the other. You can have your eBooks and your print books, too. I will always have print books of favorite stuff, but I find myself at least investigating the eBook versions for a lot of newer stuff that I'm curious about.

The potential to get out-of-print titles available again at reasonable pricing is a huge deal to me. (note, I said "reasonable", I think a lot of ebooks are still too high, especially old titles I can find used for half the ebook price.)

Personally, I physically no longer have the space in my house to keep getting paper editions of everything I want to read. And we don't want to move!

It's like analog vs. digital, be it movies or music. Yes, there is some warmth lost from analog to digital, but digital makes so much more reachable for both artists and consumers.

In the end, it's about the story, not the medium. Paper is a technology, too - we've just been so used to having it for centuries.

I'm really excited about eReaders and eBooks.

I wrote a blog post earlier this year about it.

http://paulmcnamee.blogspot.com/2010/02/rambling-on-ereadersebooks.html

Cheers,
Paul