Well, they are various shades of black...
But seriously, it seems everyday this year I've read a piece of news about eBooks or I've heard more people say they are buying an eBook reader. And I'm finally seeing people actually reading eBooks in public.
Gutenberg.com kicked off the new year with a blog, "20 Reasons Why 2009 Will Be the Year of the eBook." Cell phone novels have been popular in Japan for a number of years. Oprah endorsed the Kindle reader and Amazon stated it was its best-selling electronic device in 2008. And though my personal new year resolution was not to consume/buy anything new, I have been researching readers and think I settled on the one I'm going to buy (it's not breaking a resolution if it's work-related, right?).
At last count, the O'Reilly Tools of Change for Publishing Conference has seven eBook topics on its schedule. At TOC, our own Lisa Bos is presenting a demo, "Harvesting Your Content to Produce an eBook with RSuite CMS."
For a couple of years I've been convinced that trade publishers need to get on the XML bandwagon just so they can ensure output to eBooks.
If this topic interests you, Really Strategies is hosting a special invitation-only reception at TOC in February. Email me (mcalilhanna[at]reallysi[dot]com) for more details. And let us know what you're doing to get ready for this eBook revolution.
They're the flavor of the month. The prix fixe special. E-books have a future, but not their reader hardware. Rule 19 from "The Laws of the Future of Publishing" (http://www.thefutureofpublishing.com/pages/the_laws_of_the_future_of_publishing.html) dictate that "There is a limit to the number of separate digital devices people want to carry. That limit is one."
Posted by: Thad McIlroy | February 03, 2009 at 02:43 AM
Right on, Thad.
What am I doing to get ready for the e-book revolution? Nothing.
I have a Treo 680 and PalmFiction, (cuz I'm old-skool; we gifted my college age daughter with an iPhone for Christmas because she's not a geek). And it's been serving admirably for years.
Posted by: Maggie Leber | February 11, 2009 at 02:11 PM
I think eBook readers and paper books will always go together and in parallel. In spite of any advantages of the electronic device that technology can give. They are like Classic and Relative theory in physics - Einstein's work was a revolution but still both have rights to live up to certain limits.
Posted by: dbReader | April 20, 2009 at 01:56 PM
Reasons why i go for e-books
1. They are delivered almost instantaneously. You purchase and download and start reading them within minutes without leaving your chair. No need to wait for them for days, weeks and sometimes more to arrive by mail. If you buy books online you have to pay packing and shipping cost, but e-books no packing, no shipping.
2. Go GREEN - Save the Forests - No trees are required to manufacture paper for the pages of an e-book.
3. Many e-books are sold nowadays with bonuses, which you usually do not get with a printed book. This adds value to your purchase.
4. They are more safely stored and carried from one place to another, than ordinary books. They also withstand time more than books.
5. They can show links for easy access to more information and relate you directly to websites.
Posted by: pchopes.com Ebooks | July 25, 2010 at 03:43 PM