-- eBOOK READERS --
MORE CHOICES, MORE STYLES
WHICH ONE IS RIGHT FOR YOU?
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B&N's eBook Reader
"Nook" (about $260)
wireless via AT&T | Sony's Reader Pocket Edition PRS300RC (about $200),
Sony's Reader Touch Edition PRS600RC, (about $300),
Sony's Reader Daily Edition PRS900RC, (about $400) |
Sony Reader Touch Edition Digital Book also available
from BEST BUY
Apple® - iPod touch® 8GB MP3 Player (3rd Generation) - Black.
See your Public Library for audio download access to your favorite novels, and play back on an MP3.
Barns & Nobel's "Nook" looks like an interesting unit to explore. Especially with the ability to share purchased books with friends. That's a big plus and one of the primary complaints from our members about the prevailing price of eBooks --- they're close to paperback prices, but lack the advantage of sharing or re-selling which paperbacks offer. We can thank B&N for the policy that allows time-stamped downloads to friends and family (lending for a fixed limited time, which is not the same as allowing free "copies" to be made).
Also the "Nook", like the Sony eBook Reader, works in multiple eBook formats and therefore allows us access from the local library as well as other eBook vendors.
Amazon's Kindle has been touted as the fastest selling eBook Reader of the season. I was tempted to try one unti lI discovered it uses the Sprint Cellphone Network for exclusive contact, and does not include Internet download access.
Sprint works ALMOST everywhere so that won't be a problem for everyone --- but it doesn't work in my home near Lake Oconee in Georgia. I have Internet access at home, but I'd have to drive almost 20 miles to get a Sprint connection to Amazon (as the single compatible supplier) whenever I wanted to buy more books. And because Kindle is a single-source access product, I'd have to give up downloading volumes from the local library to carry in my purse. It's just not the right unit for me.
The lesson here is --- if you're looking at a wireless unit, first check the coverage area for access. Sometimes there is an advantage to sticking with non-wireless units (having to connect to your PC and download new books from the Internet).
Those of us who have the Sony PRS505 model can download and install updated software to be compatible (I've already updated mine; it works without a problem). Anyone still holding an original Sony PRS500 can trade-in or upgrade directly through Sony Style.
I did give myself a couple heart-palps with my new laptop using Vista-64 . . . had to install the new software and re-download my purchased books. But it was all accomplished without cost to me, and without a problem. I'm happy with it.
Now that many eBooks are also available with FREE reader software (for IPod, Blackberry, and PC/Mac), there's a whole new wave of this resource gaining ground with the public.
PC reading wasn't so appealing when my choices were the trusty Sony PRS505 or the clunky desktop PC. I wasn't that willing to spend more hours in front of the desktop monitor even to follow my favorite author.
Now that I've switched to laptop computing, the functions have merged considerably. I still carry the PRS505 in my purse for "wait time" reading. And it's more convenient and lightweight than a paperback for bedtime reading. But I also carry the laptop in long distance travels, and make use of a few features even the eBook devices can't match.
For instance, my PC has ebook software from multiple vendors -- multiple formats -- and I can choose what to read without that bit of restriction. And when my eyes are especially tired at the end of the day, I can still enjoy reading on the laptop because the "page" size is expandable with text I can read even without my glasses!.
We're still at the mercy of an outdated industry setting prices to prevent hurting sales on hard-cover volumes, but that will change as more and more of the reading public opt for electronic versions.
As the number of eBook hardware models grows, the number of eBook vendors grows even more. Increased demand justifies more vendors, and more vendors create price competition. More and more customers are shunning the pricey volumes that require traditional printing, shipping, and warehousing -- and it shows..
Prices have been coming down on eBooks. New publishers have been entering the market, more authors have been finding publishers, and more choices have become available to the reading public. Electronic production, delivery, and end-user enjoyment have finally been recognized!
Twilight
Struggling Authors Take Note!
Don't Let The "Young Adult" Rating Fool You and
don't let the saga's Vampires & Werewolves theme
keep you from a really great read.
If you're a budding author, give yourself a treat and
take time to "study" this series to polish your skills!
When my daughter's friend bought me the first
Twilight book for my birthday last year (2009), I tried to be
honest and told her I really wasn't a fan of vampire stories.
She insisted it wasn't like the blood sucking horror flicks, and it wasn't just a "teen" story either. She continued begging until I agreed to give it a try.
For nearly half of the book I kept asking myself why on earth I was continuing to muddle through a high school romance. I'm a great-grandmother; trying to identify with a love-lorn teen was a struggle. I even tried to put it down once. But after a couple days I realized I really was curious about what was going to happen next.
I picked it up again and vowed to finish at least three more chapters before I gave up.
All of a sudden I was hooked! I couldn't put it down! I ordered the second book, New Moon, while I still had a quarter of the book to go.
Then I found the whole series in eBook form at Sony's eBook Store -- Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn -- and downloaded the whole works so I wouldn't have to wait again between titles.
It's not often that I find a story that entertains me that well. Putting it down for a while is like leaving in the middle of a movie. I think I understand now how people get hooked on soap opera TV.
This is pure reading for pleasure -- enjoying author Stephenie Meyer's style, pace, and ability to weave the characters into new fabric for four volumns. That's a skill that we, as crative writers, would do well to study.
HAVE YOU JOINED A BOOK CLUB AT YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY LATELY?
Public libraries have evolved to serve the new generations raised on TV, computers, and multi-media. If you haven't stopped in lately, you'll be greatly surprised when you do
Gone are the millions of 3x5 file cards I learned to use in high school fifty years ago. Now I walk up to one of the computer screens relegated to searching the files for me. And they're not just searching MY library branch, they're quickly sifting through the whole county library system.
But that's just the beginning. Today's libraries stock a lot more than library books!
The shelves of books are still there, but now you also have the choice of audio (both cassette and CD), and video (DVD's and VHS Tapes).
Novels by my favorite authors started showing up in audio format at the library a few years ago.
That was a boon for me because at the time I was commuting more than two hours a day back and forth to my JOB.
Suddenly I was ready to leave a few minutes early every morning because I was anxious to start the next chapter. If traffic was bad, I didn't complain. It just meant I got to listen to more of the story.
If YOU have a long commute to work, give the audio novels a try. Check out a dozen or so at a time. If you don't like the one you start with, you can try the next one. The price is right, thanks to your public library.
Also ask your friendly library staff which day of the week is best to pick out a DVD or VHS to enjoy at home. In my town, most of the best are already checked out by Friday --- there are many people who enjoy free movies over the weekend.
But they're usually back by the middle of the week. So Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning are the best times to look for videos to check out. That's when we have the most selection to choose from.
Sometimes I know exactly what I want, or at least have a pretty good idea, but not enough available time to browse for what I want in the library. That's when the Internet feature becomes my best friend. I can log on from home (even at 4:00 a.m.), browse the catalog, and reserve a title.
If all copies of that title are already checked out, my reservation puts my name on the list to be notified when it comes back.
Either way it's usually not more than a few days before I receive an email from the library system telling me the item I reserved is waiting for me at the front desk of my designated branch.
Imagine that! It might belong to my branch, or any other branch in the system. Whether I requested a book, an audio, or a video, it's sitting there at the front desk and all I have to do is run in quickly and show my Library Card to pick it up.
So what's next? You guessed it -- downloading from your library system right to your PC or MP3, or eBook reader! As this feature grows in popularity the technology will become more available. Then your ultimate public library system will be at your fingertips anytime, anyday, anywhere!
Send me an email if you've already tried these new services, and tell us about your experience! (LLoni@LLPublish.com).
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