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Thursday, January 29, 2009

Will You Kindle?- Booking Through Thursday




Something a little different today–

First. Go read this great article from Time Magazine: Books Gone Wild: The Digital Age Reshapes Literature. (Well worth reading.)

Second. Stop and think about it for moment. Computers and digital media are changing everything we do these days, whether we realize it or not, and that includes our beloved books.

Third. DISCUSS!

To be different, today, I’d love to see a discussion here, in the comments, rather than scattered amongst all our separate blogs. Because this is an issue that affects ALL of us, and I’d really like to see us hash out the merits and demerits of this evolution.

Tell us what you think. Do you have an ebook reader? Do you read ebooks on your computer? Do you hate the very thought? How do you feel about the fact that book publishing is changing and facing much the same existential dilemma as the music industry upon the creation of MP3s?

Sure, feel free to write about this on your blog, but honestly–I’d love to see an in-depth discussion, and you can’t do that by flitting about the internet reading 100 different, individual essays. You can only get that by having the back and forth of conversation.



Here are my thoughts:


I really enjoyed this article and it made me think about a lot of different topics.

Authors: There are so many people out there that want to get published and are turned down everywhere they go. The internet gives them an immediate audience and instant feedback, along with criticisms and applause. I know of several authors on Goodreads that sell their books as PDF files for as little as 2.99. I can understand the allure of being your own publisher and by-passing the big publishing companies.

Publishing Companies: I feel that they are going to have to change their strategies in a lot of ways. There are some authors that I feel after they make it with a bestseller a few years in a row start to write FORMULA driven books. I'm tired of that kind of writing. I want to pick up a book by an unknown and get blown away!! But on the flip side, if the publishers didn't pay these authors the big bucks then they wouldn't have their stories to sell to the mass public. I'm not sure how they will be able to keep up with the $$$ demands of so-called big authors .

Ebooks/Kindle: At first these gadgets scared me because I don't want my beloved physical book to ever go away. I don't think that will happen but I do think that eventually in order to get your book published as an actual book that people open, and turn the pages physically, you're going to have to prove to them that you will be capable of writing a story that will sell MILLIONS!! The rest I think would be easily sold as an e-book or PDF file for considerably less than a real book. The more I play with my iPod and listen to audio books, podcasts, and such,the more intrigued I am about having a Kindle or Sony Reader...but I could never envision a life for me without a real book in my hand and several hundred more waiting their turn to be read on my bookshelves.......we'll have to wait and see what the future holds!!!

If you're wanting to check out what other readers think please click on this link and you will be directed to the comment page of Booking Through Thursday where everyone has left their post in the comment section.

I would love to hear what you think?

3 comments:

  1. Read the article - thanks for the link. It really turned my thinking around about self-publishing and electronic copies. I am with you on wanting to curl up with a book, not a computer. But, I also read a lot of blogs and a few of them contain amazing writing. I like the idea of the masses deciding what succeeds in the publishing world.

    I agree with you on formula driven books. Ack. They drive me crazy. Some are ok with me because the predictability is comfortable (like some tv shows), but not usually.

    I've been in front of the screen too long tonight and am tired - hope I make sense!

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  2. I skimmed the article, which gave me the impression that it addressed to self-publishing. Online publishing would be a great channel to authors who do not want to go through the ordeal with publishers. A site called lulu.com allows authors to publish and sell books.

    As to reading, I'm not keen on reading off a gadget. It's just not very bookish--I'll miss turning the pages and the tactile experience of holding a book in my hands!

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  3. I sort of want a Kindle because the idea of instant gratification appeals to me. But it's too scary, I'm afraid it will not feel right.

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