What do Readers get from E-books versus Print books? Hmmm.

As the controversy over e-pub sensation Amanda Hocking and her decision to go Print within (breathless?) moments of author Barry Eisler quitting the Land of Tradition for the new territory called Electronic Publishing, I thought I would put up a list of the good stuff about the growth of e-books.

Not from the Author's Perspective.

But from the Reader's.

Here are mine--and I hope you come back and put up yours. (And Yes, the pix at the left is shameless self promotion of my latest Regency E-book over at www.resplendencepublishing.com.)

And with all that disclaimed, here I go!

Positives of E-book reading:

1. Affordable: books cost less. Great in an economy struggling to get back up after the Wall Street Smackdown. (sorry. could not resist that crack at the Boys who Brought Us Low.)

2. Variety of reading material: True the e-publishers who have made a huge splash at the electronic side of publishing tended to open with erotica, the material few would publish. But now that opening affords other publishers with similar non-traditional tastes/views/ topics, the ability to publish. And they are making a great go of it. To the readers' benefit.

3. Increasing and encouraging literacy: By the abundant nature of the material available for a reasonable price, books--both fiction and non--are now published which Traditional Print Houses [TPH] would not handle. Sensitive political subjects and viewpoints come to mind. (T this moment, I write a non-fiction book of that nature myself.) But others which TPH did not consider worth handling included GLBT and graphic interactive novels. I'm certain you out there can think of more.

4. Portability: Being able to read any number of books, any place, any time certainly means less wear and tear on the arms, the luggage (wow, am I happy for this one!), and the problem of what to do when you've just finished your latest and you are 35,000 feet over the Atlantic with hours more to go and nothing to do but watch the movie you saw at home last week!

5. Versatility of works available in terms of length, type and price: Okay, so this is sort of relative to some of the points above but I thought I would list it separately. WHY? Because I am FED UP with established authors who write 60-70-80,000 word novels and either repeat the same old plot I've read years ago, or who come up with a really stupid one, or who have NONE at all and still the editor lets it pass.... Why? Oh, various reasons not pertinent to this blog.

E-publishing houses have learned that works of all lengths can sell. Readers have flocked to these different lengths. (And authors? Well, I will joyfully exclaim for myself that some books are meant to be shorter. Some are more dynamic in the shorter versions. Traditional Publishing Houses found that their distribution systems demanded a conformity in size and type, ergo price as well. Ah, I am off topic here.)

6. Privacy: YES! As new e-readers hit the market and tablets abound, readers can sit comfortably ANYwhere and not proclaim to the world what the heck they wish to devour as intellectual fare. In a society that sadly sees some of its citizens more interested in condemning others for their lifestyles and their choices, than applauding our freedoms to choose the life we want, privacy of reading material is vital to preserving our democratic underpinnings. If many criticized the "bodice rippers" of old, imagine what they would say about the new-new covers and packaging of some works!

I know you must have more ideas about the benefits of electronic publishing to readers.

Come on and list them for us!

Words of Light

This week was especially challenging to me as a writer. I have several WIPs going that are interconnected and demand I spend my limited brain cells juggling the action and the plot line between them. If it works, it will be good. If it doesn’t I have three flops on my hands.

I’m also going through a difficult edit and revision that has planted more than a few doubts in my confidence. Is the struggle to get e-published worth it?

Maybe.

The other day one of my dour friends sent me several articles from the New York Times stating that “best selling” authors on Kindle are actually having to give their books away for free to attract new readers, piracy is rampant and lots of other negative stuff. My friend titled the email “a depressing trend.”

Thanks “D” that’s just what I needed to hear this week.

Ten seconds later my best friend Teri sent me several emails about the new Apple Tablet multi-media, e-reader, which will be premiered today. She focused on how exciting it was and that it and future products like it will revolutionize reading and buying habits. She also sent several articles about e-publishing in general, which were incredibly positive. I felt as if she had sent me the antidote to the first dose of poison.

Then it occurred to me that this is the wild west of publishing and e-authors are pioneers. A definitive business model for e-publishing, distribution and copyright protection has yet to emerge, but I’m certain it eventually will. The next several years will reshape the publishing industry for a generation and we get to be part of it.

Think of the first days of public publishing. Kings, warlords or high priests ordered their names and deeds carved in megalithic monuments-impressive but it’s not for everyone.

Next, cumbersome tablets were painstakingly carved in stone, clay or embossed on copper and stored in sacred places—more people are literate but it’s tedious work.

Papyrus scrolls were more convenient than clay tablets but they are incredibly fragile, yet this very fragileness seems to encourage a burst of creativity. For the first time common craftspeople start creating poetry, love letters, illustrated text, ribald jokes and even pornography. For the first time human thought is committed to writing and shared purely for entertainment.

When the Gutenberg press came along publishing became available to the masses. Pamphlets were all the rage and those humble publications eventually evolved into the King James Bible, state propaganda and newspapers all of which literally changed the world. Over night everyone wanted to be a politician and had the tools to do it.

Today the sheer volume of information and the weight of paper and the storage space it requires have brought us to the cusp of the next revolution. New publishing methods have always heralded the arrival of new content.

Today we are writing with light. We take up no physical space. Digital publishing looks incredibly fragile and finite when compared to a carved block of stone, yet it is infinitely more powerful and travels at the speed of thought. An author can now share their most personal thoughts and fantasies with the world. Our ancestors would see this as undreamed of freedom and it’s worth facing a few bumps in the road.

I think I’ll stick around and hash out my issues with e-publishing.

Of special note: Johannes Gutenberg first business failure was a “mirror to catch the light of Holy relics” When that venture didn’t pan out he was forced to pay back investors with another invention he was working on—the movable type press. In light of the digital age I’m not so sure his first idea was a failure…

XXOO Kat