I never miss reading Stephen Smith’s column in The Pilot, our local newspaper. He’s so articulate and well versed. Yet his recent column entitled E-books: Not with a Bang, but a Whimper missed the boat. In fact Stephen jumped into the water without a life preserver on this one.
You see, Stephen, it’s not about eliminating books. It’s not about saving trees. It’s about choices and expanding opportunities. I, too, am an avid book lover and book collector. I agree that books will never be completely replaced, but I don’t believe that was ever the point of the e-book. Electronic books offer a choice. If I am at home sitting by a roaring fire, you will probably find me engrossed in a paper book. On an airplane, waiting in a doctor’s office, or at times when I don’t happen to have a paper book with me, you will find me reading an e-book on my PocketPC personal digital assistant.
Stephen states in his article that he has not seen even one person reading an e-book. Sorry again, Stephen. I have seen many people reading e-books on various portable devices. Many times, a casual onlooker doesn’t even realize what the e-book reader is doing. He could just as easily be checking his or her appointments or playing a game on a personal digital assistant or personal computer. Stephen, you may have even seen me reading an e-book and not known it. You see, some of us techno-nerds don’t flaunt our electronic equipment.
One thing that Stephen is correct about is that e-books have not cut into the sales of hardback or paperback books. I sometimes purchase both a paperback copy of a book along with an e-copy so I can access the book in its most convenient form. When you purchase a copy of my new Cyber Savers book at the Compu-Kiss® Web site, you can now get an electronic copy of the book for free. So book sales may be unaffected, but this is a great way of giving readers choices.
I reviewed an RCA e-book reader last year that was a joy to use. With a leather cover, it had a great tactile feel. About the size of a large paperback, this e-book reader had a full color lighted display, adjustable text size, rechargeable batteries, and much better clarity than a traditional computer screen. Notations and diagrams were easy to add to the book pages. One e-book reader has the capacity to hold many books and magazines, which can be downloaded to the e-book through a regular telephone line. No computer necessary. One feature that I absolutely loved was the ability to look up the meaning of a word just by tapping on the word.
There are only two reasons that I do not yet own an e-book reader: 1.) The hardware costs are still high (The reader I reviewed was $699), and 2.) At the present time, there is a limited selection of books and magazines available in e-book form. When I am able to purchase an e-book reader cheaply and most of the books and magazines that I read are in e-book format, I will be the first in line. I’ll probably be right behind all of the students who will also be relying more on e-books when this new book form comes of age.
The new world of e-books and electronic publishing is also about expanding opportunities. Any of you who may have tried to get a book published know that the book publishing industry is extremely challenging. This is where POD, Print-On-Demand, a new electronic publishing method, can be extremely helpful. The average person doesn’t have to rely on a publisher to accept their manuscript. They don’t have to endure an endless stream of rejection slips or face the arduous task of self-publishing and printing and storing thousands of books at a time.
I like the POD format so much and find it so exciting that not only did I use this system to publish my new Cyber Savers book, but also my company has established its own POD publishing arm, called CK Books. For a minimal fee (at the Compu-KISS® Web site, it’s $199), an author can submit their manuscript electronically and end up with a paperbound book, complete with an ISBN number, as well as an electronic version of their book. Books are printed as they are ordered, hence the Print-On-Demand nomenclature. While some authors only want to publish a family history and print twenty copies, others go on to embark on a full-force marketing plan to present their publication to the world. Even though traditional publishers have tried to squelch the system, the POD system is gaining steam, giving authors many new options and opportunities.
You see, Stephen, it is not about paper or electricity. It is about choices and opportunities.
