Incidentally - just found a used out of print book on Amazon that I’ve been after for ages - it arrived yesterday and it smells gorgeous. ]]>
I’ve downloaded three books for a total of approximately $27.00 over about a week-and-a-half. I’m happy with my Kindle thus far. Very convenient.
Interestingly, I downloaded a sample chapter of another book, read the chapter, and decided the book wasn’t for me. I just simply deleted the sample chapter from my Kindle.
]]>Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing ™: I think that the person who created this had just a little too much time on his or her hands!
]]>I don’t disagree with you. Inevitably, everything we read and watch will be wireless communication. However, as a
personal preference, I am big on reading in bed — alas, only at night — and a book is a much better companion than an electronic devices . . . though I’m told they have their advantages too. Anyway, I’m still trying to figure out my new cell phone, so a Kindle won’t be found under my tree any Christmastime soon.
Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing ™: Tom Clavin’s and Bob Drury’s book, Halsey’s Typhoon, reached #15 on The New York Times’ Best Seller List last winter.
]]>http://www.boingboing.net/2007/11/20/amazon-kindle-the-we.html
…but maybe someone else will come out with a product that is DRM-less, won’t spy on you, and is not crapped up like the Kindles will be. Hmmm, maybe Sony, or Apple, or Samsung…somebody, anybody… It’s a technology whose time has come, but not with Amazon’s stipulations, thank you very much.
Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing ™: I clicked over to the link. I think Cory Doctorow’s info about sharing e-books is incorrect, not that Amazon makes it easy for you to share, but you can, in a limited and tightly controlled way. As an author, the less sharing that goes on the more royalties I get. When I spoke with the Kindle folks, they talked about copyright and the need to have readers PAY for product. In case you missed it in a previous comment, did you see this link to Harlan Ellison’s tirade about not being paid?
]]>Also, you can browse the book they way you would normally do and find something interesting that will catch your eye.
For pure fiction, less marking oriented and less intense books this is a great device.
We early adopters are paying dearly for the novelty though.
looking at two different markets, for the present anyway. There are way, way too many people out there who simply want a real paper book in their hands to worry about book sales stopping altogether, at least for a long time.
I’m really more concerned with resale of review copies, used books and the like.
It’s sad. People seem to want to berate publishers for not keeping titles in print and available for a longer time, yet when they plug into Amazon or walk into a bookstore, where do most people head? The used books section… the remainders tables… etc. What incentive is there for an author to continue writing OR for a publisher to keep a title in print, when buyers pick up the used books/resold ARCs/bargain books instead of buying the new item?
(And don’t tell me books are too expensive, especially if you’re reading this with a double-shot latte in your hand.)
Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing ™: Wolfmont Press is a small-press publishing house located in Ranger, Georgia.
]]>Then $7.99 for a download will be too much, especially when you can “share” a download for free.
Once the distribution network goes digital, authors won’t need publishers. If the majority of people are downloading, why bother with printing and shipping?
Impossible? Hardly. Have you noticed there aren’t any record stores anymore? The music industry never thought CDs would be replaced. They were wrong.
The question is: How will authors earn a living in a digital world where the consumer downloads books without paying?
I ponder about this a lot, and think I know the answer. Time will tell.
]]>Today, cell phones go dead, computers crash. If you accidently drop the cell phone in the toilet, it’s a gonner. I doubt I’d be reading the Kindle on the Throne.
I think I’ll wait awhile. If I drop a book in the toilet, it’ll dry out and all my other books are just fine. However, I don’t have an iPod or a Blackberry. I guess I’m an old fogey stuck in the 20th Century.
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