The Five Best Things about the E-Book Revolution

October 18, 2011 by Chris · Comments Off
Filed under: Lessons Learned, Writer's Life

I have to admit that I was one of the reluctant ones. I didn’t see e-books as warm and cuddly. They represented a threat to the industry, I thought. I just couldn’t get beyond the hand-feel of a book. A lot of that is probably due to the type of book I like to read more than anything else. I have though, come around to embrace what e-books have to offer.

Accessibility to new titles

We live out in the boonies. I have to drive at least a half hour to even get to a book store. The library is okay, but like all businesses, is cutting back. I love Amazon and am a frequent shopper. E-books though, give you accessibility to all kinds of titles. There are numerous sites popping up offering new books from new authors. Some are inexpensive, making buying books affordable.

Resurgence for classic titles

While some title are inexpensive, you’ll likely find the free ones are the classic titles. I was a latecomer to reading. I took American Lit in school, but didn’t read as much as I might have liked. I missed out on some of those classic books from Mark Twain, Jane Austen and others. With e-books, it’s like a whole new world has opened up to me. I love it!

Convenience

You can’t knock the convenience of having a walking library with you wherever you go. Whether I’m at the beach or on the road, I have plenty of books loaded up on my SD card to enjoy. I have books from several genres to match my reading mood.

Ability to self publish

While some knock it, getting your book in print isn’t going to happen to everyone. The book inside you will remain the book unwritten, unread. With e-books, an author can write a book and publish it with minimal cost. Sure, you still have to market it, but you’d be doing that anyway with a book in print. You are in control with an e-book. For me, that is a very attractive feature of this venue.

Read in the dark

I have taken to reading a bit before going to sleep. Though my husband can fall asleep in a train station, I prefer not to disturb him. I can read at night with just the little light of my e-book reader. Since I like to read mysteries and ghost stories, this provides the perfect setting to set the mood.

As I step forward into e-book publishing, I’m going to begin by revising a book my husband and I wrote together, “101 Things to Do on the Wisconsin Great River Road.” From there, onto the next!

Tags: e-book, self publish