Hi! This is Lisa here. A few months ago, my husband bought me a Kindle for our 20th anniversary. At the time, I was excited, but not sure how much I'd really use it. On the one hand, I saw the benefits for a reader like myself. The nearest bookstore is at least ten hours away, which means I end up lugging a lot of books home whenever I can. The downside, though, was the fact that I wouldn't be holding a real, paper and ink book. Could I really get used to reading on an electronic device?
I'll save my thoughts for my next post, but in the meantime I'd like to hear from you. As I writer, I'm interested in the changes in the publishing business, so your opinion is important.
Take a moment to answer the questions on the poll that is located in the right sidebar, then stop by the end of September where I'll post the results. I'll leave up the poll through August 30th.
I'd also like to hear your own questions and comments on ebooks, so please leave a comment below and let me know what you think!
Thanks!
Lisa
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LISA HARRIS is a Christy Award nominated author who has over twenty novels and novella collections in print. She and her husband, Scott, along with their three children, live near the Indian Ocean in Mozambique as missionaries. As a homeschooling mom, life can get hectic, but she sees her writing as an extension of her ministry which also includes running a non-profit organization The ECHO Project. To find out more about her books you can visit her website.
Lisa, thanks for putting together the poll and I'm looking forward to seeing the results.
ReplyDeleteI love my Kindle, and I enjoy reading ebooks. I like the convenience of having so many books on the one device and I use the night light a lot :)
Thanks for your input, Narelle! One thing I've learned I have missing on my Kindle, is the night light, but I still love it.
ReplyDeleteI receive PDF files from authors in order to write reviews and endorsements, etc., but, I have to admit, I don't enjoy reading in an electronic format much. I just like touching real pages, smoothing my hand over an actual cover, examining that little bundle of joy—not to mention, a collection looks great on a shelf. However, I do feel the increasing pressure to "convert" to ebooks. Seems it's just a matter of time. This poll is a great idea, Lisa. I’m curious and will be staying tuned... ;)
ReplyDeleteLisa, I have Kindle installed on my phone and the thing I like best about it is I always have a book with me, no matter where I am. One less thing to keep up with on a trip to D.C. earlier this year. Found out the other day that a lady purchased one of my novels for her Kindle because she has poor eyesight and could adjust the font to suit her needs.
ReplyDeleteI understand your feelings, Tessa which is one reason I'm so curious to know how people think on this subject. There's nothing quite like a real book, but things are changing, and I've actually been surprised at how much I like mine now.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, Derek, traveling is so much easier with a Kindle which is a big plus for me since I don't live near a bookstore of any kind. :-) Thanks for your comments!
I'm with Derek. I said I own a reader in your survey, but I don't really. I have both Nook and Kindle on my phone and computer. I don't mind reading on screen, and it means I always have a book with me. That will be especially important when we take a cruise to Alaska next month, and I don't want to weigh my suitcase down with reading material. B&N had a series of free classics last year. I didn't get all, but did get many so I have a good supply without purchasing. I also grab when a friend sends out an e-mail about a free or 99 cent promotion. But then, that is why I have so many things I haven't read yet. I do NOT get free e-books unless they come recommended by someone I trust. Too much junk out there.
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa,
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that I never thought I'd by an e-reader. Now I own a Kindle. I'v got a TBR list on it so when you asked in your poll "Do you read all the books you download?" I'd have to say, eventually. :) I like to download research books as well as fiction and much easier to carry. My main enjoyment is reading in bed and not waking my hubby up. We both love the light on the Kindle.
Hi Lisa,
ReplyDeleteI've answered as best as I can, but I too said I read all the books I download where I haven't yet. But I will. I only download books that I want to read - and definitely aim for the freebies!
Does everyone know about http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/digital-text/ where you can check down the right side for free books. Often some really good Christian novels. I got a Karen Kingsbury from there the other day.
Thanks for your comments, ladies, and for sharing your reading habits. I too am pretty picky about what I download, even if it is free. (Thanks for the link, Shirl) I also have found myself buying more books than I have in the past because it's so much easier, even when I have to pay full price if it's a book I really want to read.
ReplyDeleteI'm really anti-ebook and eletronic reader, so maybe you don't want my opinion, but I read your books :-).
ReplyDeleteI love books - the look, feel, smell - love to see them on my shelf, etc., so I hate the idea of electronic book readers and fear they will push real books out - already some publishers are offering them for review. I have heard the convenience issue, and don't agree - you can take a book anywhere you can take a reader. I went on vacation to the ocean in May/June and took along 12 books. It wasn't a big problem to stick that bag of books in the van.
And my fears might seem far out about them replacing real books, but e-books are generally cheaper, so in a lot of cases, people are going to go that route if they have a reader.
And just for the record, I don't like downloadable music albums either - I want the CD :-)
Definitely want to hear your opinion, Mark! :-) Thanks for stopping by and sharing. I honestly hope that ebooks never completely replace real books too. And even though I admit to finding ebooks convenient, I'll never get rid of my overflowing bookshelves of my favorite novels.
ReplyDeleteI love my kindle part of the reason for wanting one was the pdfs I had to read but also the cost of books to be posted from the states. we do have a small bookshop here but very limited range of books. The bigger stores are around 5 hours or more away and I dont get to the city often. Or buy via the USA. Some of the free downloads have been books I wanted. I do need to be careful as I have bought 2 books now by accident. I love real books but the kindle is so easy to hold and read.
ReplyDeleteLisa I dont have the night light and wish it did have a back light or some light. I need to buy a light for it. When I was on the bus recently it was around sunrise but I couldn't read for part of the trip cos they dont have reading lights on the bus and it was to dark. Also even in here when its becoming dusk I cant read the kindle. a book isn't so bad but the kindle is to dark. But I do love it.
I have a reader. I love it for portability and the fact that at a click of a button I can purchase and begin to read a new book. So easy!!! I download a few free ebooks, but only if they are something that I would like - but who knows if I'll ever get to read them all, since I don't seem to have enough time to read much. :( Maybe when I have a holiday... ;)
ReplyDeleteJenny, my reasons for having a Kindle are very similar to yours. I don't have a bookstore near me nor the option of having things mailed here. Which means I have to wait a long time for books. I've loved being able to preorder a book and have it 'arrive' as soon as it is released. And I've realized as well that I need light as you do have to have good light in order to see!
ReplyDeleteAmanda, Yes, the click of the button is easy, sometime too easy to buy a book. :-)
Lisa do you find some books that are available to American's are not available to you? I know here LI range books are not available till they are about 2 years old which is frustrating. A few others that have been free to most are not available to us in Australia.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good questions, Jenny. I'm not sure of the answer though. I've never had any problems downloading books I've wanted, but maybe it's because my computer accounts are set up to the US.
ReplyDeleteI didn't even know it might matter where you live until recently Blood Ransom was offered for 99 cents on Amazon and other places. I chatted with several people living overseas, though, who could buy it, but the price was higher. So clearly, prices are set differently depending on where you live.
Does anyone else know more about this subject? It would be a great thing to investigate for those living outside the US.
Occasionally I find a Kindle book that is "not available in your country". That is a huge problem with the Nook though. My son and daughter-in-law who also live in S.Africa bought Nooks and then discovered they can't download any of the books as they're linked to B&N and only for use in the States. SO weird!
ReplyDeleteLisa you may be right as even when I was in Hawaii I wasn't able to get some early cos mine are set in Australia.
ReplyDeleteI do know for australia the reason is some of our copyright laws.
The same happened last year I tried to get The healers Apprentice when it was offered free it was normal price here.
Aussies cannot access the Nook. when in Hawaii they said it cant be accessed in Australia and wouldn't even show me the features.
So far its the LI books that I know are the worst as they are books I really want.
It must have to do with copyright laws as you said. I would think that along with the growth of ebooks some of these issues will resolve themselves. At least I will hope. To me, ebooks opens up the book market to the world for those like me who no longer have to worry about far away bookstores and expensive shipping prices. We'll have to hope that it changes anyway!
ReplyDeleteSo sorry I'm still catching up and only now read your post, Lisa. I did the poll though and perhaps should have waited to read all these comments first as perhaps I will have to think about getting a reader device. My Justice at Baragula is a "Digital Download" as an e-book but as far as I know have only seen it on Word's Australian website although was told had been sent to Koorong too. In fact, on the updated Ark House Press website they have a list of shops (including in the US) where their e-books are available but so far I haven't seen it in any. I was told they were trying to get their books into Amazon for Kindle but there were "things" they had to do first. On Word their price is the same as the print version too so have no idea if anyone has bought it as an e-book yet! Am dying to know. and me? Well, I have too high a pile of books still on my TBR heap!
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