E-books--Explained

[Christine Duncan]

So what the heck is an e-book? Oh come on! You’ve got some—I’d almost guarantee it. It’s a book in electronic format (Html, mobipocket, Palm or Adobe to name a few). It could be fiction or non-fiction—pretty much anything you can read in paper books. Still don’t think you’ve got one? I’d be surprised. Many computer and software companies are putting their manuals in e-format. My last mp3 player did that too.
But e-books are more than that. You don’t have to read them on your computer. You can read them on your palm organizer, an I-phone, or a dedicated e-book reader like the Sony e-book reader, the Amazon Kindle or the Fictionwise eBookwise (This one is much cheaper than the other two (Fictionwise). There are more devices coming out all of the time. Or you can read it on your laptop, if you want.
Now as to WHY you might want to read e-books—here’s one reason. Let’s say you like to read in bed at night, but your spouse complains about the light. E-book devices are often backlit so that you don’t need a bedside lamp. You get to read and your spouse gets to sleep. Not a bad deal.
And the stuff you get to read? Anything from bestsellers to the newest most innovative authors. You choose. Sites like Amazon, Fictionwise, Mobipocket and Palm have more books than you can read in a lifetime with new books coming out every day. Just like paper books—in fact many of them are e-versions of the paper books you’ve been dying to read..
And get this—e-books are usually cheaper than paper books—sometimes much cheaper..
Another reason why you might want to read e-books? Well, they’re wonderful when you’re traveling. All you have to do is take your phone or your reader with you. It can be loaded with a bunch of books—books that you would normally have to have your muscleman significant.other carry. Books that normally would get you a surcharge on the airplane. All the books you want in one small package—a package you probably would carry with you anyway. .
Oh but your eyes get tired reading off a computer. Except with a dedicated e-reader device, you can change the contrast, and bump up the size of the font, (Yeah, that’s right -no reading glasses, if you don’t feel like messing with them—or you left them home next to your favorite chair.)
Sounds great, you say. But you get most of your books from the library. That’s wonderful. Many libraries have subscriptions to Netlibrary which means you can borrow e-books for free.
Think about it. E-books are great for the environment—for your pocketbook, for your marriage even. Try one! Shoot try mine! Safe House

[Jean Henry Mead]

If you happen to be an ebook writer, I'd like to ask you about a certain publisher I've heard about.

[Jean Henry Mead]

I plan to do that, Christine. I watched Whoopi Goldberg on "The View" extolling the virtues of her Kindle reader. She said she could take 120 books with her on a trip and hold them all in the palm of her hand. :-)