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Hey, I’m not a Millennial — I’m a SesquiCentennial at best — and I’d get plenty grumpy if you took away my wifi for a week!

I don’t use wi-fi… I use my cell-phone (which does have a wi-fi option to save money on data plans).

Verizon just announced a cap on unlimited data plans for cell phones, so wi-fi will become more prevalent in the future.

That first comment is not Me. Just letting you know, Beatrix… looks like the Bug is back?

A CAP ON UNLIMITED DATA?!?!

Excuse me while I huddle in a corner and sob.

-is 23

hmmm… publishers NOW are surviving on small print runs of 1,000 copies. Even in a digital world where paper books are relegated to the status of vinyl LPs, there will still be enough readers who prefer a bound paper book. The book might be print-on-demand, but it will still be viable.

(Heh… the Small Press Expo might evolve into a craft fair, of people publishing antiquated paper copies. How soon before people start learning book binding, hand-sewing signatures with a Coptic binding, using art paper… Yes, you laugh, but the last panel of SPX this year was about using old-school printmaking techniques, like hand engraving.)

In this world where everyone knows how to click things, (texting, keyboarding, mouse, pushing a photocopier button…)an old “obsolete” skill will become valued.
There isn’t an app for it.

Personally, I would love to see small press going more traditional with hand-bound books and engraving. It gives me hope that obsolete technologies can always be revived as an art form.

I think it’s important to note that Gerry is speaking for the Philippine publishing industry. Not everyone has Internet here, much less do they have the money to get something like an iPad. Heck, I have a regular job, and I can’t afford an iPad.

This Waid fellow, I like the cut of his jib.

I’m not sure if piracy is to blame for the current comic sales slump. This is a cycle that is created by businesses that put more effort into short term marketing tricks to spike sales quickly than trying to slowly build a dedicated customer base. Eventually the current marketing ploy is going to run its course and sales will drop until another plan gets put into action. Piracy may have an effect on sales, but not as much as a poorly conceived business model. On a slightly related note, the direct market replaced the newsstand, how can the direct market honestly believe that it will never be replaced?

Well, for me it’s content that’s to blame. I don’t want to read most of these books anymore, and I sure as hell don’t want my son to read them. Well, he’s three, so if he could read them it’d be a miracle… but I digress…

I don’t even know if I would ever download this crap if it wasn’t crap. Even the monthly format largely leaves me cold these days, due to the obtrusive advertisements that just yank me out of the story.

However, I’m a total sucker for pretty pretty hardcover collections. Don’t care about the cost- just design it well, make it sexy, and I’m there. Die cut dust cover with spot varnish? More please! No ads? uh, yes. Something to take to a con to get signed- forcing me to carry 100 pounds of books on my arm? Sign me up!

Glad most comics have crap content, cuz buying any more of these pretty hardcovers would sink my house…

I would say the cover price jumping 35% on a significant number of titles in a dismal economy might have more to do with the dreary sales than digital piracy.

…”but piracy has to be too”…

Except that’s a complete and total assumption.

But I do agree wholeheartedly with Gage’s statement that illegally downloading a comic is a vote for it to end. If it’s not worth your money, it shouldn’t be worth your time.

Why all this focus on piracy, though? Webcomics are digital comics, too. People read digital comics instead of print comics for two reasons: they’re free, and they’re fulfilling a demand that print comics are not.

Nobody reads something for free just because it’s there, though. At least not for long. Still, that’s a cause for concern with retailers.

But y’know, where are all the NON-genre books? Where are the humor books? They’re not really coming out of the print comics industry — and I don’t know how much of it’s because the publishers don’t print them, or because the retailers and distributor(s) don’t support them, but that’s something that needs to change.

I concur that it’s all about content. Most of what’s out there (I’m just thinking of the big two here cuz they drive the industry, though image and dark horse and others take cues from them), is ugly and inclusive and overthought.
Even in the grim n gritty days, I never thought I would see the day that had a cover with green arrow with an arrow through his head.
I’m no prude to violence but it seems that there is an exhausted contemptive vibe coming from most books.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: comic books aren’t going anywhere. Comic book retailers on the other hand…

Everything that the industry is afraid of right now has already happened in other entertainment industries, and in each situation each of those industries was able to find one or two avenues to harness digital sharing and usually able to find a new business model that works:

iTunes has cornered the market in music, TV and movie, and now e-book distribution. Amazon has done the same thing with physical media. Netflix and Hulu are close behind in digital video distribution.

Sometime in the next 2-3 years, Comixology or someone is going to find a comic book reader that works properly, and fans & companies will begin to migrate to that platform. As more people migrate, we’re going to see more and more retailers go under, just like we have with bookstores, music stores, and Blockbuster. But the industry and the major players in it will survive, and hopefully thrive.

Wow, Mark Waid is one hot looking blonde.

One quibble with Dan Brothers’ statements about Netflix (“Netflix doesn’t hold back on content, let publishers set ridiculous prices, or send customers to Blockbuster, so why should digital comics do the same?”).

Netflix *does* hold back on content.

They’ve signed multiple agreements with studios to delay renting certain DVDs for 28 days or more. Blockbuster has signed exclusivity agreements with those same studios. All of this is a bunch of people trying to protect the sales channels that have worked for them for 20 years or more.

As for allowing publishers (studios) to set ridiculous prices … anyone who thinks Netflix streams are going to remain so cheap in the future is, frankly, deluding themselves.

If Netflix wants to be on par with cable company offerings, they’re going to have to offer more money for licenses. Which means higher subscription rates for customers.

How does this relate to comics? It’s a similar licensing and retail channel problem. You can’t offer excellent prices online without alienating the hell out of your existing retail chain.

See also: http://www.google.com/search?q=netflix+signs+deal+delay+warner+brothers

@ John.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Sex change. It works.

Chike– “One quibble with Dan Brothers’ statements about Netflix (“Netflix doesn’t hold back on content, let publishers set ridiculous prices, or send customers to Blockbuster, so why should digital comics do the same?”).

Netflix *does* hold back on content.”

Perhaps Netflix and Hulu and other online media sites need to cater to the demands of businesses that still have semi-healthy sales channels, but the comic book industry doesn’t have this problem. The businessmen in the direct market need to realize that these new comic formats and methods of distribution will never be uninvented. They may still have the time to innovate and adapt, but if their only solution is to dig in their heels and “keep it real” then they will end up in the same situation as the mom and pop video rental stores and buggy whip manufacturers. Every technological innovation has upset the status quo at some time, and eventually the dust settles and the market stabilizes. Usually, the businesses left standing have been the ones that embrace change. Unfortunately the comic industry is one that has an almost pathological aversion to change.

@russ lowery – I think you raise a valid point but I disagree about some of your conclusions.

There’s no way for an independent retailer to participate in the new world order of digital distribution. They’re completely cut out of this model.

It’s not so much a “buggy-whip manufacturer” kind of problem. In a variety of ways, these guys offer a value that can’t be replicated online (serendipity, secondary markets, etc).

The difference with other goods — like software, music, or movies — is that the good itself is the same whether you buy a DVD/CD, rent from an independent, or stream something off Netflix.

The same goes for books. Text, aside from some editing and design issues, is just text.

But comics? Comics are a different beast. I’ve seen a lot of artwork and layouts recently that simply couldn’t work on a 10″ tablet screen, much less a smartphone screen.

So we’re entering a world where it’s not artists and publishers that will define the medium, it’s technology companies like Apple, Adobe and Amazon.

There are a lot of advantages to digital distribution, but I’m wary of worlds where DC’s “Wednesday Comics” or a one shot mini from Gabrielle Bell are less likely to exist, simply because technology dictates the market and the medium.

@Chike- I can understand your point of view, but I completely disagree with it.

Independent retailers are already competing in the market against free downloadable copies of all of the comics that they offer in their stores. In fact, they have been for years. Like you said, there are aspects of printed comics that do not translate well to a screen, and the stores that have been doing well have done so by focusing on these. Some have been catering to customer bases that are outside the realm of the traditional comic shop. Their market is changing whether they like it or not. It is their job to change with it, or find another business.

The argument about movies being the same whether you but the dvd, rent it from a store, or stream it online doesn’t take into account that the movie industry said the exact opposite when the television was invented. They thought that nobody would replace going to a theater with watching their movies on such a tiny screen. Nobody would give up the quality of film for digital recording. Nobody would want to buy movies when they could rent them cheaper. Who would ever rent movies by putting them on a list and waiting for them to come in the mail? All of these arguments are easily translated to comics.

Technology has always defined the comics medium. The advances in printing technology have improved every aspect of comics from how they are drawn to what colors can be used to make them. These artists and writers are reacting to the new technology and adapting their storytelling to the new tools that are available.

I have no problem seeing an industry where the artists can push the boundaries of a medium that has at the same time grown beyond the limitations of page width and length, but also that play to the strengths of the new screen size formats.

One of my beefs with the direct market is this:
no impulse buying.

Where I live, I need to order ANY comic or trade from Previews catalog, 2 months ahead. The store does not carry more than a copy or two of ANY comic to place on their shelf, and very seldom will it pull in a GN or Trade for instore sale.

With digital comics, I can go online, order, and get my comic right away.

Hey, I am the almighty customer!!!
I pay the salaries of the entire comic industry and the retailers, and the printers, and the delivery truck drivers.

The indutry needs to treat me with respect and retailers need to tell me how I benefit from buying my comic from them, instead of buying a digital copy online.

@John: Comment of the year.

@Al: You describe a problem most people try to brush aside yet is very real. A lot of comic stores, particularly in the MidWest, only order and stock Marvel and DC. I don’t want to read the catalog every month and create an order sheet – I just want to read the comic. Money isn’t the issue there, it’s how involved I have to be to have the opportunity to purchase an issue of RASL or Thrizzle.

Back to Chris Gage’s comment, I think the customer base being only 300,000 people, as stated by Boom comics at SDCC, is the problem. That’s just a tiny audience.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. My books are on this app, too, so I am hoping for all the best for Image Comics!

So… lots of comics for sale… but where are the e-books? The graphic novels?

Yeah, I can see the single issues being in print forever, but eventually, someone will complain about the cost or the annoyance…

“Man… I want to read the entire run, but I don’t want to waste all that time downloading 100 issues. Guess I’ll just find a torrent site.”

“What? Issue #4 is checked out from the library and there’s a waiting list? And when I do get that issue, I’ll have to wait on another list for #5? Eh… it wasn’t that great…I’ll read something else.”

Yeah, go ahead and discuss how color and larger pages don’t display on a Kindle or nook. Meanwhile, I’ll be reading “American Born Chinese”. ($8.99 at BN.com)

Did Longbox ever launch?

It’s true, these are early days in the digital market for comics. Prices and distribution of official digital-only copies and standards have yet to be ironed out on par with how iTunes chiseled the music industry into a unified front.

Nonetheless, as I’ve always said (no matter which publisher) someone has to get out there instead of waiting for perfect weather. Growing pains will be experienced. Until then I just keep making comics.

I’m sorry I missed this panel. So much to think about in this new and explosive media format.

I agree with Douglas. In the digital world you either go balls out or tits up.

Meanwhile… OneManga has announced that they will be removing ALL comics from their site, regardless of provenance.

Panelfly isn’t leaving comics… they just issued a press release announcing the new venture, and how they’ll be on more platforms than any other company. Think of it as a merger, like US West becoming Qwest. Or National Periodicals becoming part of Warner Communications.

Digital comics have been my main mission to find out about this comic con. Publishers are excited and want to know more, retailers want it to work for them, but seem a little touchy about “press” attending their meetings on the subject (sorry retailers, I’m just trying to learn more, like you) and as far as I can tell, comic apps have taken on a life of their own, and cannot be stopped at this point. No one I’ve talked to seems to think that print will die because of them, nor does anyone want to stop buying print. I couldn’t tell you what this all means, but I have to admit, I’m enjoying reading on my iPad.

As a recent iPad user, I’m fascinated with the prospect of reading comics on a portable device. But right now, the selection is abysmal. I’d love to see books by Fantagraphics, Oni, Top Shelf, etc.

Imagine reading about a new book on this site or another comics site and being able to instantly acquire that book. It is that impulse purchase that will fuel a revolution in distribution. Just as I can now purchase any song, moments after I hear it, so will it be for comics.

I for one am not a collector, but more of a stasher. I rarely go back to my old books, but can’t bear the thought of throwing them out like magazines. A digital system alivates the clutter and the guilt.

Let’s face it, most comic shops carry Marvel, DC, Image, and some Dark Horse, at least that’s what’s in the shops in and around where I’m at here in Red Bank, NJ. I have to go into NYC to if I want a wide variety. But hard to find indie books could find a much larger audience given the ubiquity of digital distribution. It will be interesting to see how it evolves.

I’d go to this if I could, even though I am going to comic con. I’m just to busy getting ready for comic con. I just got an iPad and downloaded the app for comixology.com Very impressive. I’ll be wanting to talk to them this week.

Libraries have been things of value since ancient times. There's something solid and confirming about the physical presence of books, so it's sad to think of them becoming less present in our daily lives. But the flip side is that - like computers resurrecting the art of writing to where there's more of it than ever - it's also possible that books, including the classics will become even more accessible because of technology. I know I have to think long and hard about buying a hardback, not only due to the cost, but where am I going to store yet another book? E-books are not only cheaper, but greener. And they open up a world of new talent. My teenage daughter can easily read a book a day. She'd be in heaven if she had an e-reader.

We've had an iPad since it came out and I recently invested in a Kindle. (I wrote a comparison on my blog, for anyone who's interested). Yet... the more I read electronically, the more I value paper. Yes, it's fun to read a book electronically, and the instant gratification aspect of thinking, "Oh yeah, that book, let's buy it--zap!" is nice, if a bit TOO convenient. Yet there really is something to be said about the heft and feel of a paper book, of no need for batteries or electricity, of being able to glance at a shelf looking for some title or cover art that catches your eye. And given the peculiarities of e-book formatting, I'm wondering if not only bookstores and libraries will die, but the art of a well-laid-out manuscript.

I recently bought a Kindle. Though I enjoy reading on it, if I read a "keeper" book, I know I'll also buy it in print. I already do that with library books. There are books I love so much I want to physically hold them, and it makes me happy to see them on my shelves.

I have a Kindle and I wouldn't part with it for the world. I'll admit there are some books I want but are not available on Kindle and my plan is to wait it out until it's available. When it comes to books that I know I'll treasure, be it a favorite classic or a favorite author, I'll purchase it at the bookstore. I haven't lost wanting the distinguishing features of a book. E-books are, for me, the paperback of books--almost like reading magazines. When I want a hardcover, I want to keep it forever and therefore an e-book won't do.

I hadn't thought about it before, but the process of browsing with an e-reader is different than wandering through a library or bookstore and picking up random books and riffling through them.

No one censored my reading when I was young, and as a result I read some books that were way beyond my comprehension. But I did read them, and still remember them (The Little Prince stands out--I picked it up at a vacation cottage when I was eight and read it because it had funny pictures).

Will we lose that wonderful serendipity if we go all-electronic?

My wife and I read extensively to my son from when he was a baby until junior year in high school. He read by himself, as well. Now he's just graduated from college, and no longer reads for enjoyment. He's planning on a family (after he finds someone to marry!) and I feel sure he'll read to his children as we did. We still have many of the books we read, from Winnie the Pooh to The Lord of The Rings, ready to hand them over at the proper time. But I can't help picturing him reading to his children from an e-reader. It'll be a different generation, though (I hope) not the less for it.

Just as photography didn't kill paintings, tv didn't kill movies, and e-mail didn't kill snail mail, e-books will not spell the end of the paper book. A balance will be reached and both will survive. We as a species are too much collectors to be satisfied with having our books disappear into the ether.

In the book "Freakonomics", authors Levitt and Dubner have an essay in which they propose - through their studies - that children who are surrounded by books at home actually do better at school. Doesn't matter if they actually read all of the books, but there is an impact. I'm highly summarizing their thoughts, but it's an essay worth reading.

I think it's going to take very, very long time before ereaders start to replace books to any significant degree. If you'll recall, once PCs became so prevalent, people predicted the end of paper - that no one would ever need to keep written/printed documentation. But there is still a lot of paper out there.

Too, we here who are very plugged into the internet tend to forget that a lot of people are not so computer savvy or even inclined. The price and complexity of ereaders and ebooks are going to be a huge barrier to wide-spread acceptance.

I'm not going to start building my bomb shelter just yet.

I don't believe ebooks are going to replace paper books any time in my lifetime (and I'm still in my 20's), and I don't think that's just wishful thinking. I haven't gotten an e-reader of any sort yet, but it's on my list for my one of my next large-ish purchases. I think e-readers will enhance the reading experience but that books will still be there. And I love the example of "photography didn't kill painting". I'm going to use that one! Even though photography did mostly kill portrait painting. . . but I digress.

The desire to see what books people read or to see what book they are reading at that instant is a two-way street. It's often commented that people like others to see what they're reading as well. There have been proposals and attempts at designing readers that actually have a rear screen that shows the cover of what you're reading (abandoned because the cost to value was prohibitive to the device).

As so much of our social life migrates online (Facebook, et al.) there are already virtual bookshelves that let you list books you own, upload the list of books on your reader, and even chose which books are stacked and which are front-faced. We will, in the future, still be able to peruse a person's bookshelf, and we will be able to do it without even going to their home.

Eric at Pimp My Novel had a wonderful idea of libraries supplanting brick and mortar book stores with POD vending machines for those people who still prefer their books on paper. I think that's a visionary idea.

@Jessica Peter: Unless you have an illness or are in an accident, ebooks will become the dominant delivery method of text within your lifetime. I'm not just talking 50%. 80% or more of books will be sold in ebook form by the time you retire.

I have books on my shelves that belonged to my grandmother, a lot of books that were my father's. I still reread them. I have ebooks on my hard drive in a format I can no longer read because I gave my Rocket Ebook reader away. Formats change. Power goes out and you can't retrieve a file, but you can still read a print book with a flashlight. Granted, those backlit readers are great on a camping trip, but to me, being surrounded by shelves loaded with my favorite books is a very special kind of personal wealth. And, as an author, staring at a screen is how I work all day. To relax at the end of the day, I love the feel of that solid, printed book in my hands. It will be awhile before I can really embrace ebooks, even though my first publishing experience was with epublishers back in 1998 when very few people even knew what an ebook was. My loyalty still lies with my long time printed friends.

Great discussion! I've been going back and forth with the readers on my blog about the very same thing, and it's great to see it articulated so well by Eric and all of the readers here on BookEnds.

While I don't think paper books will ever die completely, I do think they are going to become the stuff for collectors only. I like to compare it to what's happened to music.

Digital music is by far the most consumed medium for music. However, there are still folks who prefer the sound quality of the old 45s. There are niche stores in every major city that still cater to those people, and new albums are still released on those formats on a limited scale. It's basically an expensive hobby.

Books will be much the same way; only collectors will have the resources to seek out paper books. If the new hardback you covet is going to set you back $50 and 40 mile round-trip, which it may in 10 years, how likely are you to buy it over a $5 digital copy? How important is smelling, tasting, etc. a real book to you? For many, it won't even be an option.

For everyone that fears reading is going to somehow die due to a lack of physical books in the home, relax. If television, video games, and texting haven't killed the art of reading for fun (I work with middle schoolers, they still read believe it or not), nothing will.

The smell of a bookstore, the hushed hum of the library, I would miss them. I like to see how many pages I have read and how many I have left.
Like my round kitchen clock, vs. the digital on the microwave. I see the time which has elapsed and I can judge how much time I have left, I don’t like countdowns.

Velcro on my kids sneakers might be quicker and more convenient but sometimes…bows just look better.

Joseph:10:11
I hope you are wrong and jess is right.
Remember 9:11, power out, cell phones overloaded, no communication.
Do not put all you eggs in your technological basket. And don't tell me eggs go bad out of the fridge because people have been eating eggs for thousands of years.

Seen any good cave drawings lately or read any good stone tablets; books don't last forever but
no plugs, no batteries, no reading, scary thought.

I am a self-professed "book junkie" but I like the real deal. Browsing shelves in bookstores or my friends' and acquaintances' homes is a delight to me. I love to hold them, turn the pages, smell them, pass them on to neighbors and friends. I hope the e-books don't ever fully replace the traditional paper book, much like I hope online news sites don't ever fully replace newspapers and magazines.

I think paper will never fully go out of style. I'm hoping that books will become beautiful again. I remember, as a child, I had a set of books with gold-leafing on the edges. Oh WOW! I spent hours! I was so fascinated about that, and treasured those books.

In that library, I think they'll be at least one shelf of beautifully-bound books, produced so well they're practically works of art: hand-stitched, illustrations, gold-leafing, leather cover, shiny paper...

I too believe there is room for both paper and ereaders. I have a Kindle and to be honest I don't read as quickly on it. I don't like the page turning. I do think IPad resolved that, but I'm not spending that kind of money on what is basically a "toy" for me.

I prefer the old fashioned books. I too love the feel and smell of them. I like to browse book stores and come out with my bag heavy. I also like to loan out books from time to time. I buy an inordinate amount of books and my friends who don't like to buy books come to me when they need something to read.

That being said I also believe that ereaders will get some people reading that previously didn't. As it is a more "cool" way to read for young people raised in the technological era.

For me though I will save my Kindle for my business trips and keep the paper books.

I think a related change is that people are going to buy more "guilty pleasure" books because no longer are they going to have think about the image they are projecting when they carry the book around in public. So romance and erotica sales should go up. Sales of books meant not to be read but to make a house/bookshelf look erudite will go down.

I love my Nook and can't believe I fought against the idea of owning one for so long, but I'm like Edie. My e-books are a testing ground for me of new author's, genres, etc. When finding a book I really enjoy and know I'll want to read again, I MUST have it in physical form. Same holds true for all works from my faves.

My future bookshelves may be a bit smaller, but they'll be even more cherished.

There was also a time when people thought television would kill radio, but it never happened. I do believe e-books will become larger and larger in the upcoming years, but I don't think paper books will ever be replaced. I think media like radio and newspapers have been under more pressure from advanced technologies than paper books will ever be. Newspapers with Internet news sites and radio with, not television, but portable music players (e.g. - ipods, iphones, etc.).

Great front porch analogy--

My husband and I were talking about this last week. I think/hope they can co-exist.
Is having a record the same as listening to a symphony perform? Is looking up Van Gogh's paintings on the internet the same as visiting a museum and seeing the brushstrokes?

Also, environmentally, e-readers aren't necessarily better than paper. Electronics are created to be replaced, like computers. They are filled with metals and materials that can be toxic and are often not disposed of properly. Not to mention they're mined by children in developing countries for pennies...

On a tangent, sorry.

I think the visceral pleasure of reading will endure.

My 76 year old mother is reading Laura Bush's new book on her ipad. For two hours, she told me all about it on her iphone the other night until my head was hanging. And I know she discusses this e-book (and others) with everyone from the dry cleaner to the ladies in the Red Hat Society.

This past weekend friends and neighbors gathered at my house in my new outdoor living space to celebrate the 4th. We sat around the new open concept fireplace on comfortable, cushioned chairs and talked about the books we're reading on our e-reading devices.

Things change.

Personally, I'll take indoor plumbing over an outhouse any day :)

I agree with those who say a balance will be found. I read on my iPad but I also buy physical books when I know it will be one I'll reread.

I read with my kids on the iPad, which they think is cool, but in no way stops them from hauling the entire contents of their bookshelf into bed at night. Seriously, they start with 2 or 3 that I know about and I have to dig them out come morning.

One aspect I love about my ereader is how much more I read now. The instant access and lower price point have me reading well outside of my comfort zones and I for one think that is a very good thing.

The cost of paper books will have a large impact on their continued existence. The cost to produce, ship and then handle returns will increase as print runs decrease (it is always cheaper to print more than less). Print runs will decrease because a percentage of books will be bought electronically. As the cost of paper books goes up and the cost of e-readers goes down more people will buy e-readers.

As someone else mentioned- I believe you will always have the option to buy a book in print, but the cost will be more significant as it will be a limited item.

I'll be surprised if this change takes much longer than 5-10 years. Don't get me wrong- I love print books, but the economics will drive the situation. One the upside I buy more books now that I have an ereader. Poor impulse control where books are concerned.

This reminds me of the movie of Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, You Got Mail...how I really felt sad when the shop around the corner had to close because of a bigger and more contemporary shop had opened. The ambiguity of saying goodbye and holding on to the beauty of the past...we just have to befriend the future lest we do not live and enjoy what is now...

Do you remember the advent of e-mail? I, for one, wondered why I'd send an electronic message when I could just pick up the phone and leave a voice mail. Over time, each found its own place, and e-mail has continued to evolve with the advent of sites like Facebook and Twitter.

I think we're witnessing the same shift with e-books. They do not have to REPLACE physical books, but over time each will find its niche.

I've been using a Kindle for two years now, mainly for the stream of mysteries that I consume on a daily basis. But when I need a reference, or want to read a book over and over again, I buy the hardback version.

For me, this is an exciting time. I can't wait to see how this story turns out.

I'm funny this way. I really don't feel nostagia for books, although I love them. I understand that many people do, but I just don't...

I was thinking yesterday how wonderful it will be to have all the storage space cleared up.

Whenever I buy a book, I then have to figure out what to do with it. Do I save it? Give it to the library or a friend? Recycle it? It's kind of a pain, having all those books lying around, even though I feel affection for many of them. And dusting them!

What I want is easy and instant access, without the clutter! So, I think I'm an e-book type of gal. :)

We said the same thing about those lovely vinyl records when CDs came along. We said the same thing about letters when email came along. We also made the leap because the new technology had more positives than negatives.

I have my Kindle and I love it. I can take my entire library with me where ever I go. It's green--no trees were cut down, no rain forests destroyed. And pricing is a whole lot easier on the pocket book, believe me.

I still get hard covers--I'm a hard cover snob. But I save those for the books that I really love, series that I want to keep for posterity. But as someone who's moved a lot, carting those puppies is exhausting.

It's time to move to the new millenium, new technology.

Joseph:10:11
I hope you are wrong and jess is right.
Remember 9:11, power out, cell phones overloaded, no communication.
Do not put all you eggs in your technological basket. And don't tell me eggs go bad out of the fridge because people have been eating eggs for thousands of years.

None of these things have any impact on ereaders. The content exists in your device. If you're using a reader, your battery lasts for days. If you're using your phone, you don't need service to read the book. They're little mini-computers that let you read.

Sure people can dream up apocalyptic scenarios where ereaders will be useless, but the same can be done for paper books. It's a fruitless exercise.

Redefine "surrounded". Books will be at our children's fingertips in ways I only wish they had been at mine. We will still have physical books. We'll just think about them differently, perhaps more as keepsakes and thereby, increasing their lifetime value.

But really, how many of the books one owns are actually re-read? For me, that's where ebooks have a place--for books that I have a passing interest in or that I need to carry with me, like the Bible. Physical books will be for things that have longevity in my life, books I know I will re-read and treasure or those I will reference a lot, like cookbooks.

As I read through the comments, I just want to point out something that as as former scientist and current science/medical writer, that I want to question. I don't specifically have an answer, but I definitely have the question:

Are e-readers really "greener" than paper books?

I honestly doubt it. As someone mentioned, the batteries in the readers are probably lithium-ion, also possibly nickel, so mining's involved. As well as plastics, which is a petroleum-based product, & the manufacturing processes that build the devices themselves. And electricity which charges the batteries and fuels the server farms that handle all the storage for companies like Amazon, et al., which in the U.S. primarily comes from the burning (and mining) of coal.

So although I think there are probably a number of reasons to like e-books and e-readers, I'm very skeptical of the "they're more environmental" argument.

They don't involve cutting down trees, but paper is typically made of trees that aren't high-end and grow fast so they can be replanted and farmed.

If e-readers had existed while I was commuting three hours per day (train & subway) I would have loved having one! And still, when the budget allows, I wouldn't mind getting one.
But for me books are also a decorating element! I have a wall of them in my family room. The colors are so welcoming, and the memories are all there out on the shelf.

I doubt very much ereaders will replace books entirely. A lot of people gave some great examples, and I remember when they tried to come out with tinier versions of CDs - that sure didn't last long. Not every technological advance is going to be a better option. Sometimes when the shiny new feeling fades people will drift back to what they had before. There will be people who prefer ereaders, people who prefer books, and people who'll use both. Everything has its place.

As for greener, well no they're not. Like others have said, their production and their contents don't make them greener - in fact it might even make them less so. If we want to go down the greener road, we should look at alternatives to trees as a paper source. They're out there.

The times they are a-changing.

Remember when every town had at least one record store? Well, take a look at how many you see now.

Yes, I think there will always be printed books for the ones who want them. But more and more people are going, not just to Kindles and Nooks and iPads, but to their iPhones. How handy is it to pull up a book on your phone while you're waiting to be called in the doctor's office? And then later on while you wait for your spouse to meet you the restaurant, pull the book you were reading up to right where you left off?

Bookstores are going to have to adapt or go the way of record stores.

I'll have to say that I've been addicted to books for well over 50 years. There's something about the smell, the texture, the tactile sensations that an electronic device cannot evoke. I derive pleasure (!?) from running my fingers over the lines of text in an old book and feeling the "bite" of the impressions of the letters that were actually printed on the page. It's wonderful to pick up a 100+year-old book in a junk shop and feeling a connection to the original owner as you are seeing and feeling something that eyes long dead and hands long dust also saw and felt. Books have souls; when I am in my library by myself I never feel alone.

I'm big into technology, but I'm not sold on the e-book just yet.

First of all, I sit at a computer all day long at work, and then into the evening with my own writing, so I really dont want to stare at something bright like a screen when I'm switching into relaxation and escape mode.

Second, I love books. I love taking them to bed, out by the pool, and to the beach. I don't have to worry about batteries going dead, or them getting wet. I even love the little things around the house that I use for book marks,like: my daughters photo, a movie stub, or a ribbon off a bouquet of flowers. That one little book mark helps me remember something special if only for a second. I also love the covers of a book. I love reading the description of a character in a book, and turning to the cover to see if the model captured what the author was seeing/feeling.

I don't think I will ever be swayed from paper books. I think the e-book makes it difficult for me to downshift from work mode to relaxation mode, so I'll always love a good book!

Man this comment made me want to hit the beach with a good romance novel! :)

I wrote about this on my blog a couple of months ago. I love books ... the feel, the smell, the popping of the glue when you open it real wide. I like to see them lined up on my shelf and I love to curl up with one ... whether it is in front of a fire on a cold wintery night, or in a lawn chair under a tree trying to avoid the hot sun. And when I really love a book, I like to hug it. Could I hug an e-Reader?
Here's the link to my blog
http://takenoutofcontext-jill.blogspot.com/2010/04/only-thing-i-want-to-kindle-is-fire.html

My husband left a comment (which is really a lecture) about how books are wasting paper and impacting on the environment!

PS I love that you once determined a guy's date-worthiness by what he had read!! Wish I would have thought of it myself!

Yikes. I hadn't thought about e-books in terms of my kids.

Like how, just last night, my 8-yr-old browsed the bookshelves for something that looked fun that she hadn't read yet, wanting to read before bed.

That wouldn't be possible with e-books, not in the same way.

And the home library--again, yikes. When we moved, the FIRST boxes unpacked were my books, not because I was going to read each and every one, but because I needed them around me.

I love the technology and all it offers to writers, but dang.

I can’t wait for when collectors start filing away iPads in mylar bags

i think e-publishing for comics is going to be more akin to format wars for video — there’s not going to be a clear leader for a time, and to get a digital product people might have to buy a few things in less-than-perfect format first until the best one (or most financially sound one) rises to the top.

I think the better analogy of what’s going to happen with e-publishing (and not necessarily just for comics) is closer to what happened with HD DVD/Blu-ray and is now happening with Blu-ray vs. the many on-line services: consumers will be so confused by the number of formats and devices that they will do absolutely nothing and keep buying what they were buying before until the companies figure out that sharing a little bit with everyone else leads to more profits for everyone.

The “war” is less over prices and more over business model and discounts. Macmillan is replicating Apple’s 70-30 split.

Otherwise, Amazon could just do what they’ve been doing with the bestsellers, sell them at a ridiculously low price point which means they lose money.

It’s not unethical (grocery stores promote loss leaders frequently, sometimes with the help of the producers), and it is legal for stores to sell goods at whatever price they wish. (Dart Drug v. Parke, Davis)

Of course, once you price your competition out of business, you can then charge whatever you wish.

As for charging for a few bits and bytes… the same thing could be said of almost any commodity. The costs of production and distribution are high and must be amortized, even if the actual package costs pennies to produce. ESPECIALLY when few authors make a living from book royalties.

I see ebooks replacing mass market paperbacks. Either we will see ebooks released after a trade paperback or hardcover, or we might see bundled packages, where one buys a paper and ebook edition together. (Disney already does this with DVDs, either selling a DVD with a downloadable digital copy, and/or offering a regular DVD with a Blu-ray disc.)

Well… format wars is definitely right. Interestingly, Sony punted their proprietary format and Apple is treading VERY carefully around iBooks format being ePub compatible, though I haven’t had a chance to go looking for a detailed explanation of that.

The one thing that really _isn’t_ being brought up specifically is that eBooks completely hose the old hardcover/softcover split. We all know that hardcovers are disproportionately priced, in terms of production cost. And we know that unless it’s a really long book, there’s really only $1-2 in printing for a decent sized press run. Pricing an ebook at a discount to the hardcover release means pricing the digital like a tpb (and more than the mass media paperback). Unless you delay the ebook to coincide with softcover, this is going to wreak havoc with hardcover pricing models.

What you really gain w/ebooks is losing a couple bucks/book off the printing and ~20% of list price (if you’re giving a 30% discount to the vendor… under Amazon’s current “we keep 70%” plan that’s supposed to go away, you’re losing an extra ~20% to discount). So with really, really rough cocktail napkin math:

HD price = $30

so $30 * 0.80 (to reflect lower discount) = $24 - $2 (printing) = $22 for your list price.

$22 vs. $9.99? Were I a publisher, I’d still be pissed at $15

now a $15 trade would be

$15 * .8 = $12 - 2 = $10, which would be what Amazon’s pushing for a price.

Very rough math, but this is what we’re talking about.

Itunes proves that people will pay the same amount of money for less versatility or control of what they buy because consumers are dumb or just not suspicious enough of retailers.

Digital was great back when everything was free and easy. I’m not just saying that because I don’t want to pay for anything. Before corporate interest invaded there was a lot more a person could do with digital, but now everything is proprietary and only works in certain ways.

Things should be simple because they CAN be simple, but all the people who control all the money make it complicated so that they get to keep all the money. My response to that is to not give them my money and if that means I’m not cool for not having an iSomething then I’ll not be cool yet be $X richer.

I understand the desire to move away from paper I really do. But there’s going to be a time when people realize that you can own a book, but because of hidden codes or stealth programs you can never really own anything digital unless you have your own hidden codes and stealth programs to destroy the ones that came with what you bought. Hackers are going to be in greater demand the more we move into the digital world.

I try to avoid buying things with DRM and I don’t want DVDs with “free digital copy” included (because it’s a lie) because I want to make my own actually-free digital copy because I paid money for a license and I should be able to do whatever I want with it aside from uploading it onto the internet for anyone to access.

Digital rocks, but I have a very strong desire to buy and learn how to use a printing press. Now that would be freedom.

I think that people will feel that an electronic copy of a book should cost them less than a printed book.

By buying the electronic copy, you are also agreeing ( in my opinion) never to “sell” it to a used bookstore, lend it to a friend to read, or dispose of it at a community booksale or yard sale.

And of course, the retailer will not need to “return” the unsold copies to the publisher, and the author will not need to autograph their “books”, as we used to call them.

I’m just one person, but this is a fact: I will never, NEVER, pay more for an e-book of any content (prose or comics) than I would for the lowest-priced paperback book on the market. I will not pay TPB or hardback price for something that has NO COST of publication. Period.

The stupidity and greed of the book world is equal to that of the music industry, apparently.

Todd Allen:

Your napkin math is interesting and is the first thing to make me think the costs of books fall in different places.

It has always seemed to me that if you take out the printing costs, delivery, warehouse, storage, a lot of the staff who handle the books, etc. that the actual cost of the thing must be pretty low.

If all the people that need to get paid for making a book get paid fairly (writers,editors,publicity,maintaining the electronic infrastructure, whatever else is entailed), are you saying the actual cost is really $22 per book?

It is an absolute falacy to think that an eBook has no cost of publication. Actual manufacturing of a hardcover book is a very small percentage of the cost of a new hardcover book. Most costs are non tangible - creation of content, editting, promotion, etc etc. For ebooks sold concurrently with a new hardcover release, cost of the ebook must be on par with the portion of nontangible cost of the hardcover counter part. In that regard $15 is not unreasonable.

McMillans alternative is to delay the release window for the Kindle edition such that a lower price is an acceptable business model. This is not unlike the practice of releasing mass market paperbacks cheaply a year after the Hardcover.

While I totally agree with Todd Allen’s math and reasoning, I say too bad if the publishers are upset over losing money. Why do I say that? Because I’m a consumer and I want to pay less. It’s in my best interest to lobby for the cheapest possible price.

Torsten’s comment is also a case of too bad:

“As for charging for a few bits and bytes… the same thing could be said of almost any commodity. The costs of production and distribution are high and must be amortized, even if the actual package costs pennies to produce. ESPECIALLY when few authors make a living from book royalties.”

The cost of production and distribution of ebooks certainly isn’t high. And if an author can’t make a living from book royalties - that’s their problem.

The real question is surely whether a publisher can recoup the same money from an ebook as it can from a hardcover. Given that a whole chunk of the distribution chain — that typically buys books at a 40-50% discount — is gone, that means anything more than half the price of a hardcover (i.e. $12.50) is a gouge. And that’s without subtracting printing, warehousing, and transportation costs.

Which puts ten bucks at an extremely fair price for premium content (which should halve to trade/mass price after six months), so MacMillan are big fat liars; and Amazon is spot on.

Except, of course, that Amazon is also being a bit gougy, and shouldn’t be taking more than a wholesaler/distributor’s cut, since that’s what it is.

As a consumer, and editor, and creator, I have to wonder why anyone wouldn’t want the people making the things we all presumably enjoy to be able to eek out a living from them. If they don’t, we get no stories or books of any kind in any format. So the “too bad” school of consumerism seems shortsighted to me. If we’d like things like comics and novels to continue, then fair pricing for the work that goes into creating them should matter. Otherwise we’ll end up with fanfic and not a whole lot else. People create things because they want to share them, but it’s kind of strange to say “too bad” if they don’t make a living. I think we can accommodate both consumers desire not to be gauged, and creators and publishers ability to give people quality content.

I mean, we all expect to get paid for the work we do, yes? I don’t see how that suddenly becomes “too bad” because it’s publishing.

While there isn’t the actual cost of printing in digital, there’s plenty of work that goes into e-publishing. It’s not the same format and it requires a ton of adjustments, especially when images are involved. A digital comic has to deal with different formats and screen sizes, for instance. It’s not as simple as making it smaller or whatever.

Nate Horn says that ‘And if an author can’t make a living from book royalties - that’s their problem.’

Actually it’s the reader’s problem as well. Royalties come from all formats including digital books and pricing digital books really cheap means no meaningful royalties fro the author, nor any meaningful profit for the publisher? The result? Most likely no more books from that author for you to read.

Rich:

The quickie math isn’t costs, but a rough estimate of what the price ought to be adjusted for lack of materials and increased discount. Another relevant question is whether having techies involved costs more than shipping/warehousing.

Now if the publishers were selling directly to consumers, the equation changes again…

Let’s not forget that (a) trade book publishing is a notoriously unprofitable field and (b) Amazon was trying to establish a de facto monopoly with the Kindle, which has now effectively been broken by Apple. Publishers, Macmillan definitely included, have been afraid that with the rise of ebooks, Amazon will find themselves in a position to dictate far lower payments for ebooks. Now they’re feeling that’s not the case.

New material costs money to produce. That’s the real reason hardcover books cost more than trade paperbacks, and new comics cost more than Essentials or Showcase Presents volumes. I see nothing unreasonable in publishers trying to figure out how to pay for their costs (which are largely creative) and make a bit of profit. We’re in for some misleading ups and downs as everyone experiments with the market, but I think Charlie Stross has it right: this is going to shake down with higher prices for brand-new material and lower ones for older material. Just like the old hardcover/softcover model, but with greater flexibility.

Well, I guess the author could sell ad space in the stories… kind of like product placement… you turn the page and a pop-up ad appears. The author can balance the lack of royalties with ad revenue. Perhaps even change the locale of a story if a town or business sponsors the book. People could bid on ebay to have a character named after them in the story. Look up a word in the dictionary and see more ads keyed to each definition.
Think this is far-fetched? Amazon filed for a patent a few months ago regarding advertising on the Kindle.
Don’t want ads? Buy a paper copy, which does pay a royalty.
I can see it now… Winston-Salem’s Lot… The Catcher in the Rice Krispies… Google Cid… Flatland’s End… The Burger King And I… Gone With The Windex…

It’s not about royalties for authors. It’s about the amount of money that the publishers make. Dressing it up as anything else makes it Marketing in disguise. Unfortunately, it works incredibly well.

What are we really paying for? Paper? Binding? Bytes?

I’d like to think that the real value is in the content. Cable television, and satellite radio proved that consumers will pay for content they want even if it is delivered in a medium they were used to getting for free.

Personally I don’t get the value of the Kindle or the iPad. The internet can put the power of digital control in the hands of the creator of the work as it does for all webcomics. Digital books, comics, video and music can all be read and enjoyed portably and with less limitation on a laptop.

Don’t get suckered into a trendy overpriced device.

As for Comics, there is so much incredible work on the web that is free, we should be encouraging consumers to support those efforts by buying related merchandise, supporting advertisers, and sharing the works with friends.

Comics at its best is a medium of freedom. Let’s not allow it to fall into another dark pit of format and packaging control led by digital providers like iTunes and Amazon.

I agree that I simply cannot imagine myself paying as much for an ebook as for a real book. I can’t put it on my bookshelves. I can’t read it in the bath. I can’t lend it to friends. It has less value to me. In fact, it has only one discernible advantage: I can get it immediately. But I have a pile of books waiting to be read, so that’s no advantage at all.

I would - and do - pay for online legal textbooks. But that’s because they’re perpetually updated, the footnotes are turned into hyperlinks to cases, and so forth. It’s a whole different model, and more akin to a database subscription.

Paul: With respect, I suspect that’s a generational preference, and one that may change. In the past ten years, the way we buy and share music has completely altered — and DRM has largely gone by the wayside along the way, which means you can “lend” electronically-bought songs to friends.

Ebook readers, including the iPad, are still in the expensive early-adopter phase. I haven’t seen the need for one yet, but when my wife was having eye problems, the Kindle was a godsend for her. It really is an amazing device, and it’s still a primitive prototype. It’s much easier on the eyes — especially for long blocks of type — than on any computer screen I’ve used.

“It’s not about royalties for authors. It’s about the amount of money that the publishers make.”

Army: Well, yes and no. It’s also about the amount of money Amazon makes. And on high-discount sales, the amount the publisher takes in directly affects the author’s royalty, once an advance has earned back. I’m more on the publisher’s side here, because I don’t like any company — even one I’ve had good experiences with, like Amazon — trying to set themselves up as a monopoly. But essentially this is a struggle for control of pricing in a low-profit industry.

The real value of books is the content. Collectors can gush about the creamy texture of the paper or the Corinthian leather binding, and those are all lovely qualities. However, without the words on the page, a book simply isn’t a book (and by extension isn’t all that valuable).

Stuart’s right in that this is a tug-of-war over the pricing of that content and effectively molding the mindset that’s to come out of the post-free-content era. Sure, there’s gonna be plenty of free content out there yet, some of it sponsored and some of it just costing you your time but it won’t always be the wild west free-for-all torrent all you can buffet, either. This is about formation of the market that will be populated by *every single kid* that grows up not reading books or comics on paper, which will be a lot of them. They’ll still read books, just electronic ones instead.

“I don’t like any company — even one I’ve had good experiences with, like Amazon — trying to set themselves up as a monopoly.”

Neither do I, and I don’t think Amazon should have that power. And I realize that right now e-books are additional revenue which isn’t taking the place of anything else at a publishing house to cause a reduction in cost. If anything, there’s an increase in cost because publishers have to support the already established system and this new e-system as well. Even if it was replacing something at the publisher level, I don’t see those people taking pay cuts because e-books don’t bring in as much money as the old paper versions used to. They’ll make the creators suffer the loss, which is where the argument probably comes from. It’s still a marketing tactic, though, because they’re playing “look at the poor creator” as they go swimming in their money vaults a la Scrooge McDuck. From a consumer standpoint, I’m just encouraging others to not accept a higher price as if it were justified because of misdirection of marketing or some other bleeding heart excuse. These companies have one function–protect their profits, and that’s what they’re trying to do. As a consumer, we have similar functions–get what you pay for and get the most out of your dollar (which isn’t much and will only get worse). I’m just saying…think before you buy. I would have never supported iTunes, but it is doing very well without me due to its clever tactics. Just like the government with our civil liberties, we’re allowing corporate interest to take away or limit our rights to fair use, and that’s bad. But most people don’t listen to me, so maybe I’m wrong.

“*every single kid* that grows up not reading books or comics ”

that’s a large population already.

“They’ll still read books, just electronic ones instead. ”

ah, an optimist.

Econ 101 tells us that, in a competitive marketplace, such as the ebook business is becoming, the price of goods will fall towards the total cost of production and distribution.

The napkin math we’ve seen here overlooks two very large costs of the current book-trade model: returns, and unsold print runs. Big publishers like MacMillan can sometimes strong-arm retailers into limiting the portion of returns to something like 10 percent, but small publishers can’t. But even big publishers face the unhappy fact that an average of 75 percent of copies printed wind up getting pulped because they aren’t sold.

These costs don’t apply to e-books. Exactly as many copies are made as are sold or given away. No returns, no warehouses full of un-sold stock to deal with, no shipping costs (which are disproportionately higher for smaller publishers).

Authors of prose books typically get only 8 percent of retail price, assuming they don’t get ripped off by publishers, which happens all too often. Creators of graphic novels generally get a higher royalty, but there is still plenty left to cover publishers’ costs, in most cases, even at the $10 price-point.

I think MacMillan is going to find that they’ll have a hard time maintaining $14-15/copy e-book rates, and competition will bring their prices on most books down to $10 and lower (discounting inflation, which I expect to pick up to late-’70s levels next year, but that’s a whole ‘nother topic.)

That’s why I agree with Doctorow that this fight is really about pricing models rather than pricing levels — and as a small publisher, I’m okay with MacMillan “winning” this round. As a reader, I don’t think it will matter much in the long run.

“I think we need a little bit MORE attention focus, not less.”

AMEN to that!

Not Uhura’s tricorder. But Spock’s, for sure!

Tricorder? No.
PADD? Yes.

http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/PADD

(And was anyone else surprised that, when Start Trek’s 40th anniversary was celebrated, nobody noticed how much of that future exists today? People walking around with earpieces, portable communicators, multi-ethnic workplaces…)

Remember, Newsday = The Dolan family. What did you expect?

The most common example of multitasking people seem to be bringing up is listening to music at the same time as doing something else, whether that’s reading, reading e-mail, writing a document, etc. It seems just very bizarre that you are going to need a secondary device to listen to music while using the iPad.

However, all the faults people have with the iPad leaves plenty of room for competition for other tablet devices like the HP Slate. Unlike the iPhone where it took years for other companies to catch up, there seemed to have been a number of planned tablets for a while now. By the end of 2010, there’s likely going to be all sorts of tablets out there, with all different operating systems, leaving a lot of choice for consumers.

The most common example of multitasking people seem to be bringing up is listening to music at the same time as doing something else

This is, in fact, one of the only real multitaskings the iPod touch and the iPhone can perform (the other is the ability to continue talking on the iPhone while you open another app). And that’s only for iTunes, not if you wish to listen to a third-party radio or audio app. So without having seen or played with an iPad yet, I’m just guessing that multitasking, it will include.

I don’t need to do 20 things at once, sure, but listening to some music while working, surfing or reading comics, that would be a good idea. As always, I think that it’s not the tool that gives bad habits but the user.

I’m actually more interested in the other, competing devices the iPad inspires than the iPad itself.

@Torsten: that’s all sorta mitigated by the fact that we’re not cruising in space at warp speed on giant spaceships yet. I mean, PADDs were cool, but it’s not like anyone thought that technology was impossible… only inevitable. (Like that communication thingie jammed in Uhura’s ear? I’m pretty sure Air Force pilots were flying around with similar things in their ears in those days as well.)

Above is MSI’s touchscreen tablet, which uses the Google Android OS and has multitasking, planned for release this year. That’s why negative reactions to the “iPad” name are significant. Consumers will always have alternatives.

SRS

I don’t think Apple is interested in multi-tasking simply because they want consumers to keep buying their other devices. Since Apple owns both hardware and software they are dependent on people buying an iPod, a iTouch, an iPhone, AppleTV, a laptop and now the iPad.

To combine many of those things together, or allow multi-tasking on some, would simply shoot their sales in the foot on others. Apple’s attempt to niche so many devices has made them their own enemy. Especially nowadays when convergence is so high among consumers.

I like what Synsidar is saying. That we have alternatives now. This will be key. The days of world domination might be a thing of the past (as seen in so many other arenas).

I think the WSJ has always had a paywall. And made money off it.

I salute you for using the phrase “champing at the bit” correctly. Thanks, Heidi!

@Torsten:
“And was anyone else surprised that, when Start Trek’s 40th anniversary was celebrated, nobody noticed how much of that future exists today?”

I seem to recall a fair number of fiction-Trek-tech-becomes-real stories over the years. For example, wasn’t that “How William Shatner Changed the World” Discovery Channel special aired around the 40th annivesary, even if not directly tied to it?

@Chad:
“I think the WSJ has always had a paywall. And made money off it.”

The WSJ’s success at getting users to pay for its content seems to be recognized as something that not many other papers would be able to replicate. Basically, it’s got unique, specialized content that folks are willing to pay for, which, frankly, is not something that many other papers can claim. (At least not to the same degree…)

I’d also suggest that a lot of those WSJ e-suscribers either write it off as a business expense, or bill it to their employers.

Danny: I have seen a horses teeth up close.

The WSJ’s success at getting users to pay for its content seems to be recognized as something that not many other papers would be able to replicate. Basically, it’s got unique, specialized content that folks are willing to pay for, which, frankly, is not something that many other papers can claim. (At least not to the same degree…)

They wouldn’t be able to replicate it now, probably, but if quality outfits such as the New York Times and the Washington Post hadn’t thrown everything out there for free when the Internet hit, who knows what things would look like now. But the genie is out of the bottle now for sure.

That said, it’s also worth noting that TimesSelect, the New York Times’ last attempt at a paywall, was making money before they abandoned it.

@JH: That’s probably true. The university paid for my subscription when I was in business school. Though I paid for it willingly for a year after graduation because there really are some good, business-related articles there.

It looks really nice but I was actually hoping for something a little bit larger (about an inch all the way around) and with a little more than 1024×768 resolution. I think we need a slightly larger device to make a great comics reader. Also they really are charging TOO MUCH for the RAM level upgrades.

“The most common example of multitasking people seem to be bringing up is listening to music at the same time as doing something else, whether that’s reading, reading e-mail, writing a document, etc. It seems just very bizarre that you are going to need a secondary device to listen to music while using the iPad.”

It’s bizarre because it’s NOT TRUE.

Spend two minutes fiddling with an iPhone and you’d know this. You CAN listen to music while browsing the web. You CAN jump from the web browser to your mail to your notepad etc without losing your place. Yes, the iPhone (and iPad) puts some *limits* on multitasking, which is what the OCD technerds complain about. But it does the most-wanted forms of multitasking (music while surfing, incoming calls while playing Tetris), and it handles basic task-switching rather nicely, and that’s what most people really want the iPad to do.

This whole “the iPhone doesn’t multitask” meme is nothing more than anti-hype propaganda started by Palm, to spotlight the one feature that their OS does a little better at than Apple’s. If you swallow the anti-hype without questioning it, you’re just as bad as the Apple zealots who were sure this was going to be the JesusPad.

“Also they really are charging TOO MUCH for the RAM level upgrades.”

Those aren’t RAM upgrades; they’re flash storage upgrades. That’s completely different technology, so judge the pricing accordingly.

Please, people: Try to know what you’re talking about before you start talking.

“The WSJ’s success at getting users to pay for its content seems to be recognized as something that not many other papers would be able to replicate.”

They also have an audience who were mostly raised in the Church of the Marketplace, where paying a fee for a service isn’t just a practical necessity… it’s a sacrament.

Jason A. Quest-

I know the difference between RAM and FLASH…not sure why I typed that. I do PC repair and have handled hundreds of RAM modules over the last 10 years. So I know what I’m talking about….and FLASH tends to be CHEAPER than RAM so they are still charging way too much for the upgrades.

That “35″ number has been tossed around a lot, but that’s because most people can get newsday online for free. Print subscribers get it, certain cable outlets give it for free, and only 35 wanted to pay just for the online component. When you get it free with a print subscription, why even 35 pay for it is a miracle. Even Newsday says so, who are not freaked out by that number. Read that article again Heidi.

Here’s a site comparing 8 different tablet computers coming out soon:
http://gizmodo.com/5459308/slate-showdown-ipad-vs-hp-slate-vs-joojoo-vs-the-android-tablets

By the time 2010 is over I imagine that comparison chart they have will expand. Which I think further backs up my point that the iPad likely won’t dominate the tablet market like they did the phone market with the iPhone, where it took competitors years to catch up.

The Notion Ink Tegra Android smartpad has a really sleek form.

Keep in mind that this is just the first iteration of the iPad. When the iPhone first came out the grumbling was essentially the same. You can see how poorly (he said sarcastically) that device has done and will continue to do. As more sophisticated models have arrived and new versions of the OS have been made available (OS versions 4.x will be available shortly), more and more people have flocked to the device. The same will be true of the iPad. There are many further innovations for this device yet to be implemented. The best advice I can give any of you is, if you can do it, buy as much Apple stock as you can, especially after the recent market declines vis a vis the SOTU speech and the President’s apparent anti-business bent. You will be very glad you did when the current fiscal year wraps up.

“35″

Ouch.

Yes, the iPhone *has* done well… but it was a phone with added gizmos. It replaced an existing device, namely the less-good mobile phone. As near as I can figure out, the iPad offers some of the features of a smartphone, and some of the features of a laptop. But it can’t replace the phone and it doesn’t sound like it’s powerful enough to replace the laptop. So you’re going to end up buying a third device to replicate the functions of two other devices that you’ll still need to own. That’s going to be a tough sell.

I can kind of see the appeal of having something like the iPad for web browsing on the sofa or, I guess, reading in bed. But I don’t see myself buying one just for that.

You’re right. Even as the U.S. economy dries up, there’ll be plenty of insourced foreign skilled professionals to buy technological frippery such as the ipad. The professional class, foreign born or American and its offspring, the urban hipster, are Apple’s demographic. In return, Apple products are socioeconomic status symbols for the groups mentioned earlier.

A somewhat related question: as an unagented writer, I sold a category romance, then sold a few more. While I'm happy with the writing and the house, and I'm likely to continue writing category, my career goals include writing women's fiction -- think books which might draw the audience of Picoult, Shreve, etc.

I don't need an agent for category, but I do for my women's fiction projects. I see so many agents who say "no" to category authors, but they say they're looking for my kind of women's fiction.

Will they take one look at my category past and curl their noses? Should I strike off my list any agent who says no thanks to category authors?

Anon:

My partially-informed answer is: no. As long as you're pitching them your women's fiction, they'll love to see that you wrote X number of category romances. That means you're serious, you're a career writer, you know how to finish books.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, they don't say no to 'category authors.' They say no to 'category manuscripts.'

Anon Too

Anon 1

If you want to go single title I'd totally start looking for an agent.

One of my close friends is a category writer, with 6 books under her belt, and she just recently signed with an agent with her single title book.

As Anon Too said, query them with your women's fiction book, but certainly let them know that you are multi-published with your category books.

Good luck!

Anon 9:34:

That would be crazy. A category past is a huge plus to anyone writing anything. It means you've been published and presumably published well. The reason many agents say no to category authors is because of the limitations we have. For example, my policy is to say no to unpublished authors pursuing category only. I think you can do better on your own. That being said, I represent a number of category authors who came on board later looking to broaden their careers and that's what we're working on.

--jhf

I'm showing my ignorance here, but aren't cozy mysteries a "category"? Do agents, Bookends included, accept authors who are writing cozies and want to continue doing so, or do we need to express a desire and intention to write something else in the future? If I've totally misunderstood this post and the related discussion, I apologize.

Regarding Jessica's post and small press/epubs--they're a great training ground and an excellent way for an author to explore different writing and find her voice. I started out with epublishing in 1998 when I couldn't find a home for my early romances, discovered I enjoyed writing erotic romance and moved on in that genre. However, it wasn't until Jessica took my erotic romances to NY that my career took off. I would not be doing what I'm doing now w/o an agent. There's no doubt in my mind.

"Category" refers specifically to category romance which, in turn, really refers specifically to specific lines, but not imprints, of Harlequin/Silhouette

--jhf

Anon 9:34 here ...

Thanks, all! I especially appreciate the encouragement that Jessica gave me. I'm glad to know that my category past isn't a dirty little secret! :-)

Thanks for the advice and encouragement. Makes me feel like maybe I'm not going about it entirely the wrong way.

Regarding Jessica's post and small press/epubs--they're a great training ground and an excellent way for an author to explore different writing and find her voice. I started out with epublishing in 1998 when I couldn't find a home for my early romances, discovered I enjoyed writing erotic romance and moved on in that genre. However, it wasn't until Jessica took my erotic romances to NY that my career took off. I would not be doing what I'm doing now w/o an agent. There's no doubt in my mind.

Sorry for the double post...not sure how that happened four hours apart!

Both your post, Jessica, and the comments here are really interesting. I didn't know about some of this stuff.

Thanks!

[…] [Via Heidi and Gizmodo] Posted in Technology […]

Personally? I can’t WAIT.

I’d be more worried for print in general (and not just comics) in light of the announcement of Microsoft’s fold-out book-format tablet currently going by the name of Courier (it was featured on Attack of the Show within the past week.)

I know, I know, Mac user are going to recoil in horror at the word Microsoft even though virtually every “strength” of the Mac is based on the fact that it has a small audience.[1] But the PC Vs. Mac argument is really beside the point. Microsoft is developing a book-like fold-out tablet to simulate print reading.

That’s IMO a necessary factor that tablets require in order for comics to work in the medium. Two pages juxtaposed against each other — reading two pages at a time — cuts the page-turning by half and therefore reduces the tediousness by half. Not to mention that book-format tablets will allow comics to do double-page spreads without the added tediousness of turning the tablet on its side to read it and then turn it back to read the rest of the pages.

The two-part principle: all comics pages have to be displayed at the same size and tablets are too narrow in portrait width/landscape height to display any comics other than manga, mini-comics, newspaper comic strips and single-panel editorial cartoons in the landscape format of single-screen tablets.

If/when Amazon or Apple do their own book-format tablets, that’s when reading via the tablets will take off. Single-screen tablets will probably be most useful in professional situations (like how they’re used on CSI: Horatio for writing information down at the scene of the given incident)

– Rob

[1] Most demonstrably, in the fact that Mac isn’t so much impervious to viruses as hackers are disinterested in hacking Mac because its market penetration is so small.)

People have been reacting to Gizmodo’s story by going to their own anonymous sources in the tech industry and getting quotes. One such person is Time’s Josh Quittner, whose sources pooh-poohed the Gizmodo story:

Gizmodo is my favorite gadget blog and its editor, Brian Lam, is one of the best reporter/editors in Techland. But in regards to his story today, according to my sources, his sources are flat-out wrong. Apple has not been meeting with publishers to prepare them for, well, whatever it is they’re doing next.

Have people at Apple been talking to people from the NY Times? I’d be surprised if they haven’t. They always talk. Apple has excellent relationships with plenty of big media companies. But I’m told Brian incorrectly characterized the conversations that the NYT and other unnamed media have had with Apple.

Over at the Huffington Post, Fake Steve, of the www.fakesteve.net site, isn’t sure what technology is real, and what’s not, but he says the real story isn’t about technology, it’s about hybridized content:

Friends, we don’t need to bail out newspapers. We need to hasten their demise. Let the weak ones die. Let the strong ones go bankrupt and restructure their business. The Huffington Post can pick up the pieces.

The good news is, we’re heading toward a period of incredible creativity in news and entertainment, with a new medium that is far superior to ink on paper. The bad news, at least from my perspective, is that I’ll be selling a piece of hardware whose success depends on whether the content guys can dream up cool new things to do with this piece of hardware. And, as we’ve already established, most of them are bozos. [. . .]

My guess is that the truly revolutionary content is not going to come from the old-guard publishers. It’s going to come from new guys, kids who have grown up digital. This notion of mashing together elements comes naturally to them.

Somewhere out there, a genius is waiting to be discovered — the Orson Welles of digital media, someone who will create an entirely new language for storytelling. If you’re reading this, Orson Jr., please get in touch. I’ve got something I want to show you. Okay? Peace.

Note that the Apple tablet story has certified journalists reporting on rumors, and contradictory rumors (unverified facts) at that. That’s how stories develop in some industries, with influential figures stating things anonymously because they want to create buzz, or, perhaps, because they want to create an atmosphere in which “dead trees” publishers will feel more pressure to approach technology companies to make content available, lest they fall to the rear of the pack. Stampedes are bloody.

SRS

And there is Alan Moore, in cartoon form, predicting the end.

[…] While we wait for someone to confirm Apple’s entry into the ebook device market, let’s look at some of the great stuff you guys have done this week… […]

“The eventual goal is to have publishers create hybridized content that draws from audio, video and interactive graphics in books, magazines and newspapers.”

So a web site, then.

Publishers, aware of the threat that an iTunes distribution model could pose to their revenues, are discussing an industry-run storefront for the purchase of issues:

It’s true that magazine and newspaper publishers are eager to sell digital editions tailored for the tablet and other devices — but they’re just as determined to prevent Apple from getting between them and their readers along the way. [. . .]

“There’s a lot of activity right now at all of the major newspaper and magazine publishers around ‘What is our role?’” said one magazine executive this week, who declined to speak on the record because of the sensitivity around interactions with Apple. “A lot of the conversations are around ‘We need to control the customer relationship.’ We are not interested in doing an Amazon thing or even an Apple thing where they own the data.”

You evidently haven't commuted into London.

There's not much romantic about having your nose wedged into someone's sweaty armpit for 45 minutes twice a day who is the *exact* opposite of Megan Fox (namely fat, ugly and male)

word verification - Cytormot: Any of the numerous genus of insane killer Motorbikes

I think books will always have an appeal (I love them), but e-publishing looks from my view to be a grewing media. Maybe all books in several decades will retain the paper form, but also be available for e-readers should people wish to purchase it in that form.

I wonder how libraries would go about lending books to e-readers? Maybe they'd use a password for readers to log on.

If it is romance with books,I'm hopelessly in love. I admit to adoring books in paper form, to gazing at covers, turning pages. I spend enough time writing, blogging, researching and e-mailing via computer screen. I want to curl up with a real-live book.

I love trains. Something about all that power moving goods and people across vast distances. As I was reading this, I could hear the morning freight train passing through town. :happy sigh:

Anyway, I think eventually everything will convert to electronic, but I don't think hardcopy books will ever be phased out entirely. Here's hoping they never disappear because the experience of holding a book in your hand and flipping pages is too wonderful to die out.

Tricia:

I completely agree. I love to walk through a bookstore and take in the array of colors from shelves and to pick up a book and feel the texture of the cover and pages. I guess that I am like Jessica in that I also love the smell of a book, which goes back to the days when I would have my nose buried in a Nancy Drew mystery. I remember their distinct scent still. Often it would take extreme measures on the part of my parents to pry my nose out of said mysteries, which accompanied me everywhere.

I do not yet have an e-reader of any sort but I have read books on my computer. For me, it's just not the same. Until an e-reader romances me the same, my bookshelves will continue to overflow.

Of Course you could have a number of "display models" that you peruse in your local book shop and then take your selection to the counter where you will be given an SD card or have it digitally uploaded direct to your Kindle.

You'll probably find that eReaders will attempt to mimic the book as much as possible, so turning pages with a touchscreen flick of a finger, perhaps even use those new led screens so the eBooks are ultra slim and bendy.

Personally....I like the idea of not having to carry 2 books on the train during the commute in case I finish one. Just have to earn enough to afford an eReader...hehe

Word verification - inersup: the opposite to Outersdown

I prefer real books to ebooks. I also prefer a trip to brick and mortar stores to shopping online. There are some cases where a quick Google search may lead to a purchase, but that is to shopping what blogging and general surfing is to reading.

Have a safe trip!

I hate to say never, but I will never have a hand held, electronic media device for reading books. I want a BOOK. I think there's a lot of people out there who feel the same way, enough to keep printing.

How totally fun to take a train ride to a Romance conference. I hope you both have a very relaxing and lovely time.

I love trains myself. You can go places in trains that you can't in cars and airplanes. There are train rides through mountains in Canada, Alaska and Europe that I've heard are wonderful.

Books - I love real books, especially old favorites with their covers. I imagine there will always be a market for them. They'll survive where the record and VCR tapes didn't, for example, because there is no special technology required to use them. So, those who have printing presses will always find a market - that's what I think. Whereas record players and VCRs - very hard to find nowadays. People are almost forced to buy DVDs. That won't be the same with the 'real' book. Easier access.

Paper books will never be completely phased out.

When RK and laser surgery came about, everyone said that the profession of optometry would be obsolete within a few years. No one would need glasses for anything. It's been over 20 yrs now and optometry, as well as opticians, are doing just fine. Laser surgery isn't for all, just like electronic books aren't. People just get caught up in the excitement and jump the gun.

Likewise, computers occupy every home and office yet, we all have plenty of paper trails, bills, paper files etc...And think of how long computers have been around!

Sure, paper is getting phased out to a certain exent (environmental reasons and all), but I don't see it disappearing. Many of us still have a love of old furniture and collectibles. We don't all decorate with space age flare.

BUT, if somehow the world stopped printing traditional books, think of how rich our grandchildren and their children would be! All those antique books in their grandparent's attic...of course, by then, we would all be antiques too.

Word verif: subyths - suburban myths (like paper books becoming obsolete)

I'm going to the conference too! (Though I live in Baltimore, so I'll be getting there by automobile.) I've never been on a train (unless the monorail at Disney World counts), but my toddler is starting to fall in love with them, so I'm sure that will change soon.

Trains are magical. They show up in my writing from time to time, especially in my songs. "Lying in the darkness, waiting for the train, to signal time is passing by, passing by again..." Every time my husband or I hear one in the distance we mention it. We love that sound.

We went to Northlandz in Flemington, NJ a couple of months ago - it's the largest model railroad exhibit in the country with more than eight miles of track to walk through! Other train fanatics, like Neil Young, have been there. It's even got a little train that rides around the property. You should check it out.

Enjoy your romantic ride to your romance conf. DC rocks!

Until they make a kindle you can use to make a spitwad...

I love the track from Penn to Union Station. So much better than flying. Hope you enjoyed it!

I'll always want books on my shelves and in my hands, but that doesn't mean I don't love e-readers as well. There's room for both in my house. (Hey, the more ways to read, the better, right?)

my wife is on the train to DC going to RWA too. If you see -- tell her I love her!

-signed "trapped at home with the toddler"

I don't think you can really compare books to tapes, VCR, DVD, and whatever will come next.

Scrolls and parchments have been around for thousands of years, and civilizations have been founded based on their contents. We took the leap from handwriting to the printing press as a means of mass production in 1440. Printed books have made it over five-and-a-half centuries.

The first home VCR was introduced in 1965; DVD really started to take over in the early 2000's. Now we have Blu-Ray gaining acceptance, and VCR's have gone the way of the rotary dial phone and the TV that doesn't have a remote control.

But books are still there.

Hi Jessica and Kim,
Have a great time at the conference. I so agree with you, both about trains and books (and drugstores that have a counter where you can order an ice cream soda, and . . .)
Have you read Martha Grimes' "The Train Now Departing"? I recommend it to everyone. I was sucked in, to start with, by the cover photo (a woman on a train) and the title.

I normally love all technology that makes our lives easier and rush to embrace it but the idea that a book will be replaced by cold hard electronics makes me incredibly sad.

Its more than the story, its the feel, the smell, and the pleasure of turning each page to discover what waits on the other side.

I took the train from Raleigh, NC to Penn Station (and back again) this past Christmas. It was long and exhausting, but so much better than flying! Something pleasurable about staring out the window and thinking about nothing and everything at the same time.

And I too have that romantic love for the tactile book: the sight, the smell, the feel, even the sound of them! I can't see books ever going away. They're more than objects -- they're keepsakes.

Enjoy the conference -- wish I cold be there!

Enjoy. Have fun at the conference. I've never been on a train, so I'll live vicariously through you.

I've never read a book on train. Interesting...

If you get a chance, I'd love to know who ends up winning best book in their individual categories. If you can't, I understand.

I vote for trains and paper!

See - I can't see myself letting go of the physical form of books anytime soon.

I can understand e-readers from the view point of someone who is traveling constantly or who just looking for the convenience of it, but I love the paper version too much to get an e-reader.

I read for enjoyment; not just as a way to pass the time. So I purposefully, find a quiet place, snuggled up in a cozy chair with a cup of coffee and my favorite book. It is my time to savor, and I think Jessica is right that an e-reader takes the romance right out of it. I need the sensory aspect of reading the book as much as needing a good story. It just makes experience that much better.

I must confess, I misunderstood the title of this post.

Romance isn't a problem; people develop an attachment to their ipods and cell phones, and they will develop similar attachments to devices like Kindle.

In 2000, people discussed their affection for the album artwork and liner notes that came with music. People talked about how they liked the tangible quality of a shelf full of records or CDs that demonstrated their good-taste or hipness.

Products like iPod have totally displaced physical media for music, though, because the convenience of carrying around a lot of music in a stored device trumps the other concerns, and because people like the instant gratification of getting music from sources like iTunes.

Kindle is not perfectly analogous; the reduced cost of the book relative to a hardcover is only attractive for very heavy readers because of the high cost of the device.

Amazon is subsidizing the e-books to achieve the $9.99 price for Kindle books, and as the device price comes down, the price for the books will likely rise. But a sub $200 price point for the device seems unlikely in the foreseeable future, and at that cost, it only makes sense for people who read a whole lot of books.

And while iPods are significantly more portable than portable optical CD players, the Kindle is roughly the same size as most paperbacks. And it's an expensive electronic device while a book is relatively cheap.

People won't want to take Kindle to the beach or the bathtub for fear of ruining it, and unlike a music collection, where shuffle features and playlists are an attractive selling point for devices, people don't need to carry a whole library with them; one book at a time suffices.

But there's no reason for publishers not to embrace e-books. The marginal cost of a hardcover book sale is very high (printing, shipping, marketing bribes for bookstore placement, the possibility of returns). The marginal cost of an e-book is nearly zero.

I think it's entirely possible to have the book experience electronically. I, too, was against removing the wonderful tactile feel of a book, but once I got my ereader and realized how INSTANTLY I could get a book and read it, all the beauty of the feel of a page, the touch of the cover, even the different typefaces--went right out the window. Instant gratification, for me, was the trump card. In the end, I just want to read the book.

My main complaints about digital books are:

1. I want them to have colorful covers. I like looking at covers and I am swayed by pretty ones.

2. I want ereader devices to continue investing in their screen resolution quality. The ones available (Sony, kindle) are good--absolutely acres ahead of computer screens--and i have no eye strain at all. But I want this to be a priority with ereader manufacturers.

3. I want a way to share some of the books I read with friends or family, and I don't know how to do that with ereaders, nor do I know how to recycle the books (used book stores are going out of business hugely).

Andrew's vision about a bookshop for browsing in and then downloading is right on. As well, ebook web sites will have to grow up and answer consumer needs. For example, Amazon is great if you know what you need, but not great if you just want to browse. Sony's eReader Store is even worse and in my opinion incredibly poorly maintained.

We are at an amazing time of change in how we buy, read, and publish books.

There is something about trains that I don't get via any other mode of transport. It's probably the soothing rhythmic thrum of the wheels crossing rail-ties or something, but I always enjoyed riding the metro in DC and the subway in London (the chiaroscuro created by traveling from tunnel to bridge is equally mesmerizing, IMO)... far better than going by plane (where I start worrying about fatigue cycles as I watch the wing twitch :)

Welcome to my neck of the woods! I hope the weather holds out for you!

And I love Union Station as much as I love Grand Central. It evokes a very different era. Romantic indeed!

I love the potential of ebooks, but, like you, love the physicality of paper books.

And the Kindle doesn't fill the bookshelf like hardcovers.

Personally, I don't like e-books, but they seem to be a big deal these days. Maybe they will take over.

I will always prefer the real thing in my hands. I like turning pages and the feel of paper. I'm so traditionalist. :-)

I miss trains. I even miss the London trains! Hope you have a great time.

I have always loved trains too. When I was about 16 I traveled 4 hours to take the TOEFL (test of English as a foreign language), and since in that city (Buenos Aires) trains were the fastest, cheapest vehicle, my dad took me on a ride from the school to the bus station. It was everything but romantic. Much like riding the train in London.
My husband and my kids got to ride the "real" Hogwarts Express in Scottland 2 years ago. I couldn't go because the baby was sick. But the pictures they took, oh my! My kids are still talking about that day.
And about ebooks, I love paper, so I guess I'm not the only one by any means, hence traditional books will be around forever.

I recently came accross your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I dont know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.


Patricia

http://lioneltrains.info

I've been reading e-books for years, just on a hand-held PDA-type thing, using Microsoft Reader.

Love, love, love the ability to read wherever and whenever I want, and take 20 books on vacation with me without the weight of 20 books.

Instant gratification is a plus for me, too. I can go online, buy books and have them immediately.

This hasn't changed my purchase of my favorite authors - I still buy them as a hard copy, and keep them forever. I just have far fewer stacks of books around my house now!

Whether it's the wave of the future or not, I don't know. If more young people read these days, Harry Potter and Twilight etc. notwithstanding, I could be fairly positive that that would be the case.

My handheld is smaller than the Kindle, it fits in my back pocket so it's always handy. It's capable of viewing Word and Excel documents. I'm very happy with it, and really wouldn't consider using anything else.

It scares me a little that with Amazon being so powerful it would be easy for them to make Kindle the industry standard and to ensure that it only read books in their own format. Monopoly? Ubetcha, if they can swing it.

"Is the Kindle the Wave of the Future?"

Yes, of course it is. Haven't you ever watched Star Trek?

I'm sure it is the wave future,and is super cool and probably very convenient.

BUT! There is nothing like the smell of a brand new book just off the shelf whose spine hasn't yet been cracked, the feel of unturned pages and the rustle of pages turning as you read. I would worry about spilling my cocoa on a gadget but never on a book. I can cuddle with a book on a stormy day or crawl into the tub wtih one.

I would be leery of taking such an expensive reader in the bathroom with me period.

But on the other hand, I don't carry around more than one or two at a time, like ya'll do in the industry. And it is easy to understand how it could help you out with work and such. It is very cool then.

But me, I would rather get my bag of Oreos, grab that book that I have read so many times the pages are crinkled and worn and climb into bed. With or without Oprah's approval.

This is a really good point. I'm always surprised to find myself ahead of the pack cause I don't think of myself as an early adapter of anything.

I've had a lot of people ask me about my Kindle when they've seen me reading it, but now that I think about it no one has said "oh wow I have to get one" which was my exact reaction when I saw Kristin Nelson's: MUST HAVE!

I will never stop loving the smell of a new book. I may eventually break down and get a kindle, but I still love the crispness of page..maybe I'm just an old soul, but I'd take a paperback over an ebook any day of the week.

I can see it now: the ereader pop-up book for kids, with 3-D holograms that spring right off the display.

Hmm... It sort of has a Star Wars feel to it, doesn't it? "Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi; you're my only hope."

Shaun

Well, I don't have a Kindle and have no plans to get one, but....

It's clear that my storage capacity in my house for books is getting full. And I think more interestingly is that I get about 4 magazines, 6 or 7 newsletters, and I'm WAAAAYYYY behind on those, and I think having them all on a reader I could just carry with me and when I'm waiting for one of my kids (yes, Dad Chauffeur), instead of working on the USA Today crossword puzzle on my iPhone, I might read an article or two in one of these publications I have with me might work out rather nicely.

I don't know about the books thing. I just love the feel of a book in my hands. And what happens if you lose your Kindle? Is your whole library toast?

There are going to be several market segments for books (and e-books in the future):

1. e-books for Kindle (& similar devices)
2. PDF-based e-books for those who prefer notebooks and PCs as well as for those books that graphically don't translate well to an reflow e-book format.
3. Print-on-demand for paperbacks that are mostly text.
4. Printed books (offset) will become a premium product featuring superb book design for those people who really love books.

Maybe there will be more segments, but at least those 4. Ignore predictions that there is one e-book solution for all of publishing.

The Kindle is a long way from arriving in South Africa yet, but I've been aware of it almost since its inception and have been following people's reactions to it.

Jessica's final words are a realistic and positive prediction.

There's no getting away from the fact that we're living in a technological age. The Kindle and its relatives are here to stay.

Not, however, at the expense of print books. The market will shift and alter as it always has and the market share of e-books versus print books will too. Ultimately, though, there is room in the world for both.

That has to be good news for writers.

I hate to pull the old "things are different in big cities" but I live in an average-sized city (filled with rocket scientists and engineers, actually) and most people I've talked to have never heard of it. It's just not catching on in the rest of the country yet.

Plus shelling out $359 for an e-reader just seems kind of ridiculous for the average person right now. I bet everyone will have e-readers eventually, but I think you're right: it's a much longer way off than we'd think.

I doubt I will be getting one. When I want to relax. I want to curl up on the couch with a real book in my hand. I love the feel of them. I love the substance and I detest reading on a screen.

I'm an avid ebook reader - for at least 5 years on my old Palm and now on my iPod Touch. I doubt I'd buy a device specifically as an ebook reader, though!

I did want to pick up on your comment that mp3s had killed off CD-based music. Because, of course, they haven't. CDs still sell pretty well (if not quite as well as they did a few years ago). What has happened is that mp3s and ringtones (which no one predicted a huge market for) have hugely increased the number of times people actually buy music - even if they pay much less per transaction.

People are willing to pay for etunes, and for ewriting. But they serve a different (more disposable) need than hard-copy music or books.

Personally, I can see ebooks becoming prevalent in the same way as mp3s, once the devices to read them become as affordable, and as easy to use and carry round as mp3 players have become. But they will never supplant "real" books totally.

Just a glimpse from the publishing house side...my company is beginning to start distributing Sony e-readers to all of the editorial staff and i believe to other departments as well, along with providing a training class. Although not useful yet for editing purposes, it will be great for reading submissions. I can't wait to get mine!

I think the Kindle (and Sony Reader et al.) era is about where the Web era was in, oh, say, 1997-98. There are too many good reasons (and a few stupid ones) for making the switch, and too many bad/immaterial/personal-foible reasons (and a couple good ones) for NOT making the switch. Publishers are almost certainly headed in the same direction as the Christian Science Monitor; the economics just, can't, WORK for much longer.

Get that sucker down to a hundred bucks and Amazon (Sony, etc.) won't be able to keep 'em in stock. But that price point (and the right consumer economy, now) is still a couple-three years off, I think.

I *love* that friend's A-to-Z mission!

I think I was one of the last writers in the world to go electronic. Up until 2003, I was still submitting hard copy to editors. And I only did it because I was forced...when an editor told me, get e-mail or don't bother.

I don't think it's generational either. I'm 37 and clutched my typewriter until the very end. And I think that's what many people are going to do with books. But I also think choices are going to dwindle and eventually everyone will be forced to go electronic.

When I compared the e sales for my last book, it was clear that Kindle was in the lead--way ahead of the rest of them. Which is why I chose to have one of my out-of-print books uploaded to Amazon. Now to see if anyone finds it.

The Kindle faces the same problems now that the Rocket E-book reader faced in 1998 when I bought one--the high cost. You can buy a LOT of paper books for $360, the price of the reader. I bought a Rocket, which was larger and very expensive, but really comfortable to hold, and discovered that, once the novelty wore off, I only used it on camping trips when I wanted to read in the dark, because it had a great battery and was backlit. I think that ebooks are the wave of the future, especially with the rising cost of producing print books, but I imagine that future is still a ways off. I still see digital books as an alternative, not the only choice--unless, of course, you prefer the small, indie epubs that only publish electronically. There are some wonderful books at the small publishers that you can't find in print. Then a dedicated ebook reader (PDA, Kindle, etc.) is more comfortable than reading off your computer.

I don't think ebooks will replace paper books BUT I do believe there's a huge future for them.
Just like computers haven't replaced human contact, there are a whole bunch of us that do both.
I read ebooks AND print books. So, I intend to stay in epublishing and still want to make it in New York.
There's a huge future in ebooks. It's just a matter of offering both.

I'll be honest, I didn't know anything about the Kindle until you brought it up some time ago in one of your blogs. I'm broke as anything though, so the only chance of me ever getting my hands on a Kindle is if the library starts renting them out, or something similar through Amazon. But I still prefer to have the book in my hands. There's just something about curling up on my couch with the lamp and a cozy book between my fingers that no computer-like device will ever compare to.

Paper books and bookstores are fading fast so it won't be a question of if we get most of our books as ebooks but when. Indie bookstores are dying every day, many of the chains have died, Border is now on life support with the plug pulled, and B&N struggles along. Meanwhile, the box stores are only buying bestsellers and list leaders, and the shelf space is getting smaller and smaller because more people buy Oreos than books.

Meanwhile, the conglomerate publishers are giving away most of the profit of ebooks to Amazon/Kindle which receives 66% of the sale price for little more than storage space and computer transactions, and they are sitting on their hands while a few small publishers are fighting Amazon over POD distribution and a their grab for most of the profit as well as control over the books themselves.

Fortunately, an incredible number of people have downloaded other ebook reader software to their cell phones, iPods, iTouches, etc., and new ebook hardware is being announced. Places like indie distributor Fictionwise are also flourishing.

We can hope all those folks with book paper fetishes will be willing to move to ebooks when they can no longer find what they want to read in paper.

If anyone is interested in a bigger overview of the situation, check out my Monday blog on what publishing needs to do to survive the massive changes we are undergoing and my article on the current state of publishing on my website.
http://marilynnbyerly.com/marilynnbyerly/thestateofpublis.html

People should probably take my opinion with a grain of salt, since I'm a recent graduate of the Comparative Media Studies program at MIT and have been studying the collision of old and new media for years – which means that I'm both an idealist and a little wobbly from drinking the Kool-Aid for so long.

That said, I've always been struck by how easy it would be for Amazon (or someone similar) to dominate the e-book market by simply making e-book versions of any book you already own available through either an ISBN lookup system or a 'buy the book, get the e-book for free' business model. If I knew that my entire library would be accessible on a Kindle the same way that my entire existing music library was made available on my iPod through simple CD ripping, that would be a huge tipping point for me. I want both – the physical object to read at home and to have on my shelf, and the digital version that I can carry with me while traveling and be able to search for quick notations while doing research. Getting the e-book for free when buying a new book would be great, but being able to convert my entire existing library into e-books without having to buy everything all over again really would be a tipping point for me.

An ISBN number is probably way too easily pirated for this approach, but something like embedded RFID tags might go a long way towards solving the problem for new books. Older books might require being 'unlocked' by scanning a random requested page from the edition in question on a flatbed scanner and then using OCR to 'authenticate' the scan. Just a thought...

The Kindle is just too darn expensive for the average joe, and yet many averages joes found money to buy the new Iphone. I'm slow on technology myself because if you wait a bit, the price always goes down. With that being said, when I heard about how much profit Amazon was making on e-books on the Kindle, and how little authors were making from those e-book purchases, I was turned off by the idea of buying one. Unless I see some signficant changes in the market, I won't be buying one. Too bad to because I was one of the Trekkie who saw Jean-Luc Picard reading an e-book all those years ago, and I envied him because it was just so cool.

Oprah's endorsement certainly will boost customer awareness of Kindle. BTW, there's a flow to the customer purchase process (I'm in marketing): Awareness, Consideration, and Preference. As of now, the Kindle probably has a growing Niche Market among Early Adopters(past the Innovator stage). To move into Early Majority, lowering the price point is essential.

Having played with a friend's Kindle, I can attest to its ease of use, an important factor with adoption. The big question is does Kindle fulfill a consumer need or want? I can see the advantage for students not having to cart around heavy books (Having a flashback to college days and those huge anthologies in my backpack). I suspect students would find it a dull product (more about that below). And I suppose a few folks would find it handy while traveling. Having done a great deal of flying in the past 3 years, I can tell you one HUGE disadvantage to an e-reader is having to turn it off during take-off and landing (If you've ever sat on the runway at LaGuardia with 40 jets ahead of your plane, you know exactly why a paperback comes in handy).

While I think e-readers are the wave of the future, I suspect a sexier product with perhaps interactive graphics or even music (both?) will send Kindle the way of the BetaMax. The underlying Emotional appeal of a product is often the key to its success. Think about those early iPOD commercials with the rock music and dancing silhouettes. The subtext is: Cool people buy iPOD. iPOD isn't necessarily a better mp3 player than other models, but it's got the sexy factor.

Just some thoughts....

IMHO: Kindles will not replace books the way CDs replaced tapes.

CDs provide a better listening experience than tapes. E-readers are trying to be as good as books.

They do offer some unique advantages, but, perhaps, none that are likely to push printed books into oblivion.

On the other hand, e-readers and e-books do offer some new possibilities for authors. We are considering publishing (Kindling?) our "Precise Edit Training Manual" and our "Writing Tips for a Year" series on the Kindle, which, at this time, are only available through our website.

IMHO: Kindles will not replace books the way CDs replaced tapes.

CDs provide a better listening experience than tapes. E-readers are trying to be as good as books.

They do offer some unique advantages, but, perhaps, none that are likely to push printed books into oblivion.

On the other hand, e-readers and e-books do offer some new possibilities for authors. We are considering publishing (Kindling?) our Precise Edit Training Manual and our Writing Tips for a Year series on the Kindle, which, at this time, are only available through our website.

I would also add to the tumult, that I have NEVER seen a Kindle in the wild. Granted, that may be because I'm a freelance writer who doesn't get out of the house enough.

I'm curious about how the print looks on the Kindle's screen. Does it have the harsh look of print on a computer screen? I hate reading books on my computer. I find it very hard on my eyes (I'm not that old....39).

I think you're absolutely right. E-books will not put an end to paper books, any more than TV put an end to movies. Habits and market shares will shift around, but the change is likely to be relatively gradual.

Except in the textbook world. There is a potential for a major upheaval there. Students would joyfully welcome not having to lug around stacks of overweight, over-priced textbooks. Any visionary publisher who can get its foot into this door before everybody else would certainly benefit. If I were on the Kindle's marketing staff, I'd be trying to negotiate some kind of agreement with a major university and a publishing company or three. The potential is enormous.

I think it is, much like the iPod. I think, though, that it will be the younger generation taking it up.

I'm as fond and nostalgic of paper as the next person, but once I had 300 books in my purse, there was no going back. Ever.

Granted, we're working towards living in an RV full-time, so owning lots of books is no longer an option.

I agree with Jeff that, rather than resulting in all books simply converting to ebook format, it's likely that people will simply buy books in multiple formats. I do think that the advent of digital formats for books will make cutting edge design of printed books more necessary, considering there will probably be some need for added incentive to buy them, but, as others have said, I think that even super computer-savvy people often value the feeling of the physical object that is a book. If anything, the ebook will be a great tool to decide what you actually want in print when you don't have the patience to keep straining your eyes with an electronic device.

I still prefer reading a real paper book, but I do love my Kindle. To answer a few questions: it's much gentler on the eyes than reading off a computer screen. And you can adjust the font size, which is a nice convenience. If you lose it, or it does, or whatever, you do not lose your whole library; they're also stored on Amazon somehow. (Haven't looked into that part too closely yet.)

In some ways (primarily, the whole "200 books in the space of one"), it has regular books beat. In so many others, real books hold the edge. It's very nice to be able to have both and get the best of both worlds.

Though there's one drawback I have yet to hear anyone else mention: when you fall asleep in bed while reading off your Kindle, and it falls from your slack hands onto your face, it hurts a LOT more than a paperback.

A book does not require a power source.

To be honest, I only know about the Kindle because agent blogs. I've discussed it with friends (all well-read), and most of them have never heard of it. After explaining it, all of them have stated that they have no interest in owning one. We all love libraries and bookstores... reading a book is an experience. It's not just reading the words. It's turning the pages...

Janet said:
"Except in the textbook world. There is a potential for a major upheaval there. Students would joyfully welcome not having to lug around stacks of overweight, over-priced textbooks. Any visionary publisher who can get its foot into this door before everybody else would certainly benefit."

Speaking as an editor at an educational publisher, most of us already are. Indeed, electronic versions of textbooks have been around for years.

What's changing at the moment is that the _student_ books are starting to acquire CDs at the back, containing the text in electronic form. Some publishers are going with bespoke applications running on normal PCs, which seems to be the wrong tack. Others (like my own employer) are using standard formats like PDF.

It's an interesting time in publishing, for sure.

Solidus, I'm not surprised to hear it. But I was thinking of something more than just creating electronic editions. The college that my husband teaches at issues each freshman a new laptop. There is a campus-wide program that is used for submission of assignments, posting of grades and probably a lot more. My husband prepares his lectures in PowerPoint format and doesn't even need to take his laptop with him; he can access his files from any classroom on campus.

What I was thinking of would be along the lines of issuing Kindles or Sony readers to students and making sure that most if not all of their textbooks would be available in electronic format. A publisher that could broker that kind of deal with universities or a network of high schools, committing to have all the necessary texts available... This goes way beyond tucking a CD in the back of a text.

Lots of parents are very concerned by the ridiculous weight of our children's backpacks. Textbooks are the major culprit. A "bigger is better" mentality has pervaded the publishing world and the kids pay the price with back problems. That has to end and electronic books seem like a really good way to end it. I doubt if it would be hard to bring parents on board at the high school level. And I think most university students would be thrilled, with the possible exception of literature students who are looking to build a permanent library.

I think the Kindle is a good idea and good investment for an avid reader who travels a great deal.

However, for me, at this point in my life, I probably wouldn't purchase one. The main reason is because it's electronic, and there's that constant fear that it might crash on me and then what happens to the dozens of books I've purchased?

Also, I'm not too keen on having to charge the battery on something in order to read a book. :P

True, my house could catch on fire or be blown away by a tornado and all of my paperback and hardback books will be lost. Still, I think I am more comfortable with my old fashioned books.

Also agree with a elissa--a book shouldn't need a power source :P

I hope not! I read both electronic and dead tree formats and enjoy both for different reasons. But I don't see the sense in paying that much for piece of equipment that only does one thing. Why not just buy the paper version?

I just paid $100 for my Palm Centro. It functions as my phone, my MP3 player, my e-book reader (Adobe, Palm, and Mobipocket), and my calendar. It has removable storage. I don't have to carry around four different devices. AND the thing has a backlight so I can read in the dark without having to purchase a separate light. It fits in my pocket, I have three different charging options, and I can replace the battery when it starts to go.

And, no, I don't work for Palm.:-P

If the Kindle or Sony reader evolves into something that could compete with my Centro, I would probably jump on that bandwagon. But as they exist now, they're just not practical for me. Oh, and Geoffrey, I LOVE the idea of getting the e-book version for free when you buy the paper.

Janet,
What you're asking for sounds very like a VLE or CMS (buzzword city - Virtual Learning Environment, and Content Management System). There are already several big players in these markets. Again, they're often aimed primarily at teachers at the moment, but VLEs in particular are specifically designed so that teachers can assign work to students in electronic format. And VLEs are designed to swallow any electronic format, so if publishers provide their books in VLE-compatible form (which most are doing now), the schools and colleges can use them.

The main problem is cost - buying, installing and maintaining the IT systems takes money. And buying the electronic resources takes money, too. Most schools and colleges keep their paper textbooks for years. Replacing them all with electronic at the same time would again take too much money. But the change is coming already!

"Lots of parents are very concerned by the ridiculous weight of our children's backpacks. Textbooks are the major culprit."

Couldn't agree more. And, you'll be glad to hear, most publishers are well aware of the problem. The latest tranche of textbooks we published (for 11-14 year olds' science in the UK) were around half the thickness of what used to be published. Of course, the issue then is what you miss out! But that's a question for another day. :-)

As someone multipublished in ebook format, I'm all for ebooks and any technology which makes them more accessible/easier to read.

But I still love paper books, and don't think I'll ever stop.

I just wish the industry would start taking ebook piracy seriously and work on a way to protect those files. Given the higher royalty rates on ebooks, that's a lot of money lost (again, speaking as someone who watched the equivalent of my electric bill payment disappear in free downloads before I discovered the theft.)

I haven't even considered a Kindle. I have a long commute each day, so audio books are the way to go for me. I "read" more of those than paper books. When I'm TDY, I take one book with me and that's all I need. If I were a faster reader, ebooks would be great, but not right now. Besides, I don't want to replace the smell of books with ozone and electronics.

Shaun

Having a Kindle means I can carry EIGHTY books in my purse. EIGHTY! Ohmigosh, as soon as I save up the money, I am all for that!

And the e-ink rocks. I love the smell of paper books, but ... I'd rather have a Kindle. Less clutter.

I don't want to turn the conversation to piracy, but I will say (though I empathize with Stacia) this conversation has gone on for decades in the computer games industry, and while the products aren't completely analagous, digital piracy isn't unreservedly a Bad Thing.

Even a mass-market paperback "pocketbook" is sometimes tough to carry around. With an ebook reader (or in my case, a Palm), you have x number of books in one customizable package. The on/off ease of it is better even than a book with bookmark when stuck in a line.

The price to me is WAY prohibitive. It's not that I couldn't afford it if I wanted it, it's just that I keep thinking to myself, 'do you know how many books I could have bought with this money.'

ditto, Beverley. I don't use an ereader, Kindle or otherwise, just because of the cost. Once they fall below $100, I'll be all over it.

Since Jessica "outed" me, I guess I'd better chime in here.

I love my Kindle. It's been great for reading submissions and client material. I could never read proposals on my computer screen and by downloading them to my Kindle I save paper and the time of printing it out or sending it to a printing company. The screen is highly readable. A much different experience that trying to read my computer monitor.

That said, I've had my new toy for about two months now and have only purchased one Kindle book from Amazon and honestly I just did that as a test run. I haven't been able to finish the book either. I don't know if I'm just not connecting to the story, or if the digital format is getting in the way of the experience. In the meantime, I've polished off a few books from my old fashioned library.

Maybe it'll just take some getting used to, but I suspect the technology will never take the place of my love of holding the actual book in my hand. For my work, however, it's a terrific asset.

True, I haven't even seen a Kindle, but I am someone who has downloaded about a dozen novels to read on my computer screen over the past year. But as a recent college grad I keep thinking about all those novels I read for class, about how I underlined and took cramped notes in the margins of pages and occasionally feathered the thing with sticky notes while writing papers ... I just don't think I'd be able to do the same thing with a Kindle.

I love books. I love the way they feel, the way they smell. I'm just as addicted to the dog-eared copies of my favorites as the crack of a brand new hardcover. To me, books are as comforting as mashed potatoes and mac 'n cheese. For reading purposes, I'm not ready to make the switch.

That said, I'd sell my books to an epub is a second. I see the market as a huge part of the publishing future. The next generation doesn't seem to have the same nostalgic connection to print.

I wrote about this on my blog yesterday.

http://whatislit.wordpress.com

I think in the long term, it'll save the publishing industry from the digital revolution.

I'm liking ebooks so far and have seen great success for friends who publish electronically and have a sales record.

But the Kindle? No way. I saw it at RT and thought it looked cheap and brittle. I object to paying for the privilege of reading content I get for free. I object to paying 10c to put something from my desktop onto my reader. And it's Amazon-related. I am an avid Amazon non-supporter.

My daughter is an iPod genius. That said, she can't stand to read a book on a small screen, even with the print being big.

Part of the appeal of a book is tactile. An electronic device doesn't give the feel of paper. For those who need that...

I also teach yearbook. For years everyone said video/DVD yearbooks would take over the industry.

Suddenly, years later, everyone realized that DVDs scratched. And once destroyed or damaged, couldn't be replaced. As for all those old VCR tapes I had...I sold a lot for 50 cents at a garage sale.

The bottom line is that a book is the only technology guaranteed to open 20 years from now. So I don't think you will ever see them completely disappear.

And I certainly couldn't see reading on a Kindle in the bathtub or on a raft in a pool, where if I lose $5.99 mass market I really don't care that much.

Scientists are also starting to link poor sleep to electronic devices used a half hour to an hour before bed. Something with the electronic signal processing interfering with brainwaves and destroying sleep (sorry, working off poor memory of the news report--maybe someone remembers more). However, dood old fashioned reading was fine. I have noticed better sleep (and getting to sleep faster) in my younger daughter now that she's reading books before bed and not playing her DS system.

I have to agree with Beverly and Karen--the price is prohibitive!

Having never even seen a Kindle, I am relieved to hear Kim say that it is much easier than reading on a computer monitor.

And I have my misgivings:

As ebooks and electronic readers grow in popularity, are we going to see proprietary formats and readers? Or will everything become as ubiquitous as CDs, DVDs, and their players?

And will so-called "improvements," whether technological or profit/control oriented, drive the helpless consumers into an incessant spiral of continuing costs (and headaches) for upgrades?

Our best hope is for generic readers, reasonably priced (under $100), and universal formats.

As to the question of piracy, it's gonna happen. Just like with paper and ink books, I buy a book and it gets loaned out and read several people. That's happens, and has, I'm confident, as long as we've had books. The author gets added exposure--that's good. The author loses potential royalties--that's bad. Somehow it all balances out.

So as we speculate about the future of the publishing industry, we continue to write!

PS: Please, just gimme a real book to read, not some electronic gadget! And no, I'm not a total Ludite. I'm one my faithful computer, continuing a long term love/hate relationship.

Okay, that was supposed to be good (not dood) in the previous post.

Ugh.

PS--my first book that was also released in electronic format (as well as paper) netted me not even $15 in e-pub royalties on my royalty statement. Now that only did represent the first month, but thank goodness it was also out in paper.

I can see a real use for ebooks in the schools since books aren't cheap and are a huge part of the budget; however, working with kids as I do, they don't take care of electronic devices very well and most have lost cell phones, iPods, damaged them, etc. We had a Palm Pilot trial at our school and by the end of the year, out of 35, only 5 were still in any type of good shape and working.

A good book is like an old friend. I read and re-read my favorites. I love the covers, the feel of the paper in my hands, being able to curl up at the pool, in my garden, in bed, on the couch. I don't think I'd get the same comfort from a mechanical device, but then I'm old. Grin.

I love spending an afternoon in a big bookstore. When I go to London I always spend time looking in the rare and collector bookstores.

I've never read an e-book although friends have published them. Can anyone tell me if the Kindle allows you to read outside in sunlight? Just wondering because sometimes I have to move back inside when I'm on the laptop and the sun gets too high.

I think ebooks will be a niche market similar to audio books. Nothing compares to the weight of a book in my hands as I read it. Plus, I miss nuances (and typo's) on a computer screen that jump out at me on paper.

I can certainly see the usefulness of electronic books for some, but nothing compares with the pleasure of sitting in one's favorite easy chair surrounded by one's favorite books; NPR on the radio (I realize that I would really prefer my own string quartet, but there are limitations. My 40-year-old son gives me a gift certificate for $50 worth of books. I give him a gift certificate worth $50 at Home Depot. everybody's got to be somewhere.

I'd like to rent a Kindle for my next vacation to get a feel for it, and weigh in properly!

I suspect that the ebooks vs. paper books choice boils down to a generation gap.

Newspapers are struggling because their readership is getting older and not being replaced by younger "hard copy" readers; instead younger readers get their news online. You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone under 30 who reads a physical newspaper more than once a week (if that).

If books are take the same path as newspapers-to-internet news, then, yes, we're looking at a disappearance of the paper book, insomuch as eventually all the traditional book readers will age out of the medium, so to speak!

Those of us who have loved curling up with a paper book for decades will have a tough time breaking the habit, and books will still be around for us.

But the delivery mechanism for the art that writers produce is changing. In a big way.

But my question for Jessica is: If the delivery mechanism for our art is changing, then do we (writers) need to approach our production process differently?

Just musing...

Cameron Sullivan

This sure makes me feel good, since I was just contracted with an e-publisher. : )

I have no doubt at all that digital content is the wave of the future. In the near future, e-books will no longer be a niche market. No, physical books will be the niche market, just like vinyl became/is in the music world. Everything people are saying about what they love about books and why they'll never go away (the way they feel, the artwork, this and that)--all of it was said about vinyl. And yes, it's the same situation. If you don't think so, you're in denial of the inevitable.

Is the Kindle the wave of the future? No. But digital content is, whether you like it or not. Once truly viable, affordable, options for reading digital content come into the marketplace, the shift will begin in earnest. How long will that be? Who knows! 5 years? Won't be more than 10.

I love my paper books. I love, love, love my Sony Reader.

As was mentioned above, I can carry a bunch of books around. Doesn't mean I won't buy the book in paper format as well. It's just different.

Robena-

The Kindle's electronic ink technology is low glare so that it is readable in sunlight.

I just can't picture snuggling up with a Kindle on a cold, wintry night to enjopy a good book. I prefer books.

...

Definitely seconding Melinda Leigh. As of this point, I prefer paper for the physical sensation. However, ebooks will become a better market--whether they overtake print completely is yet to be seen--and I would look into publishing that way if viable. (Of course, my preferred method would be to publish both in print and electronically.)

Electronic books require a power source. I'm not sure why this doesn't seem to bother most others posting here. They write about the feel and smell of a real book. Batteries require charging. Perhaps most here don't experience frequent power shortages/outages. Perhaps some have never experienced such. I will never be comfortable with a format that requires power and a special machine. And I prefer my music live, too.

I thought I'd never go to e-books, but love my Kindle and I urge ALL authors to make ALL their books -- backlist and new -- available in this format.

I frequently try to find author's backlisted books and wound up hitting the 'out of print' wall. Which means, I have to buy a used copy from someone who already has it and the author gets zero revenue.

If it was available as an e-book, which costs nothing to store, I could buy it for my Kindle and the author would make some money.

There is no reason every book in the world shouldn't also be available as an e-book!

Elissa M brings up a really good point. Taken further, can anyone weigh in on how global warming/the energy crisis will affect these non-traditional book formats?

Thanks.

Thanks Kim.

I'm not sure about global warming but I know there have been medical studies, neurological studies done on the affects to human health from EMT's, which are the electomagnetic fields. Everything from microwaves, to portable phones, hand held electronic games, computers, cell phones and now we can add reading devices. And that's not taking into account the regular electrical devices in our homes and apartments that we take for granted. There are tons of microwave towers in this country and many more expected to be built in the next few years.

All of the above have a risk factor and I think the more technology we acquire and use on a daily basis the higher that risk goes, especially for brain cancer.

Think about the average day of a person on the go. Nuke the breakfast, jump in the car and talk on the cell phone, use the computer and cell phone or maybe a portable in the office, get back in the car use the cell on the way home, nuke dinner, watch TV talk on the cell, write on the laptop, go to bed and read using the Kindle. It doesn't sound healthy to me.

You'd have to eat a lot of fresh fruits and veges to get all of the free radicals to counteract the effects. I limit a lot of my use of these problematic items, rarely use a cell or portable or a microwave, but I spend a heck of a lot of time on computer. It's something to think about. But I'm good about eating my fruits and veges and fantastic about crossing my fingers behind my back. Heck, tomorrow I could walk out the door and get hit by a bus. Grin.

Don't fret none about the smell thing. I got it covered. I invented Ebooks Stink. Now, what ya do is tap a little button on your Ebook and a spritz of "new book smell" comes at ya!
It's electronic scratch and sniff. For pic books and Middle Grade I got every farm, house, outdoor, indoor and animal smell there is... got some rude smells too. When you use up all your stink, contact me and, for a price, I'll send ya a replacement vial of your choosin.'
Thank ya for payin' attention!

http://www.jacketflap.com/profile.asp?member=PYXX

Haste yee back ;-)

Grrrrrr.

I love books. If I had money, I would collect beautiful old books and read them, sighing over the pages as I gently turn them. Well, I already do collect old books when I can find them, I would just have more. My favorite is a bible from the 1800's with little notes everywhere in it about the sermons.

I stare at a computer all day long at work. When I come home to relax, it won't be staring at another computer for entertainment.

I can't even edit my own work on the computer. I have to print it out to digest it.

Michelle,

"However, dood old fashioned reading was fine."

I just thought you left out a comma, dood.

Sorry, yes, I know the polite thing to do is pretend I didn't see it. Now you know why I'm not allowed in public.

I love paper books, too. My first two books, however, are e-books later released as trade paperbacks. I guess I have the best of both worlds.

E-books are far less expensive than paper books. The author makes more money with each sale.

I don't know where you can find a $6.99 paperback in Canada unless it's used.

Readers with a voracious appetite can benefit from e-book technology.

Kim, you can get my book from Amazon on your Kindle. It's short so it'll all be over before you get bored. I just hope it doesn't ruin my chances when I submit a query!

Jessica, can you share what you regard as the chinks in the armour of the Kindle please?

A kindle is just one more thing to break, run out of batteries/charge or lose. I have enough problems remembering where my ipod is.
I still love paperbacks. I can leave them in my car and the heat doesn't get them. (and it won't get stolen) If I drop them they don't break. If I leave them on the train, they are cheap to replace. They stuff in a purse or pocket and are always there when I need them. I don't think I'll get too into ebooks but I love a good audio book. I listen in my car or at the gym all the time. I even download them on my ipod.

Readers talking about pieces of ground up tree pulp as if it's Belgian chocolate or a hunk from a romance novel really cracks me up every time.

I read books from my computer screen, from my ancient RocketBook, and from paper books, and after the first few pages, I'm no longer aware of the media I'm reading from. I'm inside the story, and if the writer is good, that's where I stay. Period.

I've talked to very few readers who haven't said the same thing once they get past the newness of reading different media.

The real question about ebooks is, "If the books you love disappeared off the shelves, would you read ebooks instead?"

From the success of various subgenre of romance and erotica as ebooks, I'd say that a fair percentage of readers would.

We are in the middle of a major shift in book distribution, and the news isn't good for midlist and various types of books with smaller numbers. For conglomerate publishers, ebooks may be the way to go for books that aren't by names and can't find space in bookstores and box stores.

I'm doing a series of blogs on this question and others if anyone is interested. It's at
http://mbyerly.blogspot.com/

E-format is here to stay, I believe. It will gradually grow as the technology becomes cheaper. Honestly though, I don't read ebooks. I spend enough time on the puter as it is, that I have no inclination whatsoever to read a book on it too. If/when it gets to a point that you can buy hardcovers of authors you want for less than what you can get them discounted for through Amazon or your local supermarket, and the readers are under 100 bucks, I might find myself looking to get one. I also like paper books. They have a quality to them that ebooks will never replicate. I like the look of them on my overstuffed bookshelf. I will need to see more than words on a page to really be interested in the ebook format. If I got alternate covers, alternate endings, deleted scenes, author interviews, trailers, etc. with my download, I might be more inclined. I think down the road you'll see more and more of these add-ons as ways to promote/intice readership in the ebook market. Functioning via this medium, the younger generation is going to want more, more visuals, more audio, just more period with their money. We'll probably see more serialization from certain genres, and this has been going on with some for a few years already. There are a lot of options open to writers via the internet that go beyond the simple, published book. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out over the next decade or so.

JDuncan

"The Amazon Kindle and other similar technologies will only work if readers want to read and buy the books made available to them. If your books weren’t viable in the market before, it’s unlikely they are now, unless of course something major has happened to your career to change that, but we’re not going to go into the exceptions at this point."

I disagree. I think, like me, a lot of readers are realizing there's greater variety in ePublishing. When there's nothing but cowboys and Scottish kilts on the Historical Romance shelf in the store, all I have to do is visit any number of ePublishers.

Not all out of print books are inferior. Many successful authors re-release earlier books that may have flown under the radar on their first trip.

I can only talk about the Amazon Kindle, because it's the only ereader I've seen in addition I think it's one of the few that's Mac compatible which is of course an issue for me as a certified machead.

I didn't like the placement of the page turn buttons. There didn't seem to be a way to hold it easily without accidentally turning pages while reading.

I wish when you downloaded your own documents it retained the same page numbers so if you needed to use the note feature and take notes it would refer to the same page numbers everyone else was seeing. Of course that's an editing issue which very few people will use it for.

Ultimately though it seems great to me and it's likely I will own one before the year is out. I wonder though how long it will take for me to use it for books though rather than just manuscripts. Especially, since editors usually give me books, not ebooks.

Much as I'd love to hate the Kindle, I don't. It's wonderfully portable, easy to read, and you can download books in a flash. And yes, I have read several novels on the Kindle, and though there are some things about it I dislike (like the page turning buttons and the stupid pagination), overall it's not a bad gadget. I don't like reading books on the computer screen (ouch, ouch, poor eyes), but e-ink is different and much kinder to your eyes.

Of course I vastly prefer paper books when I have time to curl up and read for a few hours at a stretch, but that's not really possible now that I have a toddler in the house. It's easier for me to follow my son around with a Kindle than with a clunky book.

I didn't realize writers get more royalties with e-books. Interesting. (And another good reason to embrace e-ink)

I wrote a book a while back about two characters obsessed with Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. The British Film Institute, sharing my admiration for the genius of this director, had a Kurosawa season shortly after the launch of the UK paperback, plastering the London Underground with posters, sending mailings to its membership throughout the UK and so on. Sadly the BFI had not done its homework; it had inconsiderately failed to approach my publishers and organise publicity for the book to coincide with its festival. So Kurosawa fans had no way of knowing of the book's existence, since its publishers had made a point of playing down the importance of K to the story.

The book is now out of print in the UK (and probably some other territories too). Since K was a director of genius, film fanatics continue to discover his work, and no doubt some of them continue to organise film festivals in his honour. If the book were available on Kindle, it could be sold to them in a format more beneficial to its author than secondhand sales.

In an ideal world, it would be possible to reformat the Japanese for the digital version to improve on the rather amateurish job done by the typesetters. It would be possible to include images that were not in the text because of the expense of printing (colour, especially, is expensive to print but comes at no cost on a screen). So the digital version would in some ways be better than the print version; some readers might like it for that reason.

Really beautiful drawings! I love the camoflaged cats. After thinking about what you've said I've decided that, like most things, it's about balance. Thanks for mentioning me! ( please don't throw the cats in the fire!!!)

Oh, I absolutely looove your first sketch with the bird people! They look ready to go to the carnevale in Venice! :-)

What wonderful eggs!
Feel better
Have you noticed there is a sort of run on birds in blogs lately?
I enjoyed the cone people too
May I put you on my blogroll - then I'll get to look at your site often

Hee hee, I like the cats in disguise! Know what you mean about sketches, too. Mine are like shorthand...the scrawls mean something to me, but are indecipherable to others!

I'm in the halfway house between being an artist with the soul of an illustrator. When I made 'Fine Art' paintings I would make a sketch to just get the feel of a subject, but now I draw for the same reason a guitarist might strum chords. I've gotta loada strumming to do though before I can move from the Fine Art side to the illustrational!

Love your cone people and the fabulous eggs. I am rotten at being ill for the same sort of reason. Much better just to let yourself crash out.

The sketch of the cats pretending to be birds made me laugh. The wheelie people are cute ... I imagine they are on the road to many adventures.

I wish I had eggs like that to eat. The only thing is that I would probably stare at them and never quite eat them.

I hope you are going to expand on the camoflaged cats - they appeal to me in a big way!

No, no, don't burn the cats! They're wonderful. I keep folders of all sorts of bits and scribbles which are at the very least, good for a laugh at some point down the road.
And the idea of the cats disguising themselves as birds is so much fun! (I'll have to check my cats' closets and see what get-ups they have hiding in there...if I discover any bird disguises I'll share.)

Those eggs are lovely.

Ah, the eggs! I'm lucky if I find brown eggs at the local market, much less mellow blue-green ones.

Your cats in disguise remind me a bit of James Christensen's "Six Bird Hunters in Full Camouflage."

I love your sketches! Your style is so comforting to me. Don't know why just yet. Kinda like a soft quilt to wrap up in. Don't know if that makes any sense, but it's meant as a HUGE compliment!

Cindy at Rosehaven Cottage

I know what you mean about the scribbled sketches, I enjoy that part of my work the most, coming up with the ideas, probably more than the actual painting of the finished artwork.
I like your cone people.
The eggs look beautiful!
love to you and A.
P.x

Wow, what gorgeous eggyweggs.