Books in Advance, Electronically
November 4th, 2010 § Leave a Comment
David Barnett at The Guardian books section has posted his thoughts on the proliferation of the ebook as a promotional tool to sell more traditional, print books. It’s an interesting idea, that allowing the more technologically inclined get their hands on a book before everyone else will spread the word about the book’s merit before it ever hits the shelf. What’s the chances of a new ebook going viral? Not likely, but among a certain select group (here I think of the many bookish types who frequent Twitter and other social networking sites) there is potential for promotion. There’s no doubt a limit on the buzz for a book of poetry due to readership levels, but for other more popular fiction genres it means publishers may be keeping their options open.
This cultural shift happened almost overnight. One day we kept our content closely guarded for fear our rivals would snap it up; the next we were banging stories on to the web as fast as we could. Readers were deserting newspapers so fast that we all decided there would be nothing to lose in playing the internet at its own game. And now publishers seem to be following the same logic.
Throughout November, The Friday Project is giving away a free ebook version of In Praise of Savagery by Warwick Cairns – a full six months before the book hits the shops in a more traditional format. Why? It’s all a question of buzz.
The Kindle 3
July 29th, 2010 § Leave a Comment
It seems that Amazon is jumping on the wagon with Sony and Kobo to produce a low(er) cost version of the Kindle that is slightly less bulky and easier to use. This is good news for those who did not want to spend a large amount on a Kindle when there are other, cheaper alternatives available.
I’ve not tried a Kindle, so I cannot comment on its ease of use or suitability as an everyday reading tool. I imagined it would be only a matter of time until Amazon followed in the footsteps of the other e-reader producers. Maybe this is a good step for them and their customers.
This article seems very concerned with comparing the Kindle to the iPad, but I really don’t understand why. The iPad has a backlit screen which automatically rules it out for me as a viable e-reader. I’d be more comfortable with a dedicated device for reading than another piece of technology that can let you read, but does a hundred different tasks more effectively (none of which at the same time, by the way). Read up on it and make your own informed decision.
