Current Project: Leg Shaving Leads to Trouble
Status: Trying to finish the bloody first draft!
So...I think I'm going to get an E-book reader for romance novels. I never thought I would say those words, but I'm pretty much sold on the notion. I was in Border's a few weeks ago and was approached by a Sony E-book reader salesman. He was incredibly hot. But I promise you, that does not sway my opinion. It just makes the story better.
Previously I had seen a Kindle, one of my good friends bought one months ago. I love how it's not backlit, so it's very similar to reading a book. Your eyes won't tire out like with backlit devices. However, some of the buttons and scrolling features are awkwardly placed and makes it sort of difficult to use for long periods of time.
So, Borders Hottie (that is how I shall refer to the E-book reader salesman) showed me the new Sony. It, too, is not backlit and it's a more comfortable size for holding. Very similar to a paperback. There are also three sizes you can make the font, so it's more comfortable for you to read. And there aren't the same button placement issues as the others.
The downside to the Sony is that (I believe) you have to buy the books from the Sony store and I don't know how good their romance selection is. I'm not 100% clear on if you can buy books on Amazon for use on the Sony. I guess I'll have to revisit Borders Hottie and ask him more questions. ;)
Overall - I think it's a good investment and meets my personal needs. I usually read romance novels before bed and I get tired of holding the book open. My hands cramp. How lame is that? I think it would be nice to be able to just rest an E-book reader on my knees and scroll down. I also like that you can put so many books on there. Vacations would be so much nicer!
I don't know much about battery life and how long they last, but I imagine battery life would be great for a machine that's not backlit. Plus, e-books are cheaper than print books.
The downside is also that e-books are cheaper than print books. As writers, we understand more about royalties than the average reader. So it's difficult to want to save money when it impacts the writers. For me, I buy so many romance novels that it would be nice to save a buck or two on each one. Plus, I'm seriously running out of room to store the books...
What are your thoughts on e-book readers? Have you seen the new ones that aren't backlit?
14 comments:
You can get all the Wild Rose Press books at Sony. ;) TWRP actually gives away four E-Readers a year to a lucky reader. I'm pretty sure they did some research and thought the Sony E-Reader was the better of those out there.
As for gypping the author of e-books- We actually make more money off the e-books than the print. We get higher royalties for the e-book than the print and make more money per book even though the price is less.
I look forward to more escapades between you and "hottie" Sony E-book reader salesman!
I love my Kindle. :-)
While I occasionally hit the "next page" bar on the right when I don't mean to, I've found that the button placement really hasn't been an issue for me. Here's what I love about it:
1. I love the look of the "pages" -- really easy on the eyes. Your post seemed to imply that only the Sony allows for font size changes, but the Kindle does too. In fact it has 6 different font sizes to choose from.
2. I love the formfactor. The slim size and light weight is perfect to hold in one hand.
3. I *Love* being able to download books immediately from Amazon (and there's no wireless charge!). That's freakin' amazing.
4. I love being able to search the Amazon store for books. That means that if I'm traveling and want something new to read, I don't have to be tied to a computer to make it happen.
5. I love being able to travel with it. I hated being limited in my reading while traveling -- especially on vacation. Now, I don't have to consider that when I pack. I just pack my Kindle and charger and I'm set.
6. I love that the battery will last for days of reading without recharging, so long as I'm not using the wireless. And I love that the wireless can be turned off, except for the times when I'm downloading or shopping.
7. Speaking of shopping, I love that I can also buy the Kindle books online from my computer and then download them later. And that all purchases are "backed up" on Amazon -- that is, if you need to download them again for some reason, you should be able to do so.
8. I also love that there's a service that will convert text/html files to the Kindle format so you can put your own stuff on it. (It's pennies per conversion, but I think there's a free tool out there somewhere). I haven't used it yet, but I like that I have that option.
I think that's probably enough. LOL. I didn't mean to turn this into a Kindle commercial. The bottom line is, you should decide what features are most important to you and choose the reader that best fits your needs. For me, that was the Kindle.
I've been attracted to an ebook reader for one reason and that's the fact you can download a book right away and not have to wait until the twenty-four people ahead of you on the library list actually finish reading the book I WANT NOW. Or because I wouldn't have to order and then W*A*I*T for it to come or wait to get to a book store or used book store, not always easily accomplished given everything else.
In other words, I'm impatient.
I'm also attracted by the number of books you can carry and if you can, as Debbie mentioned, download your own work into the thing and proofread in bed -- wow.
I think it would also make me a more adventuresome reader as the cost would be less plus I could read about a book, find it on Amazon and download it right then.
So, yes, I've been curious and waiting for the price to drop because I am not only curious and impatient, I am also cheap.
As for royalties? Add being a fatalist and a capitalist to the list. The market will be driven by what people want and need. Things change. I can't remember what the royalties are for e book purchases (just looked at my last royalty statement -- 28 pages!- and still have no idea), but it really doesn't matter, if this is the wave of things to come, it will come and we will all have to adjust. Maybe I'm missing something, but that just seems to be the way it is.
Hottie salesman, aside, I would love to see and handle both the Sony and the Kindle. Right now I have no preference having never seen either.
Lisa, get back to Borders'! We all want an update!!!!
Paty, that's great to know about e-book royalties! I don't feel so bad now :) Hopefully there will be more escapades, he complimented my tattoo. How can I not be intrigued?
Debbie, I'm so glad you posted this!!! My only interaction with the Kindle has been what a friend's opinion has of it after she bought it. She must not have figured out there are multiple font settings at that point because she complained about not being able to make it bigger, haha! Oops!
I didn't realize the wireless was free. And I love that Amazon backs it up. That's why I use Ipods and Itunes - backups in case your computer crashes. You've brought up some EXCELLENT points. I'm definitely going to have to revisit the kindle. Thank you!
Alice, you brought up some great points too. It's really tempting to go the e-reader route. I'm impatient also, and love the idea of being able to get books right when I hear about them (otherwise I'm likely to forget). Also, to be able to browse Amazon from anywhere? HEAVEN. I agree with your adventuresome comment too. I try to read new authors, but it's hard to keep forking out $7 here and there. E-book reader is sounding better and better!
I really want to buy a reader and always get stuck on which one to buy. I'm leaning toward Kindle, but the cost! Yikes! 8^)
Royalties on ebooks from small presses are high only because a small press doesn't pay an advance against royalties. It's their way of saving and making money, which is smart for them, and painful for the author because we wait forever to see the pennies we're owed. Ebooks that come from the bigger publishers pay about the same in royalties as they pay out for their print books. Reason being, the big guys pay advances. They don't have to make up for anything like the small ebook publishers do. So royalties all depend on who the publisher is, and whether or not an advance is paid to the author ahead of sales.
So I have to disagree with Paty about making more money off ebooks. It's a wash. And personally, I'd rather have the advance instead of the bigger royalty percentage after the book's been out for a few months or a year.
Actually, Karen, ebook royalties for traditional print pubs are higher than the print royalties as well. My ebook royalties are around 15%, and I know from authors at other houses it's close to the same. That's quite a bit better than the traditional 8% on print books.
And Dorchester just announced a big deal with Libredigital for ebook conversions. From now on, all their books will be available in e-form, starting with their 2009 releases.
You can find the link here: http://www.romanticreads.net/1/post/2009/01/dorchester-announces-deal-with-libredigital-for-ebook-conversion-digital-initiatives.html
I'm still not 100% sold on e-readers because I love the feel of a real book in my hand, and because I spend so much time reading on a "screen" already. But I see the value. I haven't tried one either, and that may change my opinion.
Too fun about the Borders Hottie!!! Next time we need a picture!!
Oooh...one other thing I thought of...
Can you electrocute yourself with an e-reader???? I know that sounds silly, but I love to read in the bathtub and have been known to drop a book now and then. That could be serious bad news with an ereader!!! (Not to mention spendy. Ack!)
Eli, that's awesome about Dorchester!! I'm becoming more and more excited about the prospect of an e-book reader. And I don't think you could electrocute because it runs on batteries. But it would probably be damaged if it fell in.
Alice -- regarding proofreading your work -- you can make annotations directly on the Kindle. You can't do edits on it, but your notes could guide you when making the actual changes later on the computer.
Regarding the general issue of royalties, you guys know what's paid and what isn't better than I do. But I have this thought to throw into the mix. There are books I'd love to buy and read that are out of print. I can only get if I buy them used -- and then sometimes the price is still prohibitive. I'd think that with e-publishing, there should be no reason for books to go out of print. Okay, maybe the bound books would go out of print, but I can't honestly think of a physical reason why the e-pub'd version couldn't remain available.
I'll also admit, as much as I love the Kindle, I love bound books more. But I have a finite amount of space to shelve books. The Kindle lets me try books that I might not buy in a traditional format, simply because I'm not sure it's a book I'll want to keep on my shelves. Did that make sense? What I'm getting at is, I've bought a few books via the Kindle that I would never have purchased without it.
Elisabeth, LOL about the bath comment. The battery is the following: 3.7V, 1530mAh lithium polymer, BA1001 model. I don't have a clue if that's powerful enough to do much more than shock you. I'd be more concerned about ruining the reader. ;-)
One more thing -- I won't be at next month's meeting, but I'd be happy to bring my Kindle to the March meeting, if folks want to take a look at it.
Thanks, Eli, for clearing that up for me. Still, 15% and 10% (on hardcover) are not that far apart, and still less than the 35% WRP gets (though other epubs offer 40%). I'd still rather get an advance than higher royalties. You get the best of both worlds with an advance PLUS high royalties on ebooks. What a great combo!
I had serious cramps in my thumbs because of all the reading I did for that contest in December. One book in particular. I swear I had to use muscle to keep it open. My thumbs still aren't the same.
Would I buy a reader? I don't know. I love my books. I love to hold them, fold down the corners on pages that strike a chord in me, and scan the covers. But I like the convenience of a reader.
**Snort**bathtub!
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