CommentsVivi, your book sounds like so much fun! I hadn’t considered an e-reader until now. It’s all very Star Trekky to me! (That’s not a bad thing.) I can sure see the advantages for travellers, but I don’t think they’re for me and I’m a gadget junkie. I love the feel and smell of paper. Ooh, and embossed covers, too. Thanks, Vanessa. I’m fascinated by how many people object to ereaders because of the emotionally attachment they have to paper. Nostalgia vs. Practicality and nostalgia wins hands down. Do you suppose, as writers, a book doesn’t feel real to us until it’s bound and embossed? Or is it just what all of our reading memories are built on? Will my nephew’s generation feel differently? Fascinating. I’ve always dreamed of seeing my books in print, something I can hold and sign for legions of fans. Hahaha. Technology moves faster than ever now, and more people will use e-readers. It’s weird to think that a lot of today’s kids have never seen a vinyl record before. Now they don’t even have to go to a record shop to buy music.  Shea Berkley says: Congratulations on the new book, Vivi! This is a very interesting subject. Thank you for sharing your take on ereaders. Here’s my take. Will I buy one? Probably. The advantage of portability is very appealing. Do I like the fact that I’ll buy one? Not really. I love traditional, paper books. I love their smell. I love the way they feel, their texture and heft. I like to see them all lined up on a book shelf. I love the individualness of each book. I can’t gain that emotional experience with an ebook reader. It’s boring. Cold. It doesn’t inspire me. I can’t share my latest reading passion. There are so many downs to them. But, like I said, I’ll probably end up buying one … eventually. Will I cry when I do? Yes. It will be a sad day. Very sad. I’m with Shea. The time will come when I’ll probably buy one, but that time is not yet, and I’ll likely do so grudgingly. I love the visceral experience of reading a physical book – the smells, the sounds, the look and feel. I’m not ready for yet another gadget to surplant that experience – I have far too many for comfort already. I yearn for the industry to standardize upon a single file format – or at least settle upon two or three. The manner in which DRM digs its hooks into my reading matter makes me nervous. I want to be able to share a great book with my friends, or donate them to various libraries or charitable donations when I’m done enjoying them. Another real risk for me is water damage. My favorite place to read is the bathtub, and with paper books, when I drop one in the water, I’m out a mere $7.99, not hundreds of dollars. Not yet. Tamara, I’ve heard of people putting their e-reader in plastic bags to take in the tub. Shea Berkley says: The Nook does allow you to share but for only a limited time, something like 3 weeks. I think they also said it’s a one time share thing, meaning you can share a book only once. So too bad if you have more than one friend who wants to borrow your book. The industry is still changing and developing rapidly. Who knows what sharing and other features will be available in the future as this market becomes more competitive? Don’t cry, Shea! E-readers don’t have to replace all paperbacks. They aren’t a punishment for people who read too much and therefore aren’t allowed to touch the real books anymore. Like I said to Vanessa, I’m intrigued by how many objections to e-readers are wholly emotional. I was resistent to them for many of the same reasons before I ever played with one. Now I’m no more bothered by them as I am the concept of cell phones. Sure, cell phones can be used to be annoying, but that doesn’t mean the technology isn’t wonderful. I don’t have to worry about my car breaking down in the middle of winter now because I can always call for a tow. That doesn’t mean I don’t use a landline ever. It’s just a technology, but we readers are very protective of our reading habits. That emotional resistance intrigues me. Shea Berkley says: I agree. It is funny how we get so emotionally attached to books. But there is a serious viseral reaction to holding a book that just can’t be explained or replaced. I think it’s a learned response. All our lives, while reading good books, we’ve had the paper in our hands. So the pleasure of the story becomes linked with the tactile sensation of holding the book. It is so ingrained we come to think the physical book itself is stimulating the pleasure response. But if you have an e-reader, and get into the habit of reading good books and having that pleasure response while holding the device, will you have the same affection for it as you do a book? Will it not seem so “cold” then? My primary criteria when evaluating new technology is, “Does this technology offer me an improved experience over the existing approach?” For me, e-readers don’t offer enough benefits over books for me to dive in yet. I DO have a cell phone, but it’s usually off in my purse.  Tina Canon says: Vivi– Thanks for the info on the e-readers. My teen daughter has been saving for one has been researching the different types. She’s very VERY excited about the NOOK. I’m afraid that if I buy one that I’ll buy book for the e-reader and the paperback book version. LOL! I would spend MORE money! Thanks, That double dipping is a real danger! With all things electronic, I don’t think I need it. Examples: Computer, satellite TV, Tivo, e-mail, domain name, web-site, laptop, Wifi, memory stick, cell phone. Until I get it, and then I can’t live without it. So naturally, I’m a little afraid to get an e-reader. Although, I’m still buying books at used book stores and trading with others. There are only a few authors I will buy new (like you…in December). And then there is the price. I am notoriously cheap. And then there is the whole perception thing. I want a little slice of immortality by imagining my paper book in a ratty little bookstore 100 years from now. Someone will wander in and discover me long after I’m dead. I suppose my book will be in a ratty little computer memory somewhere, but it just doesn’t seem the same. But thanks for making sense of it all and making it interesting. I’m really thinking about one for Christmas. P.S.-Miss you. I don’t think ebooks will entirely replace paperbacks – at least not anytime soon – so you may still get collecters wandering in to discover you in a couple hundred years, but I’m envisioning them wearing surgical gloves when they handle your delicate masterpiece lest the paper crumble in their hot little hands. I tend to think the true immortality of our work is not in the paper, but in the ideas, the words, and the stories. We don’t copyright the paper. We copyright all the things that will still be preserved. And you’re completely forgetting the fact that you’re gonna be more famous than Shakespeare, babe, and in 200 years, everyone is STILL gonna know every word you wrote.  Elisa Beatty says: Wow, is that ever true…that the technology seems so unappealing until you’ve got it. I can’t tell you how long I held out against the iPod…then I got my little one, and I love it. Oooh, Jane at Dear Author is talking e-readers too! And she’s so much better at it than I am. http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2009/10/25/should-i-buy-an-ebook-reader-this-year/  Kristan A says: As a lifelong reading addict who bought an e-reader a year ago partly because I was tired of paying extra baggage fees due to the number (weight) of books I carried, I truly understand the emotional attachment to paper books. I still buy loads of paper books, almost always at discount prices. I use my e-reader as an alternative, not a replacement for all paper forever. It’s really not that different from the way I feel about hardbacks compared to paperbacks. I prefer paperbacks, but I will buy a hardback if I can get a good discount on a book I really want before it is released in paperback. Now I can choose between ebooks, paperbacks and hardbacks. One of the beauties of ebooks is that I can buy something that isn’t out in paperback yet and pay far less than the hardback list price. I can also buy pre-packaged ebook “bundles” to get an author’s backlist at a discount. And with the leather book-type cover I use on my e-reader it really doesn’t feel that different from a small hardbacked print book. With my e-reader I can enjoy all the free classic downloads that are out there, plus snap up the new books I want from epublishers without waiting a year for them to get into print…and cost a lot more. E-readers and print books are not mutually exclusive. Options, baby, it’s all about options. Options, baby. I love that readers are getting so many more choices these days! And that includes the availability of ebooks that might not have the broad market appeal to get a non-”e” contract. Thanks for sharing your e experience, Kristan! Great post. I’m really excited about the Nook. The blinking is one of the reasons I’ve heard people like to read on their iPhones. The page turning is apparently nice and smooth.  rita says: What is the eye blinky thingie? I think what Connie means is the screen flicker when the page turns. If possible, I would read a few pages on a test model of the one you were planning to buy, to make sure it wouldn’t bug you. I just got into the habit of kinda glancing away from the screen as I hit the page turn button.  Kali McCue says: I barely notice the screen change on my Kindle. It doesn’t exactly go blank so much as fade so if I hit ‘next page’ a few words before the end, then by the time my eyes move back to the top the new words are already there. I first discovered ereaders in 2001. Yes, they’ve been around that long. One of my students brought in a Tech Magazine and left it on my desk. She and I had more than one animated discussion about books. In it, the REB1200 was being discussed and the GEMSTAR bookstore was heralded as the wave of the future. Reading the article, I immediately took it home and presented it to my husband over dinner. He bought it for me. That device saw me through an extended bedrest while I was pregnant with my twins, years of new motherhood when I couldn’t make it to the grocery store, much less the bookstore or library, and hours of faithful reading, even after the bookstore closed. Last year, I sold it on eBay for more than I paid for it. Not because I really wanted to get rid of it, but no one needs three ebook readers. I currently own a Sony PRS-500 (one of the first one the market) and a first generation Kindle. And now that Kindle has an International-friendly model, that’s what I’m putting under the Christmas tree for both me and my husband. (I write this sitting across the room from him where he’s snagged the Kindle to read Dan Brown’s latest.) I can’t say when I actually purchased a book to read from the local book seller. All of my books are purchased digitally. Not only is it easier for busy professionals to indulge their reading passions, but it’s environmentally friendly – no more driving across town (or up the highway) to get to the bookstore wasting gas, no more wasted trees, and, most importantly, no more wasted time going down the shelves looking for a specific book only to find that it wasn’t stocked! rita says: which do you prefer? Sony or Kindle Hi Rita, I prefer the Kindle. The list of reasons is long, but it boils down to ease of use. The Kindle is just easier. Here are the top things on my list from personal experience: 1. the Kindle battery life is longer I have friends who have the newer Sony Readers and they swear that all the issues I encountered was corrected on later models. They swear by them. Another point for the Kindle is the International Receiver. We’re a military family negotiating orders overseas. For anyone who’s ever been at an overseas base, it’s practically impossible to get new releases there. The newest Kindle is just what we needed. correction: issues WERE corrected. Sorry, distracted being a mom and trying to type at the same time. I’m going to disagree with #2. The Kindle Store stocks when Amazon decides to stock it. They pull the strings. My publisher nagged for six months before they stocked my first novella. But someone with a newer model Sony could buy it from my publisher (or Fictionwise, B&N, BooksOnBoard, All Romance eBooks, or any number of other sites) the day it released.  Gaill says: Technology is great, but what in the world will we do without the thrill of a book-signing? A few years ago Louisa Cornell and I discovered one certain author at the same time and we were ‘ca-raazy’ over her. Later that year I was lucky enough to find a signed copy of one of this author’s books and gave it to Louisa for Christmas. Nothing in the digital world could have replaced the joy it gave me to see the look on her face when she opened it. That was worth a dead tree. I know, I collect autographed books, too. But I could totally see a future with virtual signings. Picture it. I mean could we imagine even 20 years ago the technology we have today? This is why I can’t write Scifi, because I can’t even imagine where we’re headed. I think they have an “e” signing at the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention, but you’re absolutely right that it isn’t the same. I have no idea what they actually sign. I wonder if people will start collecting signatures on their e-reader cases? I don’t hunt autographs myself. I always feel so awkward at signings, gushing like a rabid fangirl. And I have a deathly fear that my first signing will be me and the bookstore manager twiddling our thumbs together. Gaill says: Your first book signing is gonna need cops for crowd control! This is a great point! I love Ray Bradbury and a friend of mine once took an R.B. from my shelf, stalked him at a book fair, and got an autograph in the hall instead of paying to go to the big talk. We were starving university students at the time. Ray apparently was a sweetheart about it. I love that story and I love that autograph. What can we possibly do in the e-book world to give this same feeling of connection to the author? That feeling both Ray and I touched this book and all the fuzzy nostalgia that comes with it? Ooh! How about “signature” software in the e-reader? Where authors can write their autographs and little messages with a stylus and it can be saved. Maybe not the same thing, but pretty darn cool. Umm…someone remind me to e-mail Sony or Amazon or someone about that. Okay, I e-mailed support/customer feedback at Amazon, Sony and B&N. I really need to get back to writing. rita says: Here are my issues. I want to be able to take my MS with me when I go someplace like getting the oil in the cars changed. I can edit but writing in a place like that- can’t do it. So, I asked before but didn’t really understand the answer, can I mark or highlight an area I need to go back and correct? I understand correction cannot be made on the e reader. I’m afraid I’ve never tried editing a ms. on an e-reader so I don’t know about that. I know you can bookmark and make notes, but I’m not sure how that would import back to your computer. (Although there is a rumor about a way to sync Kindles, iPhones and Computers all together so anything you do on one automatically appears on the other.) The price wars you’re talking about refer, I believe, to the hardback books being sold for $9 at Amazon, Walmart & Target. I don’t know of any lawsuits brought yet, but this only started happening in the last few weeks. Amazon’s business approach seems to be focused on “you must buy from us” (with the proprietary format) which bothers me a bit. (Honestly it’s one reason I haven’t bought a Kindle yet.) I like the more open approach of the Sony, but Amazon is soooo big (and the wireless would be nice). I think one of the Sony e-Readers will allow markups. I really wanted that! But it’s not in the version I have. It would be really cool to have a try and buy like the Apple stores have. Especially because they can cost a pretty penny. My REB1200 was the size of the current DX and it’s actually very comfortable to hold. I have a friend with the DX and she says it’s remarkably light and suits your hands. Kristan A says: Not being able to try a Kindle without buying one was a deterrent to me. Then I sat next to someone on a plane who was using one, and she showed me how it worked and let me handle it. I was all set to order one just before Thanksgiving last year, but when I tried I discovered that Amazon was sold out and it would be 11 weeks before any were available. Scratch that! I had been vacilaating between the Sony 505 and the Kindle anyhow, so I decided to go with Sony. I found a display model in my local H.H. Gregg appliance and electronics store (surprise!). They had a display model AND a discount. I recently played with display models of Sony e-readers at my local Borders bookstore. Those give you a good sense of the way they feel to handle, how easy the screen is/isn’t on your own eyes, how scalable the print is, and how the menus or touch screens work. Very satisfying to try before you buy. I’m hoping Barnes & Noble will have display models of the Nook in stores soon so I can go kick the virtual tires!  Liz Talley says: Well, I’ll admit to having one on my Christmas list. I love the idea of taking lots of books around with me in my purse. I’ll also admit to being one of those readers who has three or four books going at once. I decide which one I want to read based on my mood. The only downside? I like to read in the tub. Can’t shell out that much money for an e-reader and then drop it in my tub o’ bubbles. It’s all about the ziplock baggie, Liz. rita says: Fiddle-de-de  Diana Layne says: I admit to wasting a full half hour drooling over the Kindle DX last night. That bigger screen is just very appealing to me. The price isn’t. I’m telling myself once I sell….and heck, by then, there could be even newer, more improved models. I used to be one who thought I’d never give up paper books, but as my collection keeps growing and I keep having to dust more and more…the e-reader is definitely becoming more appealing. One day. At the rate things seem to be changing in the e-reader market, you could sell next week and there might be a shiny new reader for your “I sold!” gift to yourself. Here’s hoping you have an excuse to buy one soon. Hmm I did consider an eReader only if I could download books from the library. I’m an extremely picky reader (blaming the English major in me, LOL) and many books I don’t even finish. Buying them would be a waste; I generally only buy a book if I know it’s going to be something I’ll read again. I considered the Sony because I could do the library downloading thing (the company I used to work for provides eBooks to libraries and has a partnership with Sony as well). But if I do want to buy a book, I planned I buying off Amazon. Seeing that it’s not compatible, I suppose that changes any plans of mine Kindle’s not an option because of how limited it is currently. The Nook may be something worth considering though, IF I can download from libraries on it. Also the price has to come down for all of these (like below $200 range). For now I’m happy taking my half mile walk to the library to get my books One thing I know Amazon does is offer samples of ebooks. You can download the first few chapters free and if you like, you buy the rest. That way you can try out as many as you want without spending your hard earned cash. And I’m right there with you, Dara. The prices keep dropping and I hope they’ll keep sliding down a little farther. Under $200 sure would be nice. Kali McCue says: Up until six month ago, I never thought I’d like an e-Reader. I’m addicted to books, the feel of the pages, the smell of the ink; it’s all something I ‘ve loved since I learned to read. But then my infant son developed what I call ‘book radar’ – he wakes up from the deepest sleep at the faintest hint of mommy turning pages. Then came the day he ripped a book apart; also known as the day mommy started researching e-Readers. I eventually settled on a Kindle and, after informing my friends and family that I wanted only one thing for my birthday, I was the new owner of one. We had a few new relationship bumps, but now I’m firmly in love. It fits neatly in my purse/diaper bag so traveling is easier than ever, it balances beautifully on the tiny shelf on cardio machines at the gym, my son can’t make chapters disappear, I no longer have to choose between favorites to travel with, and for a total of $40 (so far) I have a library of 120 books – including books suitable for my son. An added bonus is that I can put anything I want on it, granted this is a bit of a pain since any non-Amazon item needs to be emailed to Amazon for conversion, and then emailed back for download (at a nominal fee of .35), but it means I can travel with that .doc file that a friend wanted me to proofread, or take my wedding paperwork without having a large (and annoyingly pink and flowery) binder to lug around. I still have overflowing bookshelves full of “real” books, and I enjoy looking at them and sniffing them, but my Kindle is my new flame. I still have moments in bookstores where my fingers twitch to feel a stack of books being carried to a cash register, but instead I take out a notebook, jot down titles and authors and walk out empty handed. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to paper books. Thanks for sharing your Kindle-savvy, Kali. I hadn’t really considered the toddler factor. I guess a Kindle in a sturdy case (and kept on a high shelf) would be much more resilient than a paperback with all those tearable pages. Does anyone know if the Kindles come with warranties? Kali McCue says: They do! I’m not sure how extensive the coverage is, but Amazon replaced my original Kindle, no questions asked, when it arrived damaged. It has proven to be fairly toddler proof so far though, the worst he’s managed to do is lose my place… Great post, Vivi! And congrats on your new ebook. I’ve had a Kindle for a year and a half and I LOVE it. I take it–and my entire virtual library–everywhere I go. Someone asked about notes on a Kindle. Yes, it’s possible to make annotations, but not to change the original text. And making annotations is a little awkward, at least for me. Tiny keyboard, compared to what I’m used to. (Clearly, I’m not a world-class texter…) Oh, and Vivi, I’m with you that humans learn (and can transfer) our emotional attachments. I did! And when I’m reading, I don’t notice the Kindle. It disappears as I dive into the story, and that’s the way it always should be. Even for a p-book. LOL. Cate, I’m going to start calling them p-books now. Thanks for sharing your Kindle knowledge.  Darynda Jones says: This is so great! Thank you for this post, Vivi. I have been wondering about these for some time now, and you have answered many of my questions. Thank you again!
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I knew nothing about e-readers before, but I sure do now. Very informative post. Coming from a woman who recently took three books on vacation and came home with additional three, lugging them all in my carry-on, I can definitely see why fuequent travels would think they’re worth the dollars.
I’d love to see one of these all these puppies in one place and actually read something on them before spending dollars.
And your book sounds like a must read. Congrats on the release. Mega sales, lady.
Oh, a question. Do any of them come with bookstore scent? I love the smell of a room filled with books.
AJ
I don’t think the bookstore scent is a feature yet. Probably in the next gen of e-readers.
On the comparison shopping… I may be wrong, but I think you have to get your Kindle through Amazon, so, sadly, there’s no touching and playing beforehand.
Kindle users? Is that accurate?