EBook readers have been around for a while but, to be honest, I really didn't care. As a reader, I think I was too attached to certain things about printed books, things like their tactile feel, typeface, even their smell. As a writer, a book in print was where you wanted to be, especially if a publisher invested in the cost and marketing of it. In the last few weeks, I have completely changed my mind. EBooks rule!
A similar experience happened to me when iPods first came out. Once I discovered the simplicity of how the music could be purchased and loaded onto my iPod, I was in love. And I've had the same discovery with eBooks, thanks to the Kindle, the iPad, and some other similar (though not quite as cool) eReaders.
I first experimented with eBooks using MobiPocket on my Blackberry. I was skeptical at first but the software was easy to load and I immediately found a bunch of resources on the web with public domain books. They also had an eBook store, so I could search their store for authors I liked to read. In addition, they had an eBook creator called Mobipocket Creator. It was quite easy to use and, once my eBooks were created, I could publish them to their eBook database quickly for their eBook store.
But the moment of real excitement happened when the Kindle came out. Here was a device that could send books wirelessly, like MobiPocket, but also had the entire Amazon book catalog at your beck and call. In defiance of early reviews that wondered if people would plop down $400 - $500 for a dedicated eBook reader, it sold like hot cakes. And on the heels of the Kindle is the iPad, a multimedia device that has a pretty slick eReader on it and the backing of the iTunes universe that Apple created.
"So what does this all mean?" you patiently ask. It means freedom! As a reader, once I got over some of my long term attachments to the printed book, I fell in love with eBooks. Just like with my first iPod, with hundreds of songs and albums at my disposal in a small device, I had dozens of books on my Blackberry. Pounds of paper gone. Book cases gone. And I found that the "voices" I loved from my favorite authors were still there, even on that tiny screen. Amazing! The attachments I had to the printed books were not dealbreakers for eBooks.
As a writer, it still means freedom. I have a couple of novels, a book of my comic strips, a book for kids, and piles of short stories. Using open source software (and a little research on formatting), I can create my own eBooks for dozens of eReaders. Kindle? Yes. IPad? Yes. Nook? Yes. Sony eReaders? Yes. Do I have a preference? No. The more the better for writers, I think. And once I have these eBook formats ready, there are several excellent avenues for distributing and selling them. The Kindle Store. Smashwords. The soon-to-be-here iBooks Store. Bad ass! Again, do I have a preference? Nope. The more the better. Do I need a publisher? No, I am the publisher. If someone still wants a print version, then I use on-demand services like Lulu Press. But eventually, printed books will go the way of the Dodo bird. Later. Sayonara. Gone.
In the meantime, I get it. And you should too. Support independent publishing. And read my eBooks.
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