To eBook or not to eBook? That is the question. I am particularly curious how authors feel about eBooks. Recall the singers' rebellion (revolution?) against Napster and other music sites, despite the fact that singers make most of their money off performing. Could the eBook jeopardize the writer's livelihood? Here are some other pros and cons of eBooks summarized from the comments on last week's Kindle post.
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I'm not an author, just a reader, but I hate eBooks with a seething subcutaneous volcano of rage, and will only use them either under extreme duress, or if obtained illegally and unlocked. I hate them, and I hate Adobe, and I hate every other company that inflicts the shambling nightmare known as "DRM" on the hapless public.
There is certainly a reason for this near-pathological rage on my part, but I don't want to clutter up your blog with a long-winded rant about trying to get and maintain access to about £400 of material which I had bought and paid for. Just take it from me, if I ever get within arms reach of anyone involved in creating DRM, then there will be bloodshed. Grisly, painful, horrible, extraordinary bloodshed. And I will be glad. Bastards.
Bold words! I love you passionate defense of paper but I fear it's headed toward eBooks regardless of the bloodshed...
Well, people have been predicting the imminent demise of books for decades. I rank it right up there with those "paperless offices" that computers will bring us. [she says, regarding the humungous stacks of sheets of dead tree which inundate her office.]
There are too many people who appreciate reading material which doesn't require electricity and which can survive (albeit in a somewhat wrinkly form) being dropped in the bath.
I'm a reader and an aspiring writer and I'm not happy about ebooks. I don't hate them (I do empathise with Lunathecat's anger though, but mine is born mostly out of frustration at feeling helpess), I think they have their uses and benefits, but paper is what I personally prefer. All this talk of one replacing the other scares me because then I won't be able to choose what I want, I'll only have one option.
I'm not a technophobe, or an oldie (I'm 23). I LOVE the internet almost to obsession. But I'm not into gadgets. My mobile phone is just a phone. I listen to CDs (albeit on my computer). Men seem more interested in gadgets than women in my experience. I don't mind books and ebooks co-existing. I just don't want ebooks to beat paper for popularity, because the next step from that would be an attempt by the publishing industry to phase printed books out, against the will of those who still want them.
At the moment though, according to a survey by Random House and Zogby, 82% of readers prefer printed books.
I explain on my own blog why I, and others that I've spoken to, prefer printed. www.elizabethauthor.wordpress.com.
Alougth i enjoy cozzing up with a large book and reading the beautiful wild adventures of a good book, I also enjoy reall adventures and to do that I need trees. Using an Ebook could save trees which is a good idea since we have so much habitat loss threw out the years of human civilizaton. I must say that the Ebooks arent very popular now but they will be in the future.! :)