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31 January 2010

Do you have an e-book reader?

Please see the poll in the right hand column.

If you are a reader of my blog you will know that I bought a 6" Kindle towards the end of last year.

Since then I've read 6 books on the Kindle which I suppose is not so many, but I am really looking forward to taking it with me when I have some long plane journeys at the end of February.

There's been quite a bit written this week about the release of promotional stuff about the Apple iPod which I think is designed to rival the Kindle DX released on January 19.

And then today there has been quite a bit of discussion on one of the mystery lists I belong to of  the implications of this headline in the New York Times.
Amazon Pulls Macmillan Books Over E-Book Price Disagreement
The disagreement appears to be over Amazon's desire to set the price of an e-book at considerably lower than that of the paper version.

I must admit I was taken aback yesterday when I looked at buying a particular an e-Book, and found the price was the same as a paper copy. I've since found the Amazon version is much cheaper

So what about you - are you reading e-books?
If you are, what have you chosen?
If not, will you ever buy an e-book reader do you think?

Here are some of my e-book and Kindle posts
at

9 comments:

  1. Bernadette31 January 2010 at 19:02

    I have an old Sony e-reader for work but wouldn't read fiction on it.

    I've not been tempted by the Kindle for a number of reasons including the fact that I think it's expensive for the singular functionality you get, I've not been on any long trips where it would have come in handy and, probably most importantly, very few of the the titles I've got on my wishlist are available on the Kindle in Australia (less than 20% I'd say based on an occasional look at the titles over the past few months). I know there are lots of free books available for the Kindle but I figure my reading life is too short to read what I can get my hands on - I want to read the books I want to read.

    I am tempted by the iPad because it does offer more functionality. Two key things for me are the inclusion of a web browser (I'm always wanting to look up maps or pictures of the places I'm reading about, or check out the meaning of something in a dictionary or that sort of thing) and the ability to read magazines and newspapers properly (I'd like to give up my subscriptions to print versions of daily papers and monthly magazines but so far haven't seen anything that replaces the browsability of a traditional paper until the iPad demo last week). Obviously it's more expensive than the Kindle but for me it would work out well as I could travel for work and leisure with it alone, without my laptop, whereas if I have the Kindle or a similar single-function reader like the new Sony one I'd still need to lug my laptop (at least for work travel and probably for leisure travel too these days). I don't have a smart phone (and don't plan on getting one any time soon) so don't have any other mobile browser option available. However as the iPad won't be available here for a while yet I won't have to struggle with my temptation just yet - which is a good thing as it's still a want to have rather than a need to have for me.

    I'm also quite happy to sit back and wait and see how things go as far as e-publishing rights. As an avid reader I genuinely want to make an ethical choice as far as whether or not authors and the rest of the people who need to be in the supply chain that bring me the books I love are all getting their fare share.

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  2. Deb Baker1 February 2010 at 01:16

    I still don't own an e-reader. Every time I think I'll buy, something new comes out. Like the iPad. Guess I'll wait and see what's next.

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  3. BooksPlease1 February 2010 at 01:17

    I'm not reading e-books. I looked at the Sony e-reader a while ago and decided not to bother. I may buy something in the future, but right now I'm not tempted. Anyway I like 'real' books too much.

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  4. Mason Canyon1 February 2010 at 02:06

    I don't have an e-reader yet. Not sure about getting one. I enjoy the feel of a book. Guess I'll wait awhile to see what else comes along.

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  5. Anonymous1 February 2010 at 08:25

    I got a Kindle last July and have read 57 books on it since then. It was a gift from my husband for our anniversary and I took it on our vacation soon after getting it. At first, I read book after book after book on it. I really think that I read faster on the Kindle than with a paper copy. Now, I am switching back and forth as the mood suits me. Some books are not available for it, but I will say that if the book if really long, it's easier reading it on an e-reader. I'm talking about a 1000 page book. Not nearly as heavy.

    I like it a lot more than I thought I would. I felt a bit guilty even getting it because I worked in a library at the time. However, I really took to it. I don't use it for internet access or to read magazines or newspapers. It is a Kindle 2, so has the 6 inch screen. It's like a paperback, only easier to read while you are eating. I'm pleased with it and don't plan to get another any time soon (even thought the guy at B&N tried to sell me on a Nook!).

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  6. Maria2 February 2010 at 03:26

    I sort of have a reader and sort of don't--I use the free Kindle for PC application and read Kindle books on it. I suppose it counts since some people use a netbook to read ebooks.

    I've been pleasantly surprised. Kindle for PC keeps the lines short--about book length so your eye follows the same back and forth you're used to with a book. The font is nice and dark. I can get the freebies, I can get the bargains.

    The only downside is that my laptop is too big to be completely comfortable. I think I'd like the Kindle itself better, but I don't travel enough to justify the price.

    I've been pretty happy with the PC version of the kindle. Sort of an inbetween world!

    Maria

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  7. beekay2 February 2010 at 19:54

    I recently bought a Kindle and so far have loaded in only one book that I've paid for. Two books for the price of one, $3 Mysterious Affair at Styles, which I don't think I've read before and The Secret Adversary. The fact that you can load eBooks, free and otherwise,from other sites is attractive. Even more so for me is that I can load various chapters of the book that I'm currently writing, A Canterbury Crime, the fourth in the Belinda Lawrence series. It means that I don't have to print out but can go and sit in the lounge and review my work away from the computer. Overall I'm pretty happy with it.
    Cheers,
    Brian

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  8. Kerrie2 February 2010 at 20:54

    That is certainly a different way of using it Brian

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  9. Mr THomas22 June 2011 at 18:52

    I was a book purist, until I got a Kindle as a gift. I didn't like it at first, but after a couple days I got used to it. The money I've saved on books paid for the kindle in a couple months. Other benefits are that I live in a place, Prague, that only has a few English language book stores that don't stock what I want to read. Also the price of having books shipped is prohibitive and leaves a larger carbon footprint than an e-download.
    I'm now an e-publishing enthusist, and an editor of Noir Nation, a new international e-journal of crime fiction is looking for submissions, and support by pledge of subscription price. If you like to keep up on the newest authors and latest movements in crime from around the world, give Noir Nation a try.

    http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1925429247/noir-nation-international-journal-of-crime-fiction?ref=live

    Also join the community on http://www.facebook.com/noirnation

    Noir Nation will be glad to post links to your crime blog.

    Alan, European Editor
    alan@noirnation.com

    ReplyDelete

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