E-publishing: a reader’s perspective

The world of e-publishing slipped by under my radar for several years.  That is to say, I knew it was out there, but I had no interest in it and saw it as something very secondary to ‘hard’ publishing.  Recently, though, the involvement of fellow writers in my critique group, as well as the Kindle-Nook debates, drew me to explore some of the possibilities of the e-publishing world.  It quickly became such a big subject that I’ve decided to divide it into two: this article is from the reader’s perspective, but I’ll follow up with the writer’s perspective.

(Disclaimer (!): this is not a thoroughly researched article, but simply my sharing with you what I have been learning, and how my own responses to e-publishing have changed.)

When people first began predicting things like “Someday we’ll be reading all our books on computers,” my reaction was one of cynicism, if not outright hostility.  I spend enough hours at a bright computer screen, and I couldn’t imagine an experience less cosy or intimate than huddling over my computer—even a laptop (which is on my knees as I type!)—to read a novel.  It turns out that plenty of other people have that feeling, too, for lo and behold along came E ink® technology, which is designed to simulate the look of a printed page.

Amazon’s Kindle, and Sony’s Reader emerged, designed to give that ‘holding a book’ feeling, yet I managed to bypass them both.  But the Barnes and Noble Nook captured me.  Admittedly it might have initially had something to do with the fact that their colour scheme matched my own favourite shades of blue and green (advertising works, even on the media-savvy).  But, as I wasted idle time browsing for more information, I realized that an e-reader had several features that made it attractive and useful (remember, William Morris enjoined us to have nothing in our homes that is not beautiful or useful).

• We travel a great deal, and this would cut down drastically on the hundredweight of books my elder daughter hauls back and forth across the Atlantic.  Given that more than once I have been charged for overweight suitcases, this is a big consideration.
• We also wanted to encourage said elder daughter to read more classics, and this seemed like an easy way both to bribe her and to offer a good selection without sending our bookcases into therapy.
• Our bookcases are overflowing (see above).
• Classics are readily available in free or cheap versions (see above above).
• Out of print books useful to my medieval research are being made available in electronic format.
• The screen really is like a printed page, so no computer-induced headaches.
• I can also put audio books on it, thus keeping my library together.
• Barnes and Noble is already our preferred online bookstore.
• I can purchase and upload books and files from other booksellers in formats such as ePub and PDF.

As you’ve gathered from some of the remarks, I did go ahead and buy a Nook, and I have to say I’m more than happy with it (and not being paid to say so).  Bear in mind this comes from someone who is very low tech, who barely uses a dryer for her clothes, let alone remembers to turn on her refurbished cell phone.  What additional features did I find I liked?  Well, I can download samples of books before I choose to buy them; it’s easier to use than my cell phone; and the wifi connection is probably better than said cell phone’s.  But best of all, it is curing me of a recently-acquired bad habit of skimming ahead in books.  And, being the size of a paperback, I can still curl up on the sofa with it.