Comments on: Are e-books real books?

By: Kelly Jamieson

Kelly Jamieson — Tue, 05 May 2009 23:56:06 +0000

Hey Carol! I know you’re not the only one, that’s for sure! I love all the readers who hand out at the Samhain Cafe, and that’s just one of my publishers. And I too feel guilty when I see all those paperbacks stacked on my bookshelves and piled on the floor.

By: Carol

Carol — Tue, 05 May 2009 23:16:18 +0000

I started reading ebooks about a year ago. I felt guilty of reading 6 or more paperbacks a week. I was looking for a better price and trying to be green. I don’t have a reader. I use my laptop. I still have to buy paperbacks or hardcovers. (only at no choice). I love reading ebooks, faster out in print, I now buy ebooks from 4 different web sites. Follow about 25 authors. I like series. I really don’t think I’m the only one out here.

By: Kelly Jamieson

Kelly Jamieson — Tue, 05 May 2009 23:05:14 +0000

Sandra my family had the same reaction, and in fact I think THEY are some of the ones who think my books aren’t “real”. Which is kind of hurtful when I know how much I bled to write those books!

By: Kelly Jamieson

Kelly Jamieson — Tue, 05 May 2009 23:03:14 +0000

Annie, I too had never heard of e-books until I started to write! Now I can’t believe I didn’t know. I’ve discovered so many wonderful authors through e-books.

Jennifer, you’re probably right about that: e-books = self-published in many people’s minds.

That’s why I think ESPAN can play such an important role in spreading the word and helping to educate people more about e-publishing.

By: Sandra Sookoo

Sandra Sookoo — Tue, 05 May 2009 23:02:49 +0000

I know my family is like “so, we won’t be able to hold your books when they come out?” My response, buy an e-reader A book’s a book. All full of words. Save a tree. Buy an e-reader and support your local writers.

By: Jennifer Roland

Jennifer Roland — Tue, 05 May 2009 22:44:24 +0000

I think a lot of people equate ebooks with self-published books. They don’t know that major publishers are releasing electronic books that have the same level of editorial and production quality as printed books. They think ebooks are just Word files that someone threw up on the web for download.

By: annie nicholas

annie nicholas — Tue, 05 May 2009 22:40:56 +0000

I never heard of ebooks or epubs until I started to write. Most of my friends and family have either. That’s changed with my own promotion but I think a lot people are not aware of it. I think with time it will become very popular. Especially with the nintendo ds generation.

By: Kelly Jamieson

Kelly Jamieson — Mon, 04 May 2009 22:08:18 +0000

Thanks for the comments Karalynn, Cathleen and Robin. I think there are still lots of people out there who don’t think e-books are real books, but that”s where education comes in! And that was exactly why I took my Sony to the party with me. Now I even read my favorite “big New York authors” electronically, when I can.

By: Robin L. Rotham

Robin L. Rotham — Mon, 04 May 2009 13:51:38 +0000

I think sci-fi has a pretty big e-presence, and ebooks are eligible for the Hugo awards — the rules specifically state that a book is a book, no matter what format it’s published in. (RWA should be so enlightened.) I wouldn’t be surprised if more men than women read ebooks.

But as far as your friend…sigh. I read so many ebooks, it doesn’t even occur to me that other people don’t consider them real or worthy of publicizing. I was MUCH more excited about the initial e-release of my books. The print release seemed almost anticlimactic. If I were the type to have parties like that (or to publicize my books locally), I’d have done it for the e-release rather than the print and then just sent out an email about the print release. But that’s just me.

By: Cathleen Ross

Cathleen Ross — Mon, 04 May 2009 08:03:37 +0000

A few years ago editors at National were dismissing e-books until they started to cut into their profits. Ellora’s Cave changed their attitudes, resulting in many NY publishers bringing in erotic romance and erotic lines. More and more people will have e-readers, though men will probably take to the technology first.