Michelle Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 There's been some discussion on here about amazon's Kindle, which is only available in the US. I've been trying to find out a little more about the Sony Reader myself, but haven't been very sucessful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kateleopald Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 Same Michelle! All I can say is that if its going to be the reader's i-pod perhaps they need to be working on some marketing! Have never been keen on reading things on screen, but if the technology's as good as they claim, would be interesting to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 Somebody had an electronic book delivered to work a few months ago. I assume it was one or the other. It looked great, with a page on each side just like a book. I'm not sure about it myself though. There's just something about ink and paper ... Still, it would save on shelf space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 I'd miss having conventional books. I don't think it'll ever replace real books - I hope not, anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nellie Posted August 30, 2008 Share Posted August 30, 2008 (edited) This may not be a good thing to put on a book forum, but... has anyone seen one of these in real life? As a book and gadget addict (remember the robot dogs?) I love the idea. Paper books will always be the best, no doubt, but I spend a lot of time travelling for business and it would be great to have several books that don't take up much space. Hand luggage is everything to me! http://www.sony.co.uk/hub/reader-ebook What do folks think? Edited August 30, 2008 by Michelle threads merged Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nellie Posted August 30, 2008 Share Posted August 30, 2008 I very much doubt it will be the end of real books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted August 30, 2008 Share Posted August 30, 2008 If I were going to go for an e-reader, it would e the Sony one - it's so sleek-lookng and has a lovely book-like cover to it, unlike the clunky, cheap-looking Kindle (which would have NO place in my home, I can assure you!). Real books will always be the main thing for me - i just love them - but I can see where an e-reader would be very handy when you're out and about. If I were going to be spending a lot of time away from home, I would definitley have one just to save on packing half my library to take with me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beef Posted August 30, 2008 Share Posted August 30, 2008 (edited) I would get one of those. I would have ebooks and comics on it. That would be great. *edit* any idea of the cost? *edit 2* nice to see waterstones will be flogging ELECTRONIC books for "much the same price" as physcial books. *shakes head* Edited August 30, 2008 by beef Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talisman Posted August 30, 2008 Share Posted August 30, 2008 When I went to a Sony trade fair a few months ago (I work for an electronics retailer) they were unable to tell me anything about these things at all, and had none on display. This is a shame, since I would have liked to have seen one. The idea of e-books does have a certain appeal for authors, since it potentially cuts out all the middle men, who are all too keen to take a slice of our hard earned income (everyone thinks authors are stinking rich, but actually most of us earn less than 5K a year and have second jobs), since the books can be downloaded direct from either the authors or publishers own website. There are security issues to consider though, since it is far too easy to copy work without paying for it, and far too many people still consider that this is their God given right, forgetting that we own the work and also have rights - to sue the pants off them if caught ! And believe me, I would ! Personally I don't think anything will ever replace paper copies either, not completely. I can see that there is a market for educational books and certain types of non fiction - a searchable e copy of The Bible for example would be brilliant, but not for fiction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted August 30, 2008 Share Posted August 30, 2008 any idea of the cost? The Sony E-Reader retails at about Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beef Posted August 30, 2008 Share Posted August 30, 2008 The Sony E-Reader retails at about Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nellie Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 I own a lot of Sony technology, in particular my AIBOs, and am always stunned at the quality of their stuff. If the E-reader is half as well designed as AIBO and my VAIO it will be a wonderful peice of engineering. (I'm a geek, sorry) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icecream Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 Personally I don't think anything will ever replace paper copies either, not completely. I can see that there is a market for educational books and certain types of non fiction - a searchable e copy of The Bible for example would be brilliant, but not for fiction. There are already electronic bibles you can search and I want one because I sometimes don't have time with the children to read in the morning before we go out. It would be great to be able to slip something into my handbag I could read while out, and search when OH is quizzing me. I would still need an actual bible though. I flick through mine too much. Reading this thread visions of that scene in The Time Machine where they don't know what real books even are, never mind what they look like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talisman Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 There are already electronic bibles you can search and I want one because I sometimes don't have time with the children to read in the morning before we go out. It would be great to be able to slip something into my handbag I could read while out, and search when OH is quizzing me. I would still need an actual bible though. I flick through mine too much. I did come across a downloadable copy that you could order somewhere, if I can remember where, or come across it again, I will let you have the address. I could do with one too, would be very useful for my next book - if I ever have the time to start writing ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Jacobs Posted September 3, 2008 Share Posted September 3, 2008 In The Times, on Tuesday there was an article in these new computer hand held books and that they would take the place of "Normal books" I disagree. I love the feel of a new book and the smell of an old book. experts say it is a fad, but is it? It would be expensive to bookcross or drop into the bath too. Then! in this months Book and Magazine collector there is a new machine called an espresso book machine which you can print any book which the computer searches for and prints it into a paperback all within seven minutes! Oh I do hope that these things!! will not catch on. CJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursenblack Posted September 4, 2008 Share Posted September 4, 2008 I disagree as well. Technology is okay, but not when it tries to impose on my beloved pastime. I'm sure some may like the idea of hand-held computer books in the same way as online books. But I think it would be creepy to "replace" something I think of as warm and inviting with cold, hard plastic. That would be way too sci-fi for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordsgood Posted September 4, 2008 Share Posted September 4, 2008 I've been hearing about this ever since the internet really took off in the late 90's...and I don't believe a word of it! There's still a ton of who love the "old-fashioned" books and I think they will be around for a long, long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruth Posted September 4, 2008 Share Posted September 4, 2008 Funny - we were talking about this at work yesterday; specifically the Sony ereader. I love curling up with a good book in my favourite armchair, and I don't believe that an electronic screen could ever evoke the same feeling of contentment. Crazy as it sounds, I love looking at my books, I love the feeling of starting a new book, and I don't think I'm alone in that. I suppose if people are pushed for space (for example if they want to take a load of books on holiday, or don't have the room for many bookshelves), there could be advantages - the ereader holds about 160 books I believe....but for me, there is no substitute for the real thing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talisman Posted September 4, 2008 Share Posted September 4, 2008 Personally I hope that the Espresso machine does catch on. It has been in America for a while now, and is being trialled in selected Blackwells stores later in the year, according to The Bookseller. The advantages are mainly for print on demand authors like myself, who face a continual fight to get stocked in stores and get any sort of exposure at all, mostly because of the perceived notion that all self published books are inferior quality. This is not the case, as my publishing company and countless others are beginning to prove. When we do manage to get into shops, because of the ridiculous returns system and extortinate discounts that booksellers and wholesalers demand (as much as 60 percent in some cases, meaning that the book store earns four times what I do - who wrote the damned thing ? !) then it is hardly worth the effort. That is why some 80 percent of authors are forced to take second jobs and the majority of us earn less than 5K a year from writing (the most I have earned in a year from mine is around Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordsgood Posted September 4, 2008 Share Posted September 4, 2008 Talisman, don't get me wrong. If I had the money, I would probably invest in some kind of e-reader and intend to when I can. I can definitely see where it would be very handy for the times I want to when not at home, I just don't think that this new format will ever replace paper books. I just think that just as with people reading online using their laptops and PCs, the new e-readers coming out are simply going to act as a compliment or addition to the choices available to us bookworms! But I do feel your pain about the misconception that all self-published are of poor quality. I've only ever had a few books I've purchased in 30 years of buying that have fallen apart on me. (Well, except when I read them literally to death! ) I don't know which of the books I've purchased were self-published, but with the amount I buy, there had to more than a few! The fact that more and more writers are making less and less money is definitely not a secret, and I do think the stuff you speak of happening in the industry is downright criminal! You definitely have my sympathies. Another reason I suspect you might be losing out, is sales through firms like Amazon. (Which you may actually be referring to in you post.) I KNOW that they charge authors to both list and promote books, and that they are always coming up with new and creative ways to charge you yet more fees...as well as trying to insist that you have to go through their printing services, which are KNOWN to be of very poor quality - they also screw the consumer by charging outrageous shipping rates. All of which hurts your sales. On your end because of both the never-ending fees to use such a service to sell your books, and again with stores and chains who act as your book seller, applying strong-arm to force you into giving them massive discounts. This of course, cuts hugely into your profit margin. And then, your profits are further hurt because many people like me will not buy online, because of the shipping fees cost far more than the book itself! Suppose I see on on "sale" for $3.50 Canadian, I then calculate what the shipping charges and it comes to far more than a brand spanking new release that is around $40 in the local book store. It's all very frustrating - for authors, publishers and consumers! It would seem that only the booksellers are winning. Believe me Talisman, not all consumers are unaware of the plight of writers such as yourself. But more definitely need to be! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nellie Posted September 4, 2008 Share Posted September 4, 2008 I disagree as well. Technology is okay, but not when it tries to impose on my beloved pastime. I'm sure some may like the idea of hand-held computer books in the same way as online books. But I think it would be creepy to "replace" something I think of as warm and inviting with cold, hard plastic. That would be way too sci-fi for me! OK, not quite the same thing, but the "cold, hard plastic" view of technology can be a bit of a sterotype. Properly designed, technology can be beautiful, entertaining and engaging. My AIBOs are a case in point. When people meet them, within seconds they forget that they are technology and start to treat them like real pets. I am warming to e-readers. I have MS and go through periods where my muscles are weak and I don't have feeling in my fingers. This makes holding a book and turning pages very hard, and these may be able to make reading easier for me when I am having a relapse. I am going to investigate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simonsays Posted September 4, 2008 Share Posted September 4, 2008 Look to the future is all I can say. Think of the convenience of having one book with all your other books inside it which is basically what the reader is. I've seen the quality of the display on the Reader. Sure., it's strange to begin with, but so's anything new. I think once you got used to it, your pre-conceptions would melt away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talisman Posted September 4, 2008 Share Posted September 4, 2008 Believe me Talisman, not all consumers are unaware of the plight of writers such as yourself. But more definitely need to be! Thanks for that, couldn't agree more ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susanne Posted September 4, 2008 Share Posted September 4, 2008 I think technology has to have a place in modern society. I believe that inventions like the sony reader certainly will find its niche in this day and age but I doubt it very much that it will ever displace the actual book. I remember when the first newspapers started to have their editions online. People worried that the traditional paper version would disappear from the shelves. Without having any actual figures I can't deny that sales may have fallen slightly but overall I think the good old paper style newspaper still gives its cyberversion a run for its money. And so it should! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenmck Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 There's some information on Dear Author talking about the Sony Ereader. These guys are ebook readers and big supporters of the new technology. Their opinion can be trusted, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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