Publishing Evolution#83: Paper to Pixels (or e-ink)

In general, I like the printed page. I spend so much of my working time in front of a computer that I prefer the printed page when I'm reading for pleasure. The book is portable. Yes, I know the Kindle and such are also portable but it's not the same. I like the feel and weight of the book, the rustle of the newspaper and the glossy pages of a magazine. The one thing I do like about the Kindle, I've only seen them, is that the font size and type can be changed easily without having to change the "binding".


I will sometimes choose a paperback over a hardback but since I don't have a digital reader, digital books are not an option. Maybe one day. As to the price, no I wouldn't pay the same amount for the digital copy. I remember some of the same arguments bewteen vhs and 16mm film titles. "Paying to content not format."


I looked at ifiction and found the selection very limited but I sorta liked the idea of previewing. It reminds me of something I do with books, movies and such; scanning the first few pages of books and blurbs and reading the back of the DVD case. I don't think I would buy them. I might look to see if they were available to request from another library. I found "Henry Potty and the Pet rock", a Harry Potter parody listed in Worldcat.

Publishing Evolution #82: Print on Demand

The various publishing sites look pretty much alike, the cost depends on what the author is will to pay. The cost of the books seems similar to traditionally published books. I looked at some of the titles that they offered but didn't find anything I would be interested in reading. We own one title from Author House. The author is a local man who calls almost every day to find out what his Amazon number is. It's been in the four million number range for a while. Barnes and Noble quit giving it a number several months ago.




I can see that these companies might be a good option for someone who as been trying to publish and has had a hard time finding a publisher. I know that on a rare occasion a self published book has found a large audience, Eragon comes to mind, but most of them don't seem to find one. I guess if I found a book that I really wanted to read and could get it from a reputable source, it wouldn't matter who published it.