Daughter has just downloaded Kindle onto her phone, with completely no prompting from me. I didn’t even know this was possible. The software is free and it gives you access to 70,000 books.
And here’s the exciting thing, daughter, who hasn’t bought a book in years, not unless she was given a Waterstone’s voucher, downloaded and PAID FOR WITH HER OWN MONEY, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
‘But it’s so easy mum, and it’ll fit in my bag so I can read it on the bus.’
This news is huge.
If kids like Ms. TopShop herself are prepared to spend their own money on books for pleasure, in EXACTLY the same way as they spend it on music, the publishing industry is safe . Yes, it’s got to change, yes it’s got to move forward but like I always said, the world will always want stories.
Even the very cool. Especially the very cool.
Kathryn Evans 
Mum it’s 700’000 FREE BOOKS, theres millions of other books too. Get your facts right.
That’s what you’re for – to get my facts right.
Mrs Bung, dear, you’re being slow on this ebooks thing, I blame the Chicken of Time who’s clearly been discombobulating the space-time continuum again…
The lovely husband will seldom read a book, unless he can read it as an ebook. He’s champing at the bit, in fact, for a certain Firebrand to come out as an ebook… My own ebook collection is growing all the time – happily, free ebooks from Kindle have helped. It’s the best way to travel with books, it also makes reading in bed a whole lot easier, it’s convenient, and-and-and, I don’t seem to run out of bookshelf space with ebooks!
And of course the world will always want stories, stories are part of us, it’s just the method of delivery that varies.
Whew, so relieved you’re being converted. Well done, Emily!
😉
Oh I know! It’s partly to do with the little tiny buttons that make it hard to type – sad eh?As ever, daughter leads the way!
Absolutely, Mrs Bung. What matters most is that young people (and us old ones) read.
I have a foot in both camps. I want an e-reader! But I also hope that paper books will survive. I love shiny techy gadgets. No good for reading in the bath, though. But I don’t do that anymore anyway: prime writing time. 🙂
I absolutely agree – i love to be surrounded by books, but the convenience of an e-reader is undeniable.
ebooks are certainly here to stay, and will play a part in keeping people reading and reducing the amount of text books for kids to carry etc.
The worrying part is how the authors can make a living on the proceeds of ebooks to support them whilst they write!
So far, it isn’t looking good for ebook royalties.
There’s no reason why this should be so – apart from the obvious piracy risk – e-books are lower cost, writers should be able to make as much as they do from a paper book if not more…
Unfortunately the Royalty % of net receipts that Publishers are asking authors/illustrators to accept on ebooks they already have contracted as paper books is very low. Already the distributors ( iTunes etc) take 30% of the price.
The percentage left after the publisher has taken out its share is not enough to give an average author/illustrator a living income. Big names/sellers will of course do much better.
There is the option for writers/illustrators to publish themselves and thereby keep the 70% of receipts but that requires a lot of promotional work, and an understanding of the new digital requirements. It is an ‘interesting’ time in publishing.
i was so against ebooks, books stores are our cathedrals, there is the anticipation of the journey, the purchase, the going home to sit quietly and enjoy.
Ok so then i got my nook from barnes and noble. For me the one selling feature being old was being able to change the font for easy reading lol.
I have only just begun to read a book on my nook, Clan of the Cave Bear, which i have read previously and used to own. When scanning the B&N book list this book was on the discount list for .99, why not said i. So now i have 30 books on my nook. Its another addiction………instant gratification, select and one second later its on the device. Not a good thing for the impulse buyer lol.
Books are here to stay, if digital books give an outlet to youth who might not otherwise buy a book, then i am all for them.
However, one downfall, nooks do not bounce and you can not read them in the bathtub. lol
My boyfriend who, bless him, reads about one book a year has recently invested in a Kindle. And you know what? He can’t stop reading now. He loves it. Just seeing up close how this slim, light piece of technology can turn a grown man back onto reading seems highly significant to me. I think we should all sit up and take notice.
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