I still can't quite get my mind around the idea of reading an e-book (electronic book/digital book/whatever). In fact, this idea seems harder for me to grasp than the old vinyl record vs. digital MP3 dilemma. Obviously there are some pretty strong advantages, such as availability (over two million available to download as well as a title being offered indefinitely; never going "out of print," portability, storage, environmental concerns, and language accessibility being the biggest ones, IMHO). But some things are just so much better done the way they always have been done, and I think this is one of them. Having an actual BOOK in your hands and reading it, turning the pages, the smell and feel of the paper, etc. That, to me, is all part of the book-reading experience. I just don't think I'll ever be able to warm to the idea of reading an e-book, but I dunno, maybe I could be convinced otherwise. Have any of you done this? If so, how? On an iPad? Amazon Kindle? Sony PRS-500? The Barnes & Noble Nook?

I'd be interested in reading what the rest of you think about this.

Due to the blindness factor, I use my Kobe Reader w/large print. I have grown increasingly farsighted in the past two years, so using an e-reader is a big plus if I want to continue to read.

Thanks a million, Lauren!!!!!

Lauren Monroe said:

Hey, Blue Giant Zeta Puppies,

 

The short answer is: If you dig design and your project is pretty straightforward--no images, just straight text like a novel--it'll just take a little research and a couple tries to get something decent. It's actually a lot like web design, but you use XML tags instead of HTML. If you have InDesign and know how to use that, you're in good shape. Search "ebook design," you'll find some tutorials and books. Here's a link to some info to start: http://kindleformatting.com/indesign.php

 

<snip>

Hey, Blue Giant Zeta Puppies,

 

The short answer is: If you dig design and your project is pretty straightforward--no images, just straight text like a novel--it'll just take a little research and a couple tries to get something decent. It's actually a lot like web design, but you use XML tags instead of HTML. If you have InDesign and know how to use that, you're in good shape. Search "ebook design," you'll find some tutorials and books. Here's a link to some info to start: http://kindleformatting.com/indesign.php

 

Super nerdy response:

 

Basically, you apply XML tags to each element of the page to tell it how to behave. It's a little more complex than just straight layout in InDesign because you have to be precise about the commands for each element. You can either hand-code in a text editing app or export XML out of InDesign. Haven't used Quark in a while, but I think you can export HTML from it. You can download a free plugin for InDesign that will format your file to an EPUB file, which is a format used by lots of e-readers but can be wonky with Kindle. Kindle uses a proprietary format (for now; they'll probably have to ditch that if they want to remain competitive), but it's essentially HTML tags with a few tweaks. You can supposedly upload a Word or TXT file straight to Kindle without any real formatting, but it ends up a hot mess. You can take an EPUB file and use a third-party freeware converter to make it a MOBI file, which works with Kindle.

 

PDFs are good for reading on a computer, but they're generally not preferred for e-readers. PDFs are static images, and one of the benefits of the e-reader technology is that it's fluid, so you can resize the text to fit your screen/preference. But PDFs are great for graphics-heavy work like comics because you have complete control over the layout (and the file size is small). Graphics-heavy books don't work so well yet in the e-reader formats other than PDF.

 

Hope that helps. Cheers!

-L

 

The Blue Giant Zeta Puppies said:

I've heard that one thing about e-books is that they make self publishing much easier, much like downloads made self releasing your music easier......

(Just read Lauren's post)

So what are we talking in terms of design? InDesign? Quark? (say) If I lay out the book to whatever the specs. are and export to (say).PDF?, or some other format, would you (or whoever) take this file and convert it into whatever a Kindle uses? Hmmmmm.....

 

I've heard that one thing about e-books is that they make self publishing much easier, much like downloads made self releasing your music easier......

(Just read Lauren's post)

So what are we talking in terms of design? InDesign? Quark? (say) If I lay out the book to whatever the specs. are and export to (say).PDF?, or some other format, would you (or whoever) take this file and convert it into whatever a Kindle uses? Hmmmmm.....

 

I dunno, but I think I'm much older than the avarage "Garager" here, hehehehhe.....but I think e-books are so handy. One of the 1st writers to have published his works in this format too was Stephen King:):)!!

My philosophy is: if a book is a masterpiece of very interesting, get the e-book version and the hard copy too:):)

Sorry I'm a little late responding to this, kopper, but I'm with you on this.  I like having an actual book in my hands too.

I've started reading e-books during my down-time at work because it's a convenient way to pass the time without making it obvious that I'm not busy working, and it's easy to go back and forth between an e-book and something else I'm doing on the computer.  E-books have their place.  I can see myself getting some sort of e-book reader device (kindle, ipad, etc.) so that I could read whatever I want on the train ride to work without having to carry around a bunch of heavy books to choose from.  I'm usually reading three or four books at a time, going back and forth between them, so this would be a good option for me.

 

Now that digital technology is so cheap and still new, we're going through a phase of applying it to everything.  Through trial and error, we'll eventually learn what actually works better in a digital format and what's better left the way it was.

 

I think e-books are a nice additional option to have, but most of the time, I prefer paper.

Speaking as a book lover and publication designer, I wholeheartedly agree with the whole "gimme all the books to touch and smell" standpoint. Speaking as an editor who works with both DIYers and traditional publishing houses, I think the publishing industry has to move forward with the times like any other industry. Digital media is here to stay, and we have to adapt by embracing the new technology. I'm definitely learning about digital design so I can offer that service to my clients. They want it and the consumers want it. But it's not an either/or proposition. Both formats will continue to exist and evolve. E-books work well for some content and for some audiences, and print books aren't going to disappear.

@Catfish, self-publishing authors will have access to e-book production; they'll have to hire designers to make the product, but that's the case with hard copy format too: either they have to hire someone for design and layout or they pay for that service as part of their publishing package. Actually, I think self-publishing authors may stand to benefit most from e-book production because of distribution methods and pricing models that aren't available with traditional book production.

This discussion has some very interesting points. I can understand how someone who enjoys the feel of a book in their hands wouldn't like e-books too much, but coming from the perspective of a blind person, it's just harder for me to get physical books. I can't just walk in to a store, and buy whatever book I want. I often have to order them, which can be time consuming, and books that are in Braille are very bulky and heavy. Blind people read Braille with there fingers, and while Braille dots look very small they aren't. E-books, because of their portability and downloadability, allow me more access to reading materials, even though their is still a question of accessibility in the digital world. Translation: Those of you who can see have the upper hand when it comes to the amount of material which is available for you all to read. While technology has made the playing field more level for those of us who are visually challenged, that playing field still isn't as level as it could be, so-to-speak.

P.S. I hope this post isn't rambling too much.

The biggest detraction that I can see to e-books is the limitation on amateur publishing. Some of the best stuff I have ever read would never be picked up by anyone major and I prefer it that way. There are also some concerns about the distributors having access to individual's personal libraries. This is just one story, but I would not be surprised if more pop up in the future. http://www.physorg.com/news167112141.html

agree, everytime i look at my book collection i smile like an idiot, why lose that in the name of convenience? tried to read e-books at work (so it would look like i m working :-) but it gives me a headache, if i read more than 5 "pages" i think i ll get an epileptic seizure. cant get used to it. and i dont want to. and how can you read an e-book in the bathtub, wouldn't it feel really really wrong? and if everybody in the bus and in the subway would read e-books you couldn't play the spy-over-the-pages-or-take-a-look-at-the-cover-and-guess-what-kind-of-person-they-are-game. to hell with e-books! Doc Sanchez said:

As a collector, I really love to show off with all the books on my shelves (although I haven't read half of them yet). Even though I got used to digital music, I'm totally and completely against this e-book stuff. I can't really say why, and it sure may have advantages, but still, books are books, they have a tradition that's hundrets of years old, they smell like books (I love the smell of a new book, and I'm always a bit scared that a second hand book may stink, but that's just part of the pleasure), I love to run my fingers over the sides of the pages while reading (one time, I read a second choice book that had some scratches on its back and was over 1000 pages long, and in the end I really missed feeling these scratches beneath my fingers when I finished this book and began another one), I love to go through unsorted heaps of books at second hand bookshops, and I'm even proud of the way-too-heavy boxes of books when I have to move.

And by the way, if you're in bed, lying on your back while reading, and you fall asleep, an e-book will hurt your nose when it falls on your face. Paper still is softer (except you're reading the Encyclopedia Britannica or something like that).

So no, no e-books for me...

I agree with Doc there - nothing quite smells like a new book. Holy crap! That print to page smell sends me to another world! I even get it with used books. You know that musty, crusty smell that fills the room with used records? You get the same after a great day at the used bookstore or flea market.

Plus, I have heard from those that have actually bought a Kindle that the download price for newer stuff is almost as much as the actual copy of the print pressing. Why not go whole hog, ya know? My boyfriend and I have a very low-rent version of a "media room" and there is a great amount of R'nR books there ripe for the picking when you're listening to tunes.

Another value of books over downloads is you can swap 'em for a borrow or trade. Hey, take this book if you let me borrow that book. Wow, that shit was crazy, let's talk about it. The original book club.

As a collector, I really love to show off with all the books on my shelves (although I haven't read half of them yet). Even though I got used to digital music, I'm totally and completely against this e-book stuff. I can't really say why, and it sure may have advantages, but still, books are books, they have a tradition that's hundrets of years old, they smell like books (I love the smell of a new book, and I'm always a bit scared that a second hand book may stink, but that's just part of the pleasure), I love to run my fingers over the sides of the pages while reading (one time, I read a second choice book that had some scratches on its back and was over 1000 pages long, and in the end I really missed feeling these scratches beneath my fingers when I finished this book and began another one), I love to go through unsorted heaps of books at second hand bookshops, and I'm even proud of the way-too-heavy boxes of books when I have to move.

And by the way, if you're in bed, lying on your back while reading, and you fall asleep, an e-book will hurt your nose when it falls on your face. Paper still is softer (except you're reading the Encyclopedia Britannica or something like that).

So no, no e-books for me...

I download books to my phone. I use the Aldiko application. Lots of great pulp (and others) from Munseys.com, Feedbooks, and Manybooks that I can't find in bookstores or libraries. Of course I prefer actual books; but I got used to "e-reading".

I've been thinking about these e-reader things lately. A local book store chain has just released an e-reader, at a good price, and it looks kinda cool. but, like you stated above, it's not a book. It won't feel like a book, smell like a book or have the layout or tactile sensory thing going on that a book has. Much as I like the idea of being able to carry around all my books in one convenient package I don't like the idea of having to make sure that I remember to "charge my book up so it won't go flat" so I can keep reading or that if it gets stolen or breaks down I could lose all my books. I personally hate trying to read e-books off my computer, it's just not comfortable and that's got nothing to do with how I'm sitting it's got more to do with the whole should a book be a source of light thing.
And I guess the biggest thing for me is that I can't go to a second hand book store or a book fair and 'dig' for cool old books, which I love doing, I can spend hours at a good second hand book store looking for treasure in the shelves and walk out without buying anything but having fun in the process.