Originally written for eBookGuru - The Digital Magazine Devoted to eBooks

I monitor a variety of RSS feeds and I am always on the lookout for news on eBooks and eReaders. This week there seems to be an embarrassment of riches in terms of the number of articles available.

Here is just a sampling of a few of them:

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Originally posted on The Writers Vineyard

That was the title of an article in the Globe and Mail last week. The topic discussed was the marketing of books and the requirement to be online.

The author of the article doesn’t buy into the argument that an online presence is necessary, instead suggesting that old fashioned methods like posters on telephone polls is the way to go. He also states that getting chosen for Oprah’s book club, nominated for the Giller prize or “Canada Reads”, or getting prominently displayed in Costco or Indigo is the way to get on the bestseller lists.

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Originally written for eBookGuru - The Digital Magazine Devoted to eBooks

Amazon sparked an outcry in the blogosphere late last week when it deleted two books from people’s Kindles. Ironically the eBooks in question were George Orwell’s “1984″ and “Animal Farm”, prompting headlines like

Some E-Books Are More Equal Than Others

Amazon recalled the ebooks because the publisher lacked the rights. (more…)

Originally written for eBookGuru - The Digital Magazine Devoted to eBooks

A Kindle in Every Backpack. This is the title of a proposal by the Democratic Leadership Council that argues that the government should provide students with Kindles. The proposal argues that this could improve education quality and save money.

It’s an intriguing concept (more…)

Originally written for eBookGuru - The Digital Magazine Devoted to eBooks

But it isn’t everything. Often usability trumps price. Most Linux based operating systems are free but witness the paucity of Linux desktops compared to Windows and Mac Systems. As of May 2009 Windows commands 88% of the market share for operating systems.

The same applies to eBook readers. (more…)

Originally written for eBookGuru - The Digital Magazine Devoted to eBooks

I recently came across an article on CNET about the shortcomings of the Kindle and how these short comings represent opportunities for competitors to exploit.

“Competitors will attack Amazon’s market position by launching new features, expanding content beyond books, dominating markets outside the U.S., reducing costs, and improving relationships with publishers.”

I’ve long argued that the Kindle was too expensive (more…)

Today Amazon launched the Kindle DX. The DX is a widescreen version of the Kindle and was designed to display periodicals and textbooks. At $489 USD it is more expensive that it’s already pricey siblings but that works in the textbook market, where this kind of money is practically a drop in the bucket in terms of what students have to pay for textbooks.

Amazon has struck deals with Pearson, Wiley, and Cengage - the top three textbook publishers - to provide content for the DX. (more…)

Originally posted on The Writers Vineyard

The new version of the Kindle was announced today so I thought this would be an appropriate topic to blog about.

In many ways, the Kindle is a massive success. Demand far exceeded supply of the old version of this eReader and the new version is only better. (more…)

Amazon’s Kindle debuted almost two months ago to great fanfare, managing to capture the cover of Newsweek. A Google search for “Amazon Kindle” takes only 0.22 seconds to return 4,050,000 search results, although it would take you considerably longer to read them. I have only read a few of these articles and reviews, but a consensus quickly emerges that Amazon got it right in terms of Access but failed in terms of Design. (more…)

I recently had a conversation with my father, who wanted me to explain eBooks. He couldn’t understand how it worked or why people would want to do that.

As an author, I embrace eBooks. They allow me to reach a broader audience. Anyone with a computer, no matter where they are, can purchase The Gender Divide as an eBook and read it on their computer or eBook reader. eBooks are also less expensive, so it’s also a benefit financially. Finally eBooks are environmentally friendly. No paper or ink is needed, nor is any significant energy required for printing or distribution.

So lets see. Faster? Yes. Cheaper? Yes. Better? Hmm. (more…)