Read An Ebook Week!

Electronic Books Are Here To Stay!
By
N. J. Walters


March 7 – 13th is Read An Ebook Week! Like it or not ebooks are here to stay. It’s unlikely they will ever totally replace the printed page, but they do allow readers easy access to books, wherever they are in the world, at any time of the day or night.

No more do readers have to lament that their local store doesn’t carry their favorite authors. No more special ordering. No more being snowed in and having nothing to read. A few clicks of the mouse and books can be downloaded to your computer or your ebook reader. It’s fast and it’s easy. And it takes away the need to live near an actual bookstore. No matter where you live in the world, as long as you have computer access, you can order books.

I am an avid reader and have been for years. There is nothing I like more than to curl up on the corner of my sofa and read a good book. But even for someone like me, there is a place in my life for ebooks. And the big companies have finally gotten on board so there is no looking back.

The Kindle, Sony Reader, Nook and eBookwise Readers are readily available to many readers. And the price is getting more affordable. For those of you who can’t afford ebook readers, you can download free software from MS Reader and Adobe so you can read straight from your computer.

No longer will you have to lament the lack of space on your bookshelves. You can store thousands of books easily on a flash drive or memory card. Your bookshelves can be kept for your favorite authors that you must have in paperback or hardcover. I know there are many authors that I will continue to buy their paperback books for as long as they keep writing. However, I would be more likely to try a new author in an ebook because it costs less than a paperback.

And that’s good news in this economy. I know most, if not all, of us are tightening our purse strings. That doesn’t mean not buying books. Just the thought gives me the shakes. No, it means being more selective on how I do spend my book money. I want the most bang for my buck. And that means buying more ebooks.

A word of advice for those of you new to ebooks—remember to check the individual publishers, as well as the larger shops like Sony and Amazon. Many times the ebook will be cheaper on the publishers website because you’re cutting out the middleman. But you can buy your books wherever and whenever you choose. That’s the beauty of it. And some websites occasionally offer ebooks for free to tempt you to try one or two.

The world of ebooks has changed dramatically since my first ebook was published by Ellora’s Cave back in October 2004. They are much more readily available now and many of the large New York publishing houses that first disparaged ebooks have now seen the limitless possibilities and are offering the books of many of the best and most popular authors in ebook format. Newspapers and magazines are also being offered at a reduced rate in electronic formats. And why not? It’s simply another form that allows readers to access and enjoy books.

What can be wrong with that?

So, celebrate Read An Ebook week. And if you’ve never purchased an ebook before, maybe this is the week to give it a try. And if hot, spicy romance is your read of choice, maybe you’ll even consider trying one of mine.

http://www.njwalters.com
http://www.njwalters.blogspot.com
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