Make everyone's Birthday. Buy your kids an e-reader as a pressie!
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my kids have stacks of books. both read well above grade level, and usually at least several hours free reading each week. they still find the television, though.
i don't think an e-reader is a bad thing, but I have doubts it would change them, other than maybe that first week when it was shiny and new.
i don't think an e-reader is a bad thing, but I have doubts it would change them, other than maybe that first week when it was shiny and new.
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well besides the benefit of less TV, it's the increase in readership the article seems to suggest (akin to the 'Arry factor)
I suspect, the big adv of e-readers is the word of mouth factor - before, you had to locate or borrow the book, now for 4/5 $ you can download it immediately! (at your parents expense
) and THEN get the book (hardcopy) if you like it.
manna from heaven for writers etc.
I'm sure every family out there can afford to find £100 per child, for a device to download books.
I'm not a parent, but if I were, I'd prefer to spend that £100 on actual books not another computer.
I'm not a parent, but if I were, I'd prefer to spend that £100 on actual books not another computer.
hey, we gotta spend our way outta this downturn!
kiddin.
for sure, but when they become cheaper i do think and hope it will increase readership.
in fact the publishing houses (not just the sellers) should cut a deal with the e-reader folk - and /or with the public. - everyone wins! (increased readership, increased sales, increased demand for authors and work, less TV etc)
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My eleven-year-old has taken over my Nook and it's increased her reading. She wasn't a great reader and intimidated by long books. Now she's not overwhelmed by something longer because she can't really tell how long it is. She also likes to download samples, because she is not one to finish a book unless she really likes it.
other benefit I've heard-kids at school will read books without worrying others think they are reading something too babyish-if no one else can see the cover, there's no pressure to read certain things.
other benefit I've heard-kids at school will read books without worrying others think they are reading something too babyish-if no one else can see the cover, there's no pressure to read certain things.
interesting.
a thought just occurred to me.
I wonder if publishers will offer different reading levels of the same book? and a reader can switch from one to another as required. might be a useful leaning tool.
i know they do have 'what's this word' facility (inbuilt dictionary) which has to be a good thing for learner readers. and indeed all readers.
God i love technology - if used well....
Both my kids read a lot. My son's room is packed with hundreds of books. He got a Kindle for Christmas from his grandfather and he's been reading even more with the Kindle. He can grab the next book in a series right away, read through the samples before buying, and he loves knowing what percentage of a book he's read When I tell him it's bedtime, he yells back, "Just one more percent!"
When I tell him it's bedtime, he yells back, "Just one more percent!"
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I'm getting my kid an e-reader. Time she stops hogging mine. Yeah, their rooms, our playroom, and the shelves are all toppling with their books. This will help.
Yeah, their rooms, our playroom, and the shelves are all toppling with their books. This will help.Books are often considered lame by kids. But gadgets are always on the cool side. E-readers might help make reading cool to a certain degree.
Still don't understand the e-book hate. Never will. Every time someone says "I like the feel of a real book" I want to say "I like the feel of dead baby seal, but I don't wear a baby seal-skin jacket." It also makes me feel like people aren't on board with writers who write e-books, and it makes me feel like they really think they're paying for the physical thing in their hand, which is rather useless without what's inside.
Go on project gutenberg (public domain writing)--or some current authors' webpages, for that matter--and you can download $100 worth of books for free in five minutes. You make back what you pay for the thing so fast it's ridiculous, if you happen to have the initial investment (I know some don't).
I don't think it's going to replace physical books completely, at least not for some time, but it's as legit as any book on any shelf.
Oh, and if you happen to get one with a touch screen--swiping that thing is addicting
Go on project gutenberg (public domain writing)--or some current authors' webpages, for that matter--and you can download $100 worth of books for free in five minutes. You make back what you pay for the thing so fast it's ridiculous, if you happen to have the initial investment (I know some don't).
I don't think it's going to replace physical books completely, at least not for some time, but it's as legit as any book on any shelf.
Oh, and if you happen to get one with a touch screen--swiping that thing is addicting
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What's worse is an author who is against ebooks and talks about how they're killing literature, but said author makes so much off of ebooks. Like how condescending to your readers can you be?? *coughcoughJONATHAN FRANZENcoughcough*
I don't have a kid, but I do have a Kindle and I think it's awesome! I still go to the library for a lot of books, but I love my Kindle for self-published and small press ebooks. And the cheapest Kindle and Nooks are only $79 now. Like The Lonely One said, you can reap that return in classics pretty quickly.
I think if I did have any kids, I wouldn't break out the ereader until they were pretty far along in elementary school, like they'd already learned to read on physical books (picture books!) and had spent hours at the library and all that.
Our local library branches are increasing their pool of e-books at a considerable rate - about triple the typical acquisition rate of hard cover/paperback books. One of the assistant librarians said they're simply responding to "lending demand" within the limits of available resources and fiscal constraints (budget). They project that the trend of loaning e-books will continue to proliferate, especially among younger (tech savvy) readers.
Librarians aren't stupid (duh); they have to anticipate future demands like any business. Public libraries rely upon the local tax base (and periodic donor generosity). So, paying attention to the wants/needs of the community, to include trends followed by current and future voters (taxpayers) is vital to continued growth and survival.
Libraries will survive, but their content ratio of digital to analogue may be drastically different in a decade.
I, too, prefer a book in my hands (admittedly, I'm old-school), but I foresee an e-reader in my near future. Although, I'm reluctant to resign myself and my reading to the contingent lifespan of a battery.
Silly, I know... but a personal and petty cross to bear, nonetheless.
I'll get over it with time.
Librarians aren't stupid (duh); they have to anticipate future demands like any business. Public libraries rely upon the local tax base (and periodic donor generosity). So, paying attention to the wants/needs of the community, to include trends followed by current and future voters (taxpayers) is vital to continued growth and survival.
Libraries will survive, but their content ratio of digital to analogue may be drastically different in a decade.
I, too, prefer a book in my hands (admittedly, I'm old-school), but I foresee an e-reader in my near future. Although, I'm reluctant to resign myself and my reading to the contingent lifespan of a battery.
Silly, I know... but a personal and petty cross to bear, nonetheless.
I'll get over it with time.
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I quite enjoy my e-reader and I still buy books. My son, 5, doesn't quite need his own reader, but I would consider it for sure when he knows how to read.
Also, as an Author, I really am for any form of book you want to read, whether it's ebook or paper.
Also, as an Author, I really am for any form of book you want to read, whether it's ebook or paper.
I'm sure there are people who just don't like them, I don't hate them, but I don't own one, and it looks like I won't own one for a long time yet.
Make back? How am I supposed to make anything back?
I can't afford the devise to begin with, and even if I could afford one, I have no easy way to pay for a download. I have to drive 24 miles (round-trip) to a gas station that carries gift cards. So there I go again, spending even more money that I don't have.
Legitimacy of the writing has never been a question. However the constant shifting and 'upgrading' nature of computer technology is very much a question. Will a reader purchased today even work tens years from now? (a book will) Will a reader work if you accidentally drop it? (a book will) Will a reader work if you lose access to the internet? (a book will) So there's tons of perfectly reasonable long term questions that need to be addressed before I dole out darn thin funds for the newest shiny gizmo. I'm not against anyone spending their discretionary funds on what they want, but when you have no discretionary funds, it gets old hearing everyone tell me what I should be doing...
Oh, and if you happen to get one with a touch screen--swiping that thing is addicting
Touch screens and I do not work together.
Apparently I have an odd electro-magnetic field.
But that's just me. =)
If you can read in one sitting long enough to wear out a current e-book battery with e-ink (most of which only use battery to turn a page), kudos. I get tired of sitting in one place before I even lose a bar.
But I also kind of get what you mean. If the electricity goes out from a hurricane or something, an e-book won't do you much good to pass the time if it's dead.
A lot going on in this post and I want to answer, so bare with me here
Fair enough, but they can't be ignored. And they're gaining traction. There are authors--here on AW, I'd imagine--who write books that get published only as e-books. That's a huge leap from how things used to be not very long ago at all, and we have to consider how our reactions to this format affect them as well, I think.
Not doing that. Not in the least. Promise. I'm not saying everyone should get one. Just that I equally get pissed at hearing the archaic approach to "OMG the heretic machine!" (mostly from English professors for some reason). I don't view it as a flashy show of wealth so much as a tool that's extremely useful on endless levels. We all have cell phones. It has the same potential draw backs and advantages.
I also see an extreme pro to e-books in the fact that paper is not being used in the production process.
And books can a.) fall in water, b.) get torn c.) the pages get worn beyond readability. Books are susceptible to fire, stains, or whatever else might make them a 300-page paperweight. e-readers also, but still.
As far as them being useful in the future, it's up to companies to keep the epub format universal, or to make transition easy to a new format. I don't know, technology does get old but I think this e-ink/epub thing has a really strong backbone, potentially. Upgrade the tech, leave the format. Just like .exe and .dir and all that other crap that's been around since DOS or probably earlier.
There are plenty without. I just like the flippy pagey thing. I'm not trying to come off as elitist, I swear. Actually the opposite. I think the e-reader isn't an elitist device, I think it's an pervasive everyone-device like a cell phone. And with dropping prices, longer batteries, bigger screens, sharper e-ink, it's getting more and more that way.
So yeah, like I said, I don't think you should have to buy one. But a lot of people who don't (not you) come off to me as really uninformed about the whole industry, and sort of disparage them.
But not getting one is totally a fair choice and not an indication of anything negative about the individual.
Fair enough, but they can't be ignored. And they're gaining traction. There are authors--here on AW, I'd imagine--who write books that get published only as e-books. That's a huge leap from how things used to be not very long ago at all, and we have to consider how our reactions to this format affect them as well, I think.
Living far below the poverty line, I get it. Money sucks, and to squander it is stupid when you have none. What I mean is that, if you plan on buying books in paperback that have expired copyrights, and you go to a bookstore, you're going to pay money for them. If you go to gutenberg, you get them for free. Countless books, that in actual investment could quickly add up to an e-reader. For instance, I have Pride and Prejudice, Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass (both with illustrations), Anna Kerinina (sp?), to name only a few. As well, some authors give away copies of their book in e-book or supremely cheap as a promotional tool, but I doubt you can walk into Barnes and Nobles very often and swipe a new book for under $15. Realistically, I spend waaaaaay too much on books. I spend $100 rather quickly, over the course of several visits to the bookstore. I've used the hell out of my e-reader with very minimal additional cost.
Not doing that. Not in the least. Promise. I'm not saying everyone should get one. Just that I equally get pissed at hearing the archaic approach to "OMG the heretic machine!" (mostly from English professors for some reason). I don't view it as a flashy show of wealth so much as a tool that's extremely useful on endless levels. We all have cell phones. It has the same potential draw backs and advantages.
I also see an extreme pro to e-books in the fact that paper is not being used in the production process.
And books can a.) fall in water, b.) get torn c.) the pages get worn beyond readability. Books are susceptible to fire, stains, or whatever else might make them a 300-page paperweight. e-readers also, but still.
As far as them being useful in the future, it's up to companies to keep the epub format universal, or to make transition easy to a new format. I don't know, technology does get old but I think this e-ink/epub thing has a really strong backbone, potentially. Upgrade the tech, leave the format. Just like .exe and .dir and all that other crap that's been around since DOS or probably earlier.
There are plenty without. I just like the flippy pagey thing. I'm not trying to come off as elitist, I swear. Actually the opposite. I think the e-reader isn't an elitist device, I think it's an pervasive everyone-device like a cell phone. And with dropping prices, longer batteries, bigger screens, sharper e-ink, it's getting more and more that way.
So yeah, like I said, I don't think you should have to buy one. But a lot of people who don't (not you) come off to me as really uninformed about the whole industry, and sort of disparage them.
But not getting one is totally a fair choice and not an indication of anything negative about the individual.
I think e-books are saving literature. Even if piracy is wrong, at least it's an indication people are reading these things.
If it gets a kid interested in language, hell yes I think ebooks are a good thing.
You know what's really nice? Reading aloud to them. If you start when they're too young to creep away (in utero is good) you can keep it going for years.
(Acksherly The Beloved and I still read aloud to each other in the evenings. It's become a habit. We take it in turns to choose a book - he's popular science, I tend to political memoir - and we read aloud. It's nice. You should try it.)
We're old fashioned, so we use books. But e-readers would work. I guess.
(Acksherly The Beloved and I still read aloud to each other in the evenings. It's become a habit. We take it in turns to choose a book - he's popular science, I tend to political memoir - and we read aloud. It's nice. You should try it.)
We're old fashioned, so we use books. But e-readers would work. I guess.
I like both for different reasons. E-readers are good for travel - less books to pack.
But, I'm a little more romantic about books. I like the way we can share them with others. You can leave them on your coffee table or in your car and a friend might look at the cover or read the blurb and say, 'Hey, this looks good, can I borrow it?' You can't do this with e-books.
And, I don't want to lose the magical experience of perusing a bookstore. Plus, I work in one and it's the job from heaven. I'd cry if my boss had to close shop.
I'm not against e-readers and I think, as a writer (and a Mum), if it gets more kids reading, then great. And yeah, I understand they are the way of the future, but...I just love books.
*sighs*
But, I'm a little more romantic about books. I like the way we can share them with others. You can leave them on your coffee table or in your car and a friend might look at the cover or read the blurb and say, 'Hey, this looks good, can I borrow it?' You can't do this with e-books.
And, I don't want to lose the magical experience of perusing a bookstore. Plus, I work in one and it's the job from heaven. I'd cry if my boss had to close shop.
I'm not against e-readers and I think, as a writer (and a Mum), if it gets more kids reading, then great. And yeah, I understand they are the way of the future, but...I just love books.
*sighs*
Amazon too. Not just classics, either: I downloaded 9 books from Amazon this week and the grand total came to 77p. (8 of the 9 books were free.)
At the moment, if you're looking for a specific book, particularly a new release, then you can easily pay over the odds for the Kindle edition. If, however, you're looking for a type of book (5 of the 9 above were books on writing) then you really don't have to spend anything at all.
Both my kids read a lot. My son's room is packed with hundreds of books. He got a Kindle for Christmas from his grandfather and he's been reading even more with the Kindle. He can grab the next book in a series right away, read through the samples before buying, and he loves knowing what percentage of a book he's read
I've always been a big reader, too, but I have to admit that when I got my Kindle for Christmas even my reading increased dramatically. I'm now reading two or three books per week, where before I was reading two or three per month, and would often re-read stuff just because it was on my shelf and I wanted something to read. With my Kindle, all my reading so far has been new stuff.
I'm in favor of ereaders. I still love print books more, but ereaders do have their benefits.
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