Ugh. The books with screens.

[C. J.]

Kim wrote: "Personally I'm glad that ebooks are around. They are not the reason why Borders went out of business. Borders was overpriced (even online) and they didn't service their customers very well. Barnes ..."

Yeah maybe Borders was a "small" business in the way that they just didn't listen to what the customers wanted. That was one thing that kept me buying a lot of stuff (I can't say I bought a lot of books; I was very into the movies there though they were pretty high-priced. I did buy a book of old movie posters though. . . that was neat. lol).

It is a shame that, in retrospect, they did not make compromises that maybe would have kept their business really flowing. . . maybe there was a stubborn head of the chain.

There are a lot of heads shaking now.

[Luke]

Amy wrote: "A combination of large chains and online ordering - like Amazon. "

Amazon took a long time to become a preferred retailer. It was woefully unprofitable.

There's niche bookstores that operate robust online sales operations, too, so I don't buy that online incursion necessarily kills smaller stores.

[Luke]

Borders became a victim of their own expansion, the same way Starbucks did - remember when they had to shut a load of stores to regain profitability?

The bigger issue with Borders is that they Wal-Marted areas - moved in and took the business of smaller retailers by using their purchasing muscle to undercut prices and carry a larger range than a small store can hold - rather than their ill-considered forays into areas that weren't key. Cafes? Overpriced homewares? Good riddance.

Kim wrote: I think ebooks also open up more self-publishing opportunities for authors too.

The problem here is that the Kindle then becomes an extended blogging platform. The sad fact of this kind of publishing - an easier type of vanity publishing, really - is that there's a bunch of books created that really don't deserve to be published.

[Amy]

Luke wrote: "Borders became a victim of their own expansion, the same way Starbucks did - remember when they had to shut a load of stores to regain profitability?

The bigger issue with Borders is that they Wa..."

If someone self-publishes a crap story, it will get terrible ratings by Kindle owners and people won't read it. I'm not going to pick up a story with 1 or 2 star ratings. What's wrong with vanity publishing? I've never done it, but if people want to share their stories, why not? Good quality will be rewarded with more purchases and the poorly written will be pushed aside.

[C. J.]

Amy wrote: "If someone self-publishes a crap story, it will get terrible ratings by Kindle..."

I didn't know that feature. That sounds encouraging. You are right Amy. It will separate who wants to really write versus people just throwing stuff together and hoping it will be interesting or only using middle school education to write a fair book that would not be published by just any publisher.

[Sara]

Amy wrote: "If someone self-publishes a crap story, it will get terrible ratings by Kindle owners and people won't read it. I'm not going to pick up a story with 1 or 2 star ratings. What's wrong with vanity publishing? I've never done it, but if people want to share their stories, why not? Good quality will be rewarded with more purchases and the poorly written will be pushed aside."

Not always true. I've seen plenty of drivel given four- and five-star ratings on Amazon.

[Melissa]

Sara wrote: "Amy wrote: "If someone self-publishes a crap story, it will get terrible ratings by Kindle owners and people won't read it. I'm not going to pick up a story with 1 or 2 star ratings. What's wrong w..."

I agree with Sara. I've seen plenty of drivel given 4- and 5- star ratings on Goodreads and Amazon, too, like Those Who Save Us, Ellen Foster, and A Million Little Pieces. A Million Little Pieces and Ellen Foster even made it onto Oprah's book club, for reasons I can't understand.

[C. J.]

To Sara: Maybe there is a bias among what gets "big raves" over what is actually deemed good in content. Maybe the "big ratings" books are just sponsors or people that want it to be well-sold rate it.

I don't know. Just a thought.

[Sara]

CJ wrote: "Maybe there is a bias among what gets "big raves" over what is actually deemed good in content. Maybe the "big ratings" books are just sponsors or people that want it to be well-sold rate it.

I don't know. Just a thought. "

Make no mistake, the publishing industry is far from a charity. Publishing has marketing agents and schemes just like the rest of the entertainment industry. As you suggested, there are definitely a lot of "money talks" promotional deals that result in a ton of positive reviews, not only from the publicists themselves, but due to the overwhelming influence of subconscious "groupthink" that permeates the psychology of many (hell, it would be a mistake to attempt to admit it doesn't have an effect on all of us at one time or another). "So-and-so with better taste in books than I have thinks this book is fantastic, so if I don't, there must be something wrong with me."

And then, ya know, there are also just a lot of people out there with incredibly terrible taste in literature. ;)

[C. J.]

Call me old school. . . but I still love a paper type of book.

The screen like a computer one hurts my eyes if I am on it for too long. . . and I can't imagine using a kindle to read for hours.

Plus I know someone who does not read books anymore. . . he does not have the memory cuz he goes on the internet all the time and he is well into adulthood (over 50_). . . and he has problems because of these screens.

Are kindles different from computer screens? I know they are tinted but how do they compare if you did an "experiment" . . . or a hypothetical theory. lol.

[Amy]

CJ wrote: "Call me old school. . . but I still love a paper type of book.

The screen like a computer one hurts my eyes if I am on it for too long. . . and I can't imagine using a kindle to read for hours.

P..."

I know that my Nook simple touch with the e-ink screen reads a lot like a page of paper. There really is no screen glare like on a computer with those types of e-readers. I really don't notice any more eye strain than when I read a book. Now the color e-readers are like a computer screen with glare - that's why I didn't get one of those.

[Cara]

CJ wrote: "I do not know how to say things pro or con about whether Kindles and other electronic book systems are great or bad but I always thought (or think now) that reading a book involved getting away fro..."

I bought my Kindle three years ago because my husband and I were running out of room for books, especially those $6-9 paperbacks that aren't especially attractive and go down like candy. I didn't have any qualms because I was already buying books from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I know I should patronize indie book stores but, honestly, I don't know where a good one is. Plus, I usually know which book I want and it's cheaper to go through one of the websites. By doing that, I don't buy extra books that I probably won't read. Man, I sound horrible.

Anyway, good reasons for owning a KIndle: 1) it truly is easy on the eyes. Mine is older so I had to buy a separate booklight for it but it works just fine. I've heard rumors that tablets and e-readers without e-ink are not as easy to read. 2) It's easier to read extra long books on Kindle. I recently read the latest Game of Thrones book in hardback and it was cumbersome. 3) You can search the Kindle. Say you're reading a large book with multiple characters with the same name (ahem...George R.R. Martin), it's easy to run a quick search on the name to refresh your memory. 4) If you check out e-books from your library, the wait list generally shorter for e-versions of popular books. My library's selection is still growing and I'm looking forward to it. 5) It's wonderful for travel. Instead of carrying several books, I just have to grab the Kindle. If you get stuck in the airport because of flight delays and you finish your book, you can easily buy a new one. 6) Ever read a book with an embarrassing cover? Say you don't want your co-workers to know you're a secret geek reading urban fantasy or, as a friend recently complained of on Facebook, you're reading Erik Larson's In the Garden of Beasts and are self-conscious about the giant swastika on the cover, Kindle makes that all go away. 7) Probably the most important to me: I have always loved reading - I started early and often. But with school and then work, it got harder to find the time to go to the bookstore. I can honestly say that I have read more for fun in the last 3 years than I had in the previous 10. I just checked my Kindle and I've bought and read 152 books since buying it in July 2009. That doesn't include paper versions or books I've borrowed from friends or the library. I doubt I was reading 10 books a year before that.

That being said, I would not use my Kindle for cookbooks, magazines, children's books, or any other book that relies on pictures since it's black-and-white and has a small screen. But remember, it's almost 3 years old and technology changes. I've seen children's books on the Nook Tablet and they're pretty amazing. As so many people said about Harry Potter - whatever gets them reading, right? When I finally buy an iPad, I'll probably read magazines on it so that I can save articles and a few trees.

I do still buy the paper version of books. For example, I'm in a book club that invites authors to speak. I buy the paper versions of those books so that I can get them signed. Same with Jen Lancaster - she regularly comes to Atlanta on book tour so I buy her hardcovers. Sometimes the books are still cheaper in paper or I can only get them through the library. It's all about finding the right mix for you.

[C. J.]

Nook simple touch with the e-ink screen. . . sounds like a good purchase!

Oh yeah. The room that regular books can cause. . . that is one HUGE plus for a kindle. That is an awesome advantage right there!

Wow and a place for authors to speak? They can sign books? Is this at a chain or just a local thing? Is it at only this one bookstore? Sounds great.

[Cara]

CJ wrote: "Nook simple touch with the e-ink screen. . . sounds like a good purchase!

Oh yeah. The room that regular books can cause. . . that is one HUGE plus for a kindle. That is an awesome advantage right..."

Jen Lancaster tends to put out a book a year and has made Atlanta a regular stop. That's at the Buckhead Barnes & Noble. I'm still figuring out GoodReads but saw that you can check out author events under the events page. The book club is a closed group.

[C. J.]

That place Barnes & Noble is great. I have one in our area (the ONLY bookstore in this are of PA) and I am thinking of getting two Shakespeare plays. They are ones I didn't read in school. I think I'd be interested.

Wish they had author signings though.

There is a separate store. Near my area there is a place called The Vine Christian Shoppe (I have a friend who is part owner there) and they have author signings once in a while there. I wish I had the money and went to one of those. There are some modern writers I am a little interested in. . . one I have not read but is a suspense thriller and it sounds good.

[C. J.]

Would anyone dare to go out to bookstores and buy random books???

I only did that once . . . to a small degree. A Borders Express was closing and I bought a random book.

It was The Breach by Patrick Lee. Did not regret the decision.

[Luke]

Amy wrote: "What's wrong with vanity publishing? "

False hope and terrible output. A lot of publishers are releasing by-the-numbers crap, but when everybody does it? Ugh. Static. Static. Static.

The ranking argument is bogus, too. With enough street-teaming or relatives voting, any junk can receive a high star-mark. Less prevalent on here, but then the voting here's still unreliable, too.

Add to that the 'freebie' book sites that push anything with a free price-tag.

With certain publishers, as with certain critics, at least you know what to expect - or, rather, know that the releases are curated in a particular way. Doesn't happen with vanity publishing. I'd warrant the number of great undiscovered treasures produced by this route is far outweighed by the number of bad romances and stodgy thrillers produced. And that's without touching the dragons-and-velvet side of things...

[Luke]

CJ wrote: "Plus I know someone who does not read books anymore. . . he does not have the memory cuz he goes on the internet all the time and he is well into adulthood (over 50_). . . and he has problems because of these screens."

That's more to do with online behaviour and its short-attention-span nature than it is to do with the screens. I'd say it's the most obnoxious thing about the internet - much moreso than the screens. (Which are as good or as bad as your budget and research allows, let's face it.)

[C. J.]

Good responses and comments everyone. . .

Great to know the "free" books sites and the things that are under the terms of quality that come with the territory. . .

And thanks about the internet thing. I guess that is just the internet. . . but I have felt strange when I personally am on the internet too long like the screen affected me somehow. . . Kindle with the e-ink screen sounds like a good bet if I ever try one.

Ooh. I thought of this while at the Barnes & Noble recently. Question.

Would it be a good business deal if one had a book they did not want people downloading for free all of the time so they limited it to 200 copies for free sold a day. . . but keep the option to buy it for its price as well available?

[C. J.]

Wow. If I started a brand new book would I give it away for free in an ebook?

I am afraid I would not get much of an audience. . . would people even read anything in the future I would do if they liked my first book but liked it even MORE that it was free?

Are there a lot of customers on Ebooks that only like free stuff?

Please tell me on here . . . or say whatever is on your mind! :D

[Sara]

CJ wrote: "Wow. If I started a brand new book would I give it away for free in an ebook?

I am afraid I would not get much of an audience. . . would people even read anything in the future I would do if they ..."

I got Stina Licht's first book, Of Blood and Honey, for free and was elated when I found out it was the first in a series of books coming out (and, of course, bought the second one as soon as it was available). I think that if either you're a solid author with good quality work or trying to launch the first book in a series, it makes a lot of sense to give out a free (or inexpensive) copy of your first book to reel in readers, even if it's just a limited-time offer.

[Amy]

Sara wrote: "CJ wrote: "Wow. If I started a brand new book would I give it away for free in an ebook?

I am afraid I would not get much of an audience. . . would people even read anything in the future I would ..."

I agree. I think I'd be more likely to try a new author or new series if I could read the first book for free. Then, if the author is good and I like the series, I'd have no problem paying for more books from him/her.

[C. J.]

Comforting words everyone.

That is cool. . . now that I think of it I could think of this too if I want to get into business for college.

I guess it is kind of common to make a book free as a limited-time offer?

It sounds like a new kind of joy getting books online and instant for an e-book.

Does anyone know any authors who are new to this media and have really good books?