Goodreads Authors/Readers discussion

A friend of mine recently started a group here on Goodreads called EBooks for $1 or less. We post links to a wide variety of e-books that cost, obviously, $1 or less! (Many are free!)Some of these offers are temporary, a good way for new authors to promote their work. Others are permanent listings for that low price. This is a great way for readers to find new material and new authors really cheap!
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/27368.Ebooks_for_a_1_or_less

Darcia, the more I read about ebooks, the closer I am to maybe getting a reader.

Question: Do you think eventually printed books will fall by the way side, or they will become even more expensive to buy? Since the introduction of ebooks and the price of a book is almost irresistible.

When e-readers first came out, I said there was no way I'd start using one. But I am definitely caving! It started slowly, with review exchanges with other authors. Naturally it was easier (and cheaper) to exchange PDFs. Then I started finding free and cheap e-books that I couldn't resist. Now I do a lot of reading on my laptop, which can be annoying! The glare drives me nuts and the battery always runs out too quickly.

And that is my long way of saying that I do think e-books have carved out their place. I don't think physical books will ever be completely replaced. At least I hope they won't! But I find e-books are a great way to introduce readers to new authors (like myself) and also they are a cheaper (and more environmentally friendly) alternative for those books that you don't necessarily want to keep.

I've been researching various e-readers and I'm leaning toward the Sony. One feature I love about some of the e-readers is that you can even borrow library books (the e-version) without leaving your house!

Right now it is the cost factor stopping me from getting an e-reader. There are lots of books I don't want to keep, as I have no place for a large amount of books. I really reduced my library several years ago. If I had an e-reader I would not have gotten rid of some books. Nice talking to you . I hope to see you around this site. I am not a writer, just your reading public. hahahaha

carol (akittykat) wrote: "Right now it is the cost factor stopping me from getting an e-reader. There are lots of books I don't want to keep, as I have no place for a large amount of books. I really reduced my library sever..."

If you have a Palm device, you can go to http://www.ereader.com and download free software that allows you to read ebooks that way. Many sites, such as http://www.smashwords.com and http://www.manybooks.net, have multiformat eBooks available (on ManyBooks, they are all public domain; on Smashwords, many are free or very inexpensive). Smashwords has a Java app that allows you to read directly on the site, or you can download a PDF or text file in many cases.

Carol, I had to downsize my library recently, so I know what that's like. I have one room that is all built-in bookshelves (my husband remodeled it for me) and I still had 6 large boxes of overflow in my garage! I'm beginning to think e-books are necessary unless I win the lottery and can afford a larger house!

Sharon, I think those Palm devices, Blackberries, etc. are great for people always on the go. However, I can barely see the song list on my iPod! I envy people who still have good eyes. I'd need a mega magnifying glass, along with my reading glasses! I like the Sony e-reader because you can make the font quite large. (Not that I own one... yet!) I also like that option when reading on my laptop. It's nice to ditch the glasses now and then.

Darcia wrote: "
Sharon, I think those Palm devices, Blackberries, etc. are great for people always on the go. However, I can barely see the song list on my iPod! I envy people who still have good eyes."

Oh, I concur that reading on the Palm is not ideal for a variety of reasons. But when one is looking at the expense of a separate reader and may have a Palm sitting in a drawer (which was the case with me, as it was seldom more than a costly calculator as cell phones became more prevalent), it's a good way to see if ebooks are something you like. I found that I like them much better than I thought I would.

No I don't have a palm either. I will just read the old ink and paper version .

I see nobody has listed any available books here yet, so I trust I'm interpreting the intent of this group correctly.

To kick off, I have six ebooks currently selling for $0.99, although this is only for December (normally $1.99). They are available through Smashwords, but you need to go to my website http://www.whitakerbooks.com to get the discount codes.

Three titles are traditional Sci-Fi and three Crime stories with a Sci-Fi undercurrent. All are around 45-50,000 words and are stand-alone stories. I say that as so much of modern Sci-Fi seems to consist of series.

Pat, you might want to list your books in the group I mentioned in the first post here. The link is there for you to click on.

Thanks, Darcia, I misunderstood. I've now done it properly (I hope, I'm not exactly 'at home' on the Internet).

You did it perfectly. I don't mind offering guidance to those who aren't completely comfortable with Internet life. My existence is almost entirely online these days!