Great review, Felicia, and a terrific outline of the Kindle pros and cons. My experience has been similar to yours. (Except I don't have "Caressed by Ice" on mine.)
The neatest thing with mine so far, though, is that I put the Word doc of my forthcoming novel on it. DIAMOND RUBY almost looked like a book on there--as if I'd leaped forward a year (talk about daylight savings time!)--and, even cooler, my daughter then read the book almost straight through. So much easier than on the computer screen or in piles of paper.
Though it is surpassingly weird to click the button and hear a disembodied voice (male or female) reading my novel out loud to me.
Omer
· 9 months ago
Said it before but I have to say it again, I'm so glad you finally got one, its great!
I totally agree with you on Amazon needing to sell or at least display them in stores to help sell people on them. A friend of mine that I trust bought a Kindle way before I did, but what really convinced me was seeing Sony's e-book reader at a SonyStyle store last summer. At first I thought the display was a gutted mockup with a slip of paper shoved inside to show what it looks like when its on, big surprise when it started doing things when I pushed buttons!
The thing that so many people assume is that an e-paper display is like a normal LCD display, when in fact its actually nothing like that. I'm convinced that they would sell more Kindles if more people could get their hands on them. I know I've gotten several of my colleagues into Kindles after they tried mine.
And yeah, the Kindle/iPhone syncing is super awesome. The physical technology is cool but where Amazon is really killing it is their services. Automatic syncing between devices (even personal annotations!) and the integrated store puts the Kindle way at the front of the e-reader pack (sorry Sony!).
Shaun
· 9 months ago
So far, my only experiences with the kindle have been watching the trailers for it on amazon and sighing with sad longing.
It seriously looks like the coolest little device, although as a writer librarian lit major grad student the idea of ebooks should seem to me like something evil and maybe even deviant! Oh, I can see it now. Everyone will get kindles, paper books will slowly fade away. There will be way more trees. Like WAY more. Amazon.com will somehow accidentally create Skynet (which forms on the kindles, and maybe on all those networked PS3s) and then the trees will start killing people The Happening style and will team up with the Skynet kindle terminators to take us all out.
See? Terrible idea.
On the other hand, boxes of books are slowly taking over my life. Every move gets worse and worse. Ebooks would make life easier. Ah, but what about lending beat up old paperbacks of your favorite books to other people? Sure, 90% of the time you never get them back, but they're being read, and that's all that matters! Eventually that person will pay it forward.
I'll agree with you on one thing though. I would read a lot more genre fiction if the covers weren't so damn ugly. Seriously, publishers need to realize that every book should look completely sick. Even the trashiest romance novel and the cheesiest fantasy should have covers that make people stop and go "Well golly gee, that's one classy intellectual! Fashionable AND full of smart."
Ah! What a dilemma. I'll tell you what, though. Giles would not approve.
Jennifer
· 9 months ago
I'd love to be able to give the Kindle a chance, or even eBooks in general but outside the US there's hardly any choice. I don't understand why, for instance, the US gets access to a huge selection of Gaiman novels whilst we in the UK (his home country!) get InterWorld and that's it.
I understand there's technical limitations with the WhisperNet functionality of the Kindle once you move outside the US, but what about a USB synch only version, with a reduced price tag, that could be marketed both in the US for those on a budget, and overseas where the phone networks get complicated.
John
· 9 months ago
While it doesn't let me spend more money on the move (which somehow seems like less of an exciting thing than you suggest), it's heavier, and the battery isn't going to last me a full weekend, I fell in love with the One Laptop per Child XO thingie. With the long-range WiFi, I can JUST barely attach to my home network from the local park, so while I'm reading on the funky reflective screen (that can also do color, with the backlight), I can also do some programming, surf the web, and check e-mail.
Chances are I'll be passing on the Kindle until the price drops substantially (or they make the Internet access more flexible), but I can certainly see why someone would buy one, if they're just looking to read. Too much about it, though, reeks of "buy this so you can give Amazon more of your money" to me. (Which, good for them, really. It's a brilliant marketing tool.)
I'm still trying to wrap my head around expensive New York Times delivery, though. Granted, I'm in New York, but I get a constant stream of letters, spam, telemarketers, and commercials offering to deliver the times to my house for "half off the cover price" of the paper itself. It's almost a shame I don't read it (they lost credibility in my eyes, years back, when I worked at a company with satellite offices around the world and the NYT stories never remotely matched up to what my associates were reporting), so I could gloat about the bargain!
Shopmonkey Chris
· 9 months ago
Kinda OT, but if you run out of books on the set (like that would happen), on the home screen you can push Alt-Shift-m and the old time waster "minesweeper" game comes up.
Aaron
· 9 months ago
Thanks for the review. I've been thinking about getting my dad one of these for about a year. He's probably got a hundred or more books in his house that he hasn't read yet, but he keeps buying new ones anyway. Maybe this will save him some room. It might help him keep track of what he's read and hasn't read, too.
As for me, I'm going to work on the books I have for now. I've got a bad habit of buying books and then putting off reading. Between games, books, music, and blogging, books usually come last. :(
Valerie
· 9 months ago
Thank you for the review. It sounds like something I would totally love because 1) I love reading books and 2) I love gadgets. I keep telling myself, "one of these days."
Robert
· 9 months ago
First off, I like the cartoon; HHG references are always good. :)
Your comments on the reading experience were enlightening for me. I don't have any on that end; more on the writer end. I've had about 40 copies of my first novel sold as e-books at Fictionwise. The publisher of my second novel seems more interested in selling e-books than print books. I like the idea of having a library in one little device. That lack of PDF support on the Kindle is odd, as I think most publishers who do e-books use that file format for them. And you're right about handling before buying; it's not just fun, but lets you find out if you might like using the darn thing.
What about this downside: downloading means you can't get your book signed by the author.
I don't think print books are going away any time soon, but I think you're onto something, Felicia. E-readers offer a way to gets lots of books you might not want to keep on a shelf, but still might want to read, for whatever reason.
So, when are we going to see your reviews of the oily men books?
Tara
· 9 months ago
Thank you for your review of the Kindle. I have been interested in it ever since I saw the ads for it on Amazon. I am hoping that the price comes down substantially before purchasing one. My book collection seems to be a bit out of control as I have resorted to turning pieces of furniture into bookcases because the bookcases are overflowing with books.
After reading your review, I'm even more excited about a future purchase of the Kindle. Thank!
Cheers!
Tdzio
· 9 months ago
I have been riding the fence on this device since K1 was released. As an avid reader and traveler you have pushed me over the edge. I really hope I enjoy the device. As I am heading oversees for 6 weeks this should save a TON of space in my packing. I was worried about that. Again, thank you for the review and other information you have provided as to other web sites to look upon.
A good day to you.
Todd
Christopher
· 9 months ago
I love my Kindle. I recently wrote up a mini review on my blog and can say that I truly love the ability to carry around so many books. My wife and I are school teachers and tend to have a nomadic lifestyle in the the summer. The amount of books we had to drag along with us was crazy (my wife got a Kindle also).
The only other complaint is one that you recently experienced. Not all books are on the Kindle yet. Even crazier is that some series will have parts of the series but not the whole series.
The New York Times might actually be the killer app for the Kindle. I love waking up in the morning and reading the paper over coffee. Since I don't keep my non signed books it will also free up some shelf space.
Glad that you are enjoying yours, don't over do the trashy-romance books. I have read that there are serious side effects.
Thomas
· 9 months ago
Nice review. Being outside of the US, I will have to wait to try any of these (I tick the Love to read and Travelling a lot, so...).
If you eMail your document to @free.kindle.com it replies with a link to the converted file, which you can download to your computer and then copy across to the Kindle. This gets around the $0.10 charge.
If you are outside the USA you can buy books and then download them to your computer. Then you copy them across the USB cable to the Kindle. I don't know if a non-American credit card is a problem with Amazon.com.
DRM on a PDF prevents conversion. Otherwise, whether the document is an image or reflowable text determines how well the conversion works.
NeuroMan42
· 9 months ago
I want one badly. I read like 4-6 books at once, everything from Sci-Fi to Science texts. I think my mother is getting one for herself since she loves those trashy books too.
Diana
· 9 months ago
I was like you with the Kindle 1. It is FABULOUS! I was skeptical but now I am a total believer. The pros heavily outweigh the pros. As an avid reader, I was pretty much sucked into portability and how easy it is to read on the go. Traveling used to mean carrying 4 paperbacks for roundtrips. My Kindle goes whereever I go.
By the way, for trashy vaginal urban fantasy, I totes recommend Richelle Mead's Succubus Blues. It's way better than her other series! If you don't want to kill yourself by the third book because the 4th book isn't out yet, I'd be surprised!
Thomas
· 9 months ago
So to sum up, should I buy the Kindle II?
NeuroMan42
· 9 months ago
Damn you all... now I have to get one. Although, with my reading habits it is the BEST thing to do.
Kris George
· 9 months ago
Felicia,
I too bemoan the fact that D&D books, or any RPG books, aren't available on the Kindle. It would be so much nicer to be able to bring just the kindle to the gaming table, rather than carting around bags and boxes full of tomes. If only!
JuJu
· 9 months ago
I keep drooling over the Kindle and your review doesn't help me stop. :-p I travel a lot and I'm a big ebook fan (my print collection is treasured, though). And goodness knows, who doesn't love a good bodice-ripper? (But no one may ever know!) What's really been keeping me away is the lack of native PDF support. I have oodles of pdf books already and I often scan coursework and case briefs into pdf format to read on the lappy later. I keep hoping native support will come out, but I'm gonna have to break at some point and get one...
Courtney Rene
· 9 months ago
I too was weary of the Kindle and its fancy charm. I now feel like I must view this device and maybe read novels on it. It seems like something to extravagant for my needs, but I do not like the idea of a muttled messy home page...that must go.
Thank you for the insight.
Adam
· 9 months ago
Hi Felicia,
Wasn't too sure which email was best to contact you, so maybe a blog comment will do. My friends and I love Dr Horrible and The Guild. Just wondering if there's any way to get hold of an autographed photo sent to Australia? Unfortunately I don't have the moolah to be travelling to overseas conventions. More than happy to pay postage, of course!
If there's no way of making it happen just yet, that's cool.
Thanks in advance for your help all the same!
Alyssa
· 9 months ago
It would be great if Amazon sold it in a physical store somewhere so people could check them out themselves.
My local Borders has an Amazon display with the Kindle on it so people can try it out. I played around with it last time I was there. It seems like a neat device, but I don't know if I'd buy one for myself. I wouldn't be opposed to a family member getting one for me as a gift, though, like you mentioned.
Hello, by the way! I think this is the first time I've commented. I love watching The Guild and reading your blog (especially when you talk about books!). :)
drblam
· 9 months ago
I have heard that borders has a deal with sony, and that the reader on display there is actually a Sony PRS-505 and not a Kindle. The only major difference between the two readers is that Sony has no keyboard, no dictionary built in, less available books (although they are working on that), no internet, and is around 70 dollars cheaper. Kindle has become like Kleenex, a word that people use as a general noun without knowing it is an actual brand name, but if your Borders has an actual Amazon Kindle on display I would love to be proven wrong so I would have an excuse to go out to a brick and mortar shop while I wait for my own Kindle 2 to arrive on my birthday.
PS Freaking Guild stole my night before a test the other day, and I got a few points off that I blame on you, Miss Day. Also, I am using your show as an intervention for a friend who complained to me the other day that he was worn completely out between work and raiding. (He seems to call in sick more than he logs off, but oh well.)
Lauren
· 9 months ago
Vaginal WHAT now? Wow, Felicia. :P
You might have turned me around on the Kindle...my first impression was that it would just be hugely expensive to maintain the collection, I didn't realize that there was a savviness to it. Hmmm. You're making me think now. That could be dangerous. :)
Mark
· 9 months ago
I totally just saw you in a Best Buy commercial. You were amazing!
Iris
· 9 months ago
I read this blog post on the day you posted it and was kinda like 'yeah yeah, but I just know it won't be my kind of thing'. But then I got curious and started reading about it on other websites and ohmagah.. I need one! They don't have it on amazon.co.uk though =/ (even if they did, I have to save up for like a year first haha!).
I have to say though, I love my books. Physical, touchable books with pages and nice covers and and.. I just love them! I just moved house and finally got to put all my books on a brand new IKEA bookshelf after having most of my books in storage for about a year, and just taking them out and putting them on the shelves and seeing their spines (especially my favourite books, and the ones that belong to a series so they look all neat next to each other) made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
I'd love to have the ability to just have LOTS of books with you wherever you travel though. I tend to always have several books I'm reading and then when you travel you always have to choose one, which sucks because you might want to read something different depending on your mood. *rambles on for hours*
Charlotte
· 9 months ago
So we don't have the kindle here in Canada but I got myself a bebook (no wifi, well until the new version comes out) after reading on my pda. Other than that, very similar experience (including the loading of romance novels on them.) I love ebooks and am so glad that I am a librarian and get to promote them!!
lochutus
· 9 months ago
I read all my DnD manuals (pdfs) on my iRex iLiad. the iLiad is a lot more expensive but a fantastic device. also has a wacom tablet built in so you can make notes and annotate pdfs
They don't have a 'book store' but this also means they aren't proprietary. html, pdf, mobipocket, text all good and they are open sourcing their code so lots of 3rd party activity.
hope you enjoy your kindle, it's a great way to read. Physical books are only for special editions for me now.
cheers
Franklin
· 9 months ago
Why is it every time I read this website I have the urge to run down to Sears and buy a washer and dryer?
Sarah
· 9 months ago
That reminds me of my mother buying me a DS Lite. She knew I wanted one, but didn't ask her to do it. She found an excuse to give me one, and I can't complain. I love it. :D
wygit
· 9 months ago
"it’s like going back to 1980’s DOS prompts."
Wait a minute.. Have you been watching History Channel or something? You aren't anywhere near old enough to have dealt with DOS.
Will Belegon
· 9 months ago
My girlfriend has the Sony and I have been thinking about Kindle so that we could explore both sides, but I haven't made the jump despite the fact that I do travel a lot and would love to have an e-reader for that.
...and Felicia, if you are looking for smut to read, ya know I would gladly trade even the slightest mention by you for some of my titles. And yes, my books are already available over the Kindle. Several of them.
V2Blast
· 9 months ago
Gah... Now I want a Kindle, which I know nobody's going to get for me, and I don't really have the money to get myself. >.<
james
· 9 months ago
Out of my love for Joss Whedon and Nathan Fillion (and newly discovered love for Felicia Day), I voted for Dr. Horrible. I only wish there were more episodes. That was solid gold right there :) Loved the songs :)
scrabble777
· 9 months ago
Loved your best buy spot !
Mike
· 9 months ago
Okay, I'm very late to the party on this one, but have you seen the cases you can get (or make) for Kindles & such out of blank journals? They are made so they open like a book, and you can keep the feel of the book in your hands while you read. Also, it makes the device a little less conspicuous to those people who just can't help picking up other people's toys and walking away with them.
Erin K
· 9 months ago
I adore that you're willing to tell thousands of people on the internet that you read romance novels, but the idea of a handful of people at B&N Booksellers seeing you with one makes you blush. Quite endearing.
I'm very jealous of your new Kindle. I didn't know they got free cellular web!
P.S. I second scrabble777's comment...although your Cheetos spot was even funnier.
Jess Q.
· 8 months ago
Now you've got me wanting a Kindle. I really can't afford one or even rationalize getting one at this point, though. I don't travel nearly as much as I wish I did, so... But someday, especially when they're cheaper, I'm TOTALLY gonna have to get one. I love those screens.
My boyfriend's brother's wife just got a trashy paranormal romance ebook published like last year or the year before. I feel obligated to send you the link. (I actually haven't read it myself. I'm an awful almost-sister-in-law.)
Does it have a good, solid grip for reading while in the bathtub? That's the one thing that so far puts paperbacks in the "better" category for me.
And a paranormal/romance/trash recommendation: The Hollows series by Kim Harrison. My favorite so far of all I have sampled in the genre.
Amazon kickback link to author store:
a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fentity%2FKim-Harrison%2FB001B6GE66%3Fie%3DUTF8%26%252AVersion%252A%3D1%26%252Aentries%252A%3D0&tag=sensidolla-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957
Brian Ford
· 8 months ago
I'm sort of on the fence about the Kindle myself -- not because I'm worried so much about my preference for paper-based books -- but because the price still seems a bit high.
At any rate, followed your link to GoodReads and thought I'd pitch Readernaut to you.
It's still in beta, but is developed by a web geek and it's pretty great thus far.
(Sorry to hear your ep. was cut from the Dollhouse broadcast. I hate to say it, but I've given up on Fox when it comes to Whedon -- It's just not worth the exasperation anymore.)
Cara-Mae
· 8 months ago
I read on Twitter about Dollhouse... I am very irked with FOX and yet, not at all surprised, since they usually screw over shows that I happen to enjoy.
*pout*
Anyway, I followed the link and peeked through some of your fantasy and epic fantasy reading and I saw a lot of books/authors that I have read and continue to enjoy so I thought I might take a moment to comment and suggest some authors I expected to see in the list that I did not.
First off... Sharon Shinn and Jane Lindskold.
They've got some great series out there that are definitely worth reading.
With Jane Lindskold, I've been reading her "Wolf" series and with Sharon Shinn I have read a number of her books with my two favourite series being her "Samaria" series (religion + sci-fi - very cool!) and "Twelve Houses" series (fantasy).
Also, there is a Canadian author named Tanya Huff who writes some really fun books.
I first came across her back in the 90s with her "Blood" series (vampire) and then I also read her "Quarters" series (fantasy) as well as some standalones and then, after I had my son, I came across her "Valor" series (sci-fi) and learned that her main character had the same first name as my son. Which is awesome, although I'm sure when my son gets older he might be miffed that the aforementioned character is female.
And I had never heard the name "Torin" before I named him, I pulled it out of a book of magical names (though I'm sure you can guess where I got his middle name, "Xander" from). :>
I hope you pick some of these books up and enjoy them as much as I have :>
Have a great day!
P.S. My 6-year-old son is going out as Dr. Horrible for Halloween and he is a huge fan of you, NPH and the groupies (I'm going out as a groupie) so I thought I'd let you know that you have fans of all ages. My son and my 9-year-old step-daughter know almost all the words to all the songs at this point and are starting to learn the ones from "Commentary the Musical" now.
Felicia
· 8 months ago
Er Awesome suggestions! I hate to say it, but I can't BELIEVE I don't have Sharon Shinn on my list, or Tanya Huff! I've read all their books. I love the Samaria series sooo much, in fact even enough for a re-read (on le Kindle perhaps? :) )
I read Tanya Huff's Blood series so many years ago and yes, it's one of my favorite Vamp series, I'm sad the TV show didn't work out. Jane Linskold has been on my to-read list for a while, I will definitely try to get those, I really appreciate the suggestions! I will fill out my GoodReads list with them so other people can find and enjoy! :)
Cara-Mae
· 8 months ago
Awesome!
I was sad that the series didn't take off but I did find some of the casting a bit jarring. BTW, have you read the spin-off series about Tony & Henry in Vancouver?
I am starting to think you are my book-reading twin. Egads, you even have a thing for "Highland hunks" (me too!!!!) In fact, I was having a conversation earlier today about not wanting my friends to disabuse me of the notion that all males in Scotland wear kilts everyday.
(Even though the comparison was made to someone from another country coming to Canada in July and being disappointed that we all wouldn't be wearing toques ;>)
OK, hopping off the tangent train and going back to books - I thought I only saw that you had read the first book of the "Ender" series by Orson Scott Card... I would heartily recommend reading the rest - and his re-visiting of the series with the "Shadow" series is riveting as well :>
One of my favourite books is a bit of an odd one. Set in real life, no sci-fi, no fantasy but a bit off the wall and quite enjoyable.
It's titled "MAN-S-LAUGHTER" and it's by a Canadian author named Ellen Frith.
Ain't nothin' wrong with reading trashy romance on your Kindle! (says the trashy romance writer LOL)
Despite my infinite knowledge of all things eBook, I still have yet to buy one of these gadgets. I reallyreallyreally want one. Lots of people love the idea of getting away with reading their trashy romances without the schwetty man-boobs on the covers to embarrass them in public. Heh. Awesome. Huzzah, I say!
~~Becka
Cara-Mae
· 8 months ago
But if you are curious about MAN-S-LAUGHTER... it is available from a Canadian book seller
Just got an ipod touch just so I could do the kindle thing! thanks for letting me know about it! Love you in Dr. Horrible and that commercial w/ the red washer - hilarious! just because it's you!
hope to see you in ep 13 of dollhouse
and does anyone have any good recommendations for free kindle books?
Felicia
· 8 months ago
I think I have some links tagged under "Kindle" in my delicious account. Also, if you check the Kindle top downlaoded there are lots of free ones there. Naomi Novick's book is free dl and a must read!
Rob Gregory Browne
· 8 months ago
As a novelist I originally had mixed feelings about the Kindle. Much like, I guess, musicians must have felt when the iPod first came out.
But then I realized that a) this is the future; a b) who cares how my books get out there as long as people read them?
So I'm happy to say my books are going to Kindle. The first one is up, with the rest to follow shortly. Now I just have to get one of the units so I can read them... :)
As for PDF support, I'm pretty sure my agent reads my manuscript in PDF on his Kindle. Maybe there's a conversion tool?
rgb
len
· 8 months ago
Musicians were feelin' it long before the iPod and just after the graphics artists and two steps past the original writing communities, eg, email, then technical lists, then forums, then blogs, and so forth.
The web works if you work it. It is a URL pump. Turning URLs into cash is the tricky bit, but no product no market no sale no pay. Development costs are still development costs if you need them. Bands don't if they are smart talented bands, but since we are musicians and therefore, dogs, some training period is required.
OTW, it gets rid of intermediaries in the business model that we don't need and replaces is with ones we do. It replaces a franchise model with a service model.
For writers, giving it away should feel natural.
On the hero-as-bad-boy topic: have you ever compared the heros in the fantasy genres you like the Bollywood heros? Interesting differences there and in the heroines, and those play a major role in the changes of fortune between Hollywood and Bollywood at the moment at the level storytelling. The cinematic technique is stylish and they have better stories. The American fascination with sex and violence is wearing thin outside the country and inside it as well.
Rob Gregory Browne
· 8 months ago
Giving it away does not feel natural for this writer. I like paying my mortgage.
That said, there are writers like Cory Doctorow who give away their work and this apparently manages to stimulate sales. So.... ?
rgb
len
· 8 months ago
The musicians weren't keen on the idea either. Eventually you have to face up to the fact that the web is a copy machine. Anything digital gets copied with or without the permission of the owner. The musicians learned to deal with it and the prize for that was to lose a lot of intermediaries. The trick is still promotion, site management, server management or rent, ISP fees, copyright filings (if you must) and so on. The problem of the copyright is what exactly is it protecting in a copy machine.
DRM doesn't work. You're fighting the human interface of the machine. You'll lose that one.
So like anything else, it comes down to the distribution deal you make with the services that will host and manage your content for shred of the natch on the click. The web is a URL pump. All of the various representations from web pages to real-time 3D are essentially just ways to aggregate services to emulate presence.
All Comments
The neatest thing with mine so far, though, is that I put the Word doc of my forthcoming novel on it. DIAMOND RUBY almost looked like a book on there--as if I'd leaped forward a year (talk about daylight savings time!)--and, even cooler, my daughter then read the book almost straight through. So much easier than on the computer screen or in piles of paper.
Though it is surpassingly weird to click the button and hear a disembodied voice (male or female) reading my novel out loud to me.
I totally agree with you on Amazon needing to sell or at least display them in stores to help sell people on them. A friend of mine that I trust bought a Kindle way before I did, but what really convinced me was seeing Sony's e-book reader at a SonyStyle store last summer. At first I thought the display was a gutted mockup with a slip of paper shoved inside to show what it looks like when its on, big surprise when it started doing things when I pushed buttons!
The thing that so many people assume is that an e-paper display is like a normal LCD display, when in fact its actually nothing like that. I'm convinced that they would sell more Kindles if more people could get their hands on them. I know I've gotten several of my colleagues into Kindles after they tried mine.
And yeah, the Kindle/iPhone syncing is super awesome. The physical technology is cool but where Amazon is really killing it is their services. Automatic syncing between devices (even personal annotations!) and the integrated store puts the Kindle way at the front of the e-reader pack (sorry Sony!).
It seriously looks like the coolest little device, although as a writer librarian lit major grad student the idea of ebooks should seem to me like something evil and maybe even deviant! Oh, I can see it now. Everyone will get kindles, paper books will slowly fade away. There will be way more trees. Like WAY more. Amazon.com will somehow accidentally create Skynet (which forms on the kindles, and maybe on all those networked PS3s) and then the trees will start killing people The Happening style and will team up with the Skynet kindle terminators to take us all out.
See? Terrible idea.
On the other hand, boxes of books are slowly taking over my life. Every move gets worse and worse. Ebooks would make life easier. Ah, but what about lending beat up old paperbacks of your favorite books to other people? Sure, 90% of the time you never get them back, but they're being read, and that's all that matters! Eventually that person will pay it forward.
I'll agree with you on one thing though. I would read a lot more genre fiction if the covers weren't so damn ugly. Seriously, publishers need to realize that every book should look completely sick. Even the trashiest romance novel and the cheesiest fantasy should have covers that make people stop and go "Well golly gee, that's one classy intellectual! Fashionable AND full of smart."
Ah! What a dilemma. I'll tell you what, though. Giles would not approve.
I understand there's technical limitations with the WhisperNet functionality of the Kindle once you move outside the US, but what about a USB synch only version, with a reduced price tag, that could be marketed both in the US for those on a budget, and overseas where the phone networks get complicated.
Chances are I'll be passing on the Kindle until the price drops substantially (or they make the Internet access more flexible), but I can certainly see why someone would buy one, if they're just looking to read. Too much about it, though, reeks of "buy this so you can give Amazon more of your money" to me. (Which, good for them, really. It's a brilliant marketing tool.)
I'm still trying to wrap my head around expensive New York Times delivery, though. Granted, I'm in New York, but I get a constant stream of letters, spam, telemarketers, and commercials offering to deliver the times to my house for "half off the cover price" of the paper itself. It's almost a shame I don't read it (they lost credibility in my eyes, years back, when I worked at a company with satellite offices around the world and the NYT stories never remotely matched up to what my associates were reporting), so I could gloat about the bargain!
As for me, I'm going to work on the books I have for now. I've got a bad habit of buying books and then putting off reading. Between games, books, music, and blogging, books usually come last. :(
Your comments on the reading experience were enlightening for me. I don't have any on that end; more on the writer end. I've had about 40 copies of my first novel sold as e-books at Fictionwise. The publisher of my second novel seems more interested in selling e-books than print books. I like the idea of having a library in one little device. That lack of PDF support on the Kindle is odd, as I think most publishers who do e-books use that file format for them. And you're right about handling before buying; it's not just fun, but lets you find out if you might like using the darn thing.
What about this downside: downloading means you can't get your book signed by the author.
I don't think print books are going away any time soon, but I think you're onto something, Felicia. E-readers offer a way to gets lots of books you might not want to keep on a shelf, but still might want to read, for whatever reason.
So, when are we going to see your reviews of the oily men books?
After reading your review, I'm even more excited about a future purchase of the Kindle.
Thank!
Cheers!
A good day to you.
Todd
The only other complaint is one that you recently experienced. Not all books are on the Kindle yet. Even crazier is that some series will have parts of the series but not the whole series.
The New York Times might actually be the killer app for the Kindle. I love waking up in the morning and reading the paper over coffee. Since I don't keep my non signed books it will also free up some shelf space.
Glad that you are enjoying yours, don't over do the trashy-romance books. I have read that there are serious side effects.
Being outside of the US, I will have to wait to try any of these (I tick the Love to read and Travelling a lot, so...).
I am also keeping an eye on Plastic Logic, on paper (uh uh uh) it looks superior to the kindle to me: http://www.plasticlogic.com/product.html
If you are outside the USA you can buy books and then download them to your computer. Then you copy them across the USB cable to the Kindle. I don't know if a non-American credit card is a problem with Amazon.com.
DRM on a PDF prevents conversion. Otherwise, whether the document is an image or reflowable text determines how well the conversion works.
By the way, for trashy vaginal urban fantasy, I totes recommend Richelle Mead's Succubus Blues. It's way better than her other series! If you don't want to kill yourself by the third book because the 4th book isn't out yet, I'd be surprised!
I too bemoan the fact that D&D books, or any RPG books, aren't available on the Kindle. It would be so much nicer to be able to bring just the kindle to the gaming table, rather than carting around bags and boxes full of tomes. If only!
I keep hoping native support will come out, but I'm gonna have to break at some point and get one...
I now feel like I must view this device and maybe read novels on it.
It seems like something to extravagant for my needs, but I do not like the idea of a muttled messy home page...that must go.
Thank you for the insight.
Wasn't too sure which email was best to contact you, so maybe a blog comment will do.
My friends and I love Dr Horrible and The Guild. Just wondering if there's any way to get hold of an autographed photo sent to Australia? Unfortunately I don't have the moolah to be travelling to overseas conventions. More than happy to pay postage, of course!
If there's no way of making it happen just yet, that's cool.
Thanks in advance for your help all the same!
My local Borders has an Amazon display with the Kindle on it so people can try it out. I played around with it last time I was there. It seems like a neat device, but I don't know if I'd buy one for myself. I wouldn't be opposed to a family member getting one for me as a gift, though, like you mentioned.
Hello, by the way! I think this is the first time I've commented. I love watching The Guild and reading your blog (especially when you talk about books!). :)
Kindle has become like Kleenex, a word that people use as a general noun without knowing it is an actual brand name, but if your Borders has an actual Amazon Kindle on display I would love to be proven wrong so I would have an excuse to go out to a brick and mortar shop while I wait for my own Kindle 2 to arrive on my birthday.
PS Freaking Guild stole my night before a test the other day, and I got a few points off that I blame on you, Miss Day. Also, I am using your show as an intervention for a friend who complained to me the other day that he was worn completely out between work and raiding. (He seems to call in sick more than he logs off, but oh well.)
You might have turned me around on the Kindle...my first impression was that it would just be hugely expensive to maintain the collection, I didn't realize that there was a savviness to it. Hmmm. You're making me think now. That could be dangerous. :)
I have to say though, I love my books. Physical, touchable books with pages and nice covers and and.. I just love them! I just moved house and finally got to put all my books on a brand new IKEA bookshelf after having most of my books in storage for about a year, and just taking them out and putting them on the shelves and seeing their spines (especially my favourite books, and the ones that belong to a series so they look all neat next to each other) made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
I'd love to have the ability to just have LOTS of books with you wherever you travel though. I tend to always have several books I'm reading and then when you travel you always have to choose one, which sucks because you might want to read something different depending on your mood. *rambles on for hours*
They don't have a 'book store' but this also means they aren't proprietary. html, pdf, mobipocket, text all good and they are open sourcing their code so lots of 3rd party activity.
hope you enjoy your kindle, it's a great way to read. Physical books are only for special editions for me now.
cheers
Wait a minute.. Have you been watching History Channel or something?
You aren't anywhere near old enough to have dealt with DOS.
...and Felicia, if you are looking for smut to read, ya know I would gladly trade even the slightest mention by you for some of my titles. And yes, my books are already available over the Kindle. Several of them.
I'm very jealous of your new Kindle. I didn't know they got free cellular web!
P.S. I second scrabble777's comment...although your Cheetos spot was even funnier.
My boyfriend's brother's wife just got a trashy paranormal romance ebook published like last year or the year before. I feel obligated to send you the link. (I actually haven't read it myself. I'm an awful almost-sister-in-law.)
http://www.amazon.com/The-Mating-Moon-ebook/dp/...
And a paranormal/romance/trash recommendation: The Hollows series by Kim Harrison. My favorite so far of all I have sampled in the genre.
Amazon kickback link to author store:
a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fentity%2FKim-Harrison%2FB001B6GE66%3Fie%3DUTF8%26%252AVersion%252A%3D1%26%252Aentries%252A%3D0&tag=sensidolla-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957
At any rate, followed your link to GoodReads and thought I'd pitch Readernaut to you.
It's still in beta, but is developed by a web geek and it's pretty great thus far.
Readernaut
He recently added Kindle support.
(Sorry to hear your ep. was cut from the Dollhouse broadcast. I hate to say it, but I've given up on Fox when it comes to Whedon -- It's just not worth the exasperation anymore.)
*pout*
Anyway, I followed the link and peeked through some of your fantasy and epic fantasy reading and I saw a lot of books/authors that I have read and continue to enjoy so I thought I might take a moment to comment and suggest some authors I expected to see in the list that I did not.
First off... Sharon Shinn and Jane Lindskold.
They've got some great series out there that are definitely worth reading.
With Jane Lindskold, I've been reading her "Wolf" series and with Sharon Shinn I have read a number of her books with my two favourite series being her "Samaria" series (religion + sci-fi - very cool!) and "Twelve Houses" series (fantasy).
Also, there is a Canadian author named Tanya Huff who writes some really fun books.
I first came across her back in the 90s with her "Blood" series (vampire) and then I also read her "Quarters" series (fantasy) as well as some standalones and then, after I had my son, I came across her "Valor" series (sci-fi) and learned that her main character had the same first name as my son. Which is awesome, although I'm sure when my son gets older he might be miffed that the aforementioned character is female.
And I had never heard the name "Torin" before I named him, I pulled it out of a book of magical names (though I'm sure you can guess where I got his middle name, "Xander" from). :>
I hope you pick some of these books up and enjoy them as much as I have :>
Have a great day!
P.S. My 6-year-old son is going out as Dr. Horrible for Halloween and he is a huge fan of you, NPH and the groupies (I'm going out as a groupie) so I thought I'd let you know that you have fans of all ages.
My son and my 9-year-old step-daughter know almost all the words to all the songs at this point and are starting to learn the ones from "Commentary the Musical" now.
I read Tanya Huff's Blood series so many years ago and yes, it's one of my favorite Vamp series, I'm sad the TV show didn't work out. Jane Linskold has been on my to-read list for a while, I will definitely try to get those, I really appreciate the suggestions! I will fill out my GoodReads list with them so other people can find and enjoy! :)
I was sad that the series didn't take off but I did find some of the casting a bit jarring. BTW, have you read the spin-off series about Tony & Henry in Vancouver?
I am starting to think you are my book-reading twin. Egads, you even have a thing for "Highland hunks" (me too!!!!) In fact, I was having a conversation earlier today about not wanting my friends to disabuse me of the notion that all males in Scotland wear kilts everyday.
(Even though the comparison was made to someone from another country coming to Canada in July and being disappointed that we all wouldn't be wearing toques ;>)
OK, hopping off the tangent train and going back to books - I thought I only saw that you had read the first book of the "Ender" series by Orson Scott Card... I would heartily recommend reading the rest - and his re-visiting of the series with the "Shadow" series is riveting as well :>
One of my favourite books is a bit of an odd one. Set in real life, no sci-fi, no fantasy but a bit off the wall and quite enjoyable.
It's titled "MAN-S-LAUGHTER" and it's by a Canadian author named Ellen Frith.
But I just checked Amazon.com and it's not available http://www.amazon.com/Manslaughter-Ellen-Frith/...
:(
Despite my infinite knowledge of all things eBook, I still have yet to buy one of these gadgets. I reallyreallyreally want one. Lots of people love the idea of getting away with reading their trashy romances without the schwetty man-boobs on the covers to embarrass them in public. Heh. Awesome. Huzzah, I say!
~~Becka
http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Manslaughte...
(OK, I'll stop book-pimping for now) :>
hope to see you in ep 13 of dollhouse
and does anyone have any good recommendations for free kindle books?
But then I realized that a) this is the future; a b) who cares how my books get out there as long as people read them?
So I'm happy to say my books are going to Kindle. The first one is up, with the rest to follow shortly. Now I just have to get one of the units so I can read them... :)
As for PDF support, I'm pretty sure my agent reads my manuscript in PDF on his Kindle. Maybe there's a conversion tool?
rgb
The web works if you work it. It is a URL pump. Turning URLs into cash is the tricky bit, but no product no market no sale no pay. Development costs are still development costs if you need them. Bands don't if they are smart talented bands, but since we are musicians and therefore, dogs, some training period is required.
OTW, it gets rid of intermediaries in the business model that we don't need and replaces is with ones we do. It replaces a franchise model with a service model.
For writers, giving it away should feel natural.
On the hero-as-bad-boy topic: have you ever compared the heros in the fantasy genres you like the Bollywood heros? Interesting differences there and in the heroines, and those play a major role in the changes of fortune between Hollywood and Bollywood at the moment at the level storytelling. The cinematic technique is stylish and they have better stories. The American fascination with sex and violence is wearing thin outside the country and inside it as well.
That said, there are writers like Cory Doctorow who give away their work and this apparently manages to stimulate sales. So.... ?
rgb
DRM doesn't work. You're fighting the human interface of the machine. You'll lose that one.
So like anything else, it comes down to the distribution deal you make with the services that will host and manage your content for shred of the natch on the click. The web is a URL pump. All of the various representations from web pages to real-time 3D are essentially just ways to aggregate services to emulate presence.