Monday, December 21, 2009

SFF Insider Site, Guest Blog, and Contest

If you get a chance, drop by SFF Insider. I did a guest blog about the e-book industry, and speculate a bit about the future. Even if you don't care to read my ramblings, there is also a contest. Get a chance to win a free copy of Pallid Light: The Waking Dead.

Or, prowl around the site and read a few book reviews, other blogs, and catch up on publishing/book news. There is a website for nearly every genre, so there is something for everyone.

5 comments:

Cairo said...

Interesting thoughts on the future of ebooks and publishing. I don't have an ereader personally. I worry I would lose it. Also I've seen the Kindle screen and it seems like it would be hard to read so I will probably stick with good old fashioned books. Though I always forget my book when I have to go somewhere. Maybe if I had an eReader I would always have it with me.

Vesper said...

If new readers grow-up using e-books, then in the future, they might prefer the feel and smell and look of an e-reader.

I think you're right, William. I do prefer printed books but things change, evolve, regadless of any conservatism.

Rick said...

Great interview, by the way. And after I left a comment there, they even sent me a thank you letter! Now that's what I call follow-up!

Akasha Savage. said...

I popped over to SFF Insider...interesting reading. I'm not sure how I feel about e-books yet. I want to give it a go before I comment, but I dare say that's where the future lies.

William Jones said...

Thanks to everyone for visiting SFF Insider. If you haven't posted on the site, feel free to post anything - at least for a chance to get into the contest. And I appreciate your comments.

Cario - Good point. Losing an e-reader is a bit more expensive than losing a book! So far I haven't left behind my Kindle. :)

Vesper - I have too many printed books to dislike them. This topic has been around for years. At one time it was nothing more than SF, the fancy of fiction writers. I suspect some fiction pushed the ideas forward, along with potential profits, and here we are.

I do see these devices as a means of helping (saving?) the nearly dead magazine industry. It is possible to get magazine subscriptions via many of the e-readers. For the publishers, this means lower overhead, and no returns (book stores sending back overstock copies of ordered magazines).

And for those of you who haven't tried e-books, give them a shot on your computer. There is a Kindle program for the PC and MAC. Yes, it's reading off a computer screen, but you might find the note taking options useful - and give you an idea of the direction of e-books.