Amazon Kindle (reader or apps)

[Daniel Meyer]

Getting ready to push my books into the Kindle market...just wondering how many folks have ditched printed editions for the digital world?

[Flat6Valk]

I am far from ready to read a book from an electronic device.  I already stare at screens enough.  Its nice to look at print on paper for a change.  I read, on the avg, a book a week.

[Psycho]

I would rather read a book.  Something about holding a book in your hands and reading the printed word.  Just me.

[bigguy]

Got my wife one for Christmas. (Her request) I was surprised at how good it was. You can download thousands of free books at the Gutenberg project. (Stuff out of copy right) I've already downloaded Sherlock Holms and Mary Shelly's Frankenstein.
We also subscribed to Readers Digest for about $4.00 a month.
After seeing hers, I wouldn't mind having one of my own. If I had to choose between it or the iPad, I'd go with the iPad, but they really are two different things, and I wouldn't mind having both.

[GA Mike]

I've had one for about 6months and love it. I had more books in my office at home than the local library so my wife bought me a Kindle.  Now to get rid of all these books.

GA Mike

[Scott in Ok]

Got a Kindle for christmas.  Its the greatest thing since sliced bread, as far as book reading is concerned.  In my opinion anyway!  The screen on a Kindle looks very much like paper and its much easier to hold than a bulky book.

The other night I finished the book I was reading and it took me less than three minutes to have the next book in the series on the Kindle and I was back reading.  I finish a book every 2-3 weeks and though I do enjoy a trip to the bookstore on occasion, when I want a particular book to read, I want it NOW not later when I have time to drive across town. 

I say go for it Daniel.

-Scott

[Psychotic Bovine]

I have a B and N Nook.  Very nice product.  If the book is available for e-book I will buy it, but I won't not buy a book just because it's not out for the e-reader.  I find reading it to be pretty close to reading a printed book.  No eyestrain.  Have read about 12 books so far since november on my Nook.
I went with the Nook over the Kindle mainly because there are more books available for the Nook and I could buy it locally at a Barnes and Noble store here.
I think the Nook and Kindle are both high quality products....

[¿spoom]

That new color Nook looks pretty slick in the commercials, but the Nook wasn't in existence when I got my Kindle. I'd check it out before getting a Kindle just in case.
I was lukewarm at first but became a believer fast. I really love the e-book concept for two main reasons:
Hundreds of books fit into the space of one thin paperback.
If I decide to buy a book, I can be reading it 5 minutes later. I got so tired of calling the local bookstore to ask if they had "book X" to have them go, "no, but we can order it and have it in 2-3 days". Heck, I can go online and have the same book in my mailbox in 2-3 days from Amazon at the same price or less so I gave up on the local store. I do recommend getting the version that can use 3G in addition to WiFi. Connection is free when browsing & buying books and it's great on the road when you're not near a hotspot but have an AT&T signal.

[T-Bird]

Daniel,  I have both a kindle & ipad and have found it much easier to buy and read books and magazines. I know I will be buying your books to download if you go digital  

[roboto65]

Got my wife a NOOK Color she loves it very cool and she can check her email and stuff with it too..

[Gryphon]

I received a Kindle for Christmas and I have to say that i love it.  I would recommend publishing a Kindle edition of your next book.  I'm sure it would introduce your work to a new audience and many would then purchase autographed copies of the printed editions.  I know that is what I would do. 

I'm not going to quit buying or reading "real" books, but it is great to read those books that you want to read but don't necessarily need to own in printed form.  I've got over 1100 books in my library downstairs, including the Life is a Road series  , and with the Kindle I can read books that I want to read without having to find room for them later.  It costs more than going to the library, but I can read them again whenever I want to and it remembers what page I'm on if I'm reading more than one book at a time.   I also discovered (It's amazing what you learn from the manual) that I can load tunes on it and listen to music while I read. (Really handy with the earbuds when I want to read and my wife wants to watch TV)

[solo1]

I bought a Nook and I like it.  Easy to read, easy to hold, and doesn't take up room, very important when i move.

[BradValk48237]

Nook here also.. I pre ordered mine last year and had to wait until Febuary for it to be deliverd. Have loaded about 100+ books, including the Bible and 300+ songs and still have not used up the internal memory. You can add an additional SD card for quadruple the memory- kindle has only 2 g installed, nook can get up to 15gig. So you can put most of you books and tunes on it. The browser is better and you can use wifi... you have to get the 3g kindle for that. Also, if you havea friend that has a n Nook, you can loan and borrow books to each other... tere are also going to be some other apps coming. It also has a sorta slow , but decent Web browser function, to get email, and I have even shopped for parts online for a friend on a bike trip to the U.P.(Hotel had Wifi)

Also like the fact , that the B+n stores have a place you can take it if you have questions or problems- Kindle you have to go through more of a hassle if you have trouble. Freind of mine had a problem and they gave him a new one and even transfered all of his stuff over from the old one. When I got mine, I took it to the Store and teh guy at the nook desk and I fooled around with it because I had the first "real" model he had seen.. All the ones in the store were not fully functional at the time. Also you can read almost any book or publication for free in the store with your nook.

 Overall if I had to buy a reader now and money was no object, I would get an Ipad. It has backlight (something i wish my nook had) and much more functionality (and HIGH cool factor). If i was just getting a reader, I would go for the Nook color- Almost an ipad, just little slower and dumber. But it is much better and I wish I would have waited a year...LOL Heres a good review. At $249 it a a great deal for what you get.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/16/nook-color-review/://www.engadget.com/2010/11/16/nook-color-review/

I always take my Nook on trips, because it is small and multifuntional. Packs great on the Valk weather it in I/S or Super Valk mode... there, now its Valk related.......

[hubcapsc]

I would recommend publishing a Kindle edition of your next book.

I bet those eReaders are as cool as everyone thinks they are... but I with there was just one
non-proprietary format.

-Mike

[CajunRider]

I'm not a fan of Amazon.  If I were to get an e-reader, and one of these days I will, I'd go for something like the Nook.  Of course, I'd prefer something not proprietary... but I don't see that happening.  Everybody is going the way of Apple with e-readers. 

My main reason for wanting one is that I work offshore at times.  One e-reader is much easier to carry than multiple books during travel.  I'm hoping I can find a protective holder that will also hold my passport and plane boarding tickets and such. 

Mainly, my only reason for not already buying one is price.  I'm waiting for the price to get below $100 for a reader ABOUT the size of your "Life Is A Road" books.  That's just a comfortable size for me. 

Although... there IS something to be said about the signed copies of "Life Is A Road" that my wife bought for me.     I'm rather proud of those books. 

[RoadKill]

WOW...never thought about it,most of my reading is done on the internet trying to learn something. I always looked at real books the way most people feel 'bout cable T.V. . Books are entertainment and for "getting away from it all" and the 'Puter is for learnin. I print alot of reference material off the net,but never a 'book' for entertainment. I would rather buy a book at library sale/book store or buy a hard back copy online.  But I think I may be in the minority 

[PAVALKER]

I have none, but here is a CNET review/comparison of em...

http://news.cnet.com/kindle-vs-nook-vs-ipad-which-e-book-reader-should-you-buy

[Whistler]

Bought the wife a Nook for Christmas she loves it. I have down loaded books to my computer with the Kindle and Nook app that I downloaded. But reading on the puter does take it's toll on the ole eyes. The e reader does not seem to have that effect. Go for it Daniel this media is only going to get bigger!!

[NiteRiderF6]

I prefer the audiobook format over the e-readers... I mean, if you want to read, just buy a book.... What advantage does the kindle have over a paperback? I just load them on my iPhone and listen over headphones or thru the aux jack in my truck. Works for me!

[Colin]

I have one of the Android tablets and use that as an eReader. It is great for reading in bed as I don't disturb SWMBO by having the bedside light on. Also when going on holiday I take one device that is smaller and lighter than 1 paperback book that has several books on it saves on weight in my hand baggage. It also allows me to get on the internet wirelessly too. You can do all of this on a modern smart phone too it is just that I find the screen and keyboard are a bit small on the phones. The Kindle is a good bit of kit BUT IMHO let down by no backlight on the display. YMMV but well worth a look.

[RonBou]

I have had my Kindle for about 3 years...and love it. The page looks like a real book page and the battery lasts a long time.  It's easier than taking multiple books when traveling or on vacation. I still read an occasional "real" book and favor audio books when on the treadmill or walking the neighborhood.

[Daniel Meyer]

I prefer the real books, but I'm a dying breed I think...I did borrow a kindle and can see the advantages for the traveler for sure. IT would be fantastic and a real savings for textbooks too...which are updated every other year or so...

Thanks for all the input folks...the e-market is a big one and I most certainly can't miss out on it...not if I ever want to earn reasonable money for writing...just trying to determine the resources to apply to the problem.

The multiple proprietary formats is irritating...gotta do the work to get it into each sales stream...and I wish kindle and nook would work it out...because since they both have apps that will run on ipad/phones they are going to hurt their device sales by taking the stand that their customers can't have books in the other format..."can't have it" Oh yeah? Got an ipad and a couple apps. Why buy the reader?

Anyway, thanks again! I'll keep you posted. First one's always the hardest I guess.

[¿spoom]

I prefer the audiobook format over the e-readers... I mean, if you want to read, just buy a book.... What advantage does the kindle have over a paperback? I just load them on my iPhone and listen over headphones or thru the aux jack in my truck. Works for me!

The Kindle will read most books to you also, so  I assume the Nook will also. There's a built-in speaker and you just hit 2 clicks and it's off & talking. I love books and own a ton of 'em but there ARE a few things about the ebooks that are better. Can you take 100s of books with you on an airplane or in your saddlebag? Go online and have thousands of paperbacks sent to you for free? Store 100s of adobe files in a paperback without it getting any fatter? 

[Doc Moose]

I would recommend publishing a Kindle edition of your next book.

I bet those eReaders are as cool as everyone thinks they are... but I with there was just one
non-proprietary format.

-Mike

That's why I bought the B & N Nook last May. It uses the ePub/eBook format.  If you get the Kindle, you are pretty much having to buy from Amazon.  Not entirely a bad thing, but I like the ability to d/l from other sources.
I agree with getting the wifi & 3G models unless you have readily available wifi.

The ebooks are more compact and easier to handle, IMHO.

[Chili Pepper]

I want one! And yes...I think it's worth it for you to enter this market. Good thing about the Kindle is battery life. Word is it lasts for several weeks before needing a re-charge. The new ones entering the market are sacrificing that for a lot of fancy-schmancy ribbons and bows, so to speak. Some only last for half a day or so. Caveat Emptor!

[Gryphon]

I want one! And yes...I think it's worth it for you to enter this market. Good thing about the Kindle is battery life. Word is it lasts for several weeks before needing a re-charge. The new ones entering the market are sacrificing that for a lot of fancy-schmancy ribbons and bows, so to speak. Some only last for half a day or so. Caveat Emptor!

I charged my KIndle on Christmas day.   I have the $139, Wi-Fi only, version.  I turned off the Wi-Fi after I downloaded the books and only use it when I need to download another book or check something that requires the connection.  I have read 3 books on it now and recharged it for the first time yesterday.  Leaving the Wi-Fi active full time will shorten the battery life.  Since I am using it to read books, I see no reason to leave the Wi-Fi on for no reason.  Having to have a Wi-Fi connection to download is not a big deal.  They are everywhere.  It took a whole minute to download the complete works of Mark Twain.  Another minute for James Fenimore Cooper's complete Leather Stocking Saga ( Last of the Mohicans, etc...).  Wi-Fi connection required for less than 3 minutes.

I can't make calls on it or surf the web.  Technically, I can email pdf documents to it, if I so desire.  I got it so I can read books without the bulk.  I also like the reduced glare screen.  Books I want to save, share, or pass down, I'll purchase in printed form.  When I'm traveling or just wanting something to read, I love the Kindle.  I can carry 5,10, 50 books with me in a device not much larger than a paperback.  I also have several of my favorite cds loaded, as mp3 files, so I can listed to background music while I read; either through the built in speakers or my earbuds.   

Bottom line: It's an ebook reader, not a netbook.

[chauffeur]

The pretty girl that rides on the seat behind me has read a lot of books on the iPad. 

Just bought her a color Nook as an early Valentines present.  She's happy.  So am I.

[Lyn-Del]

I have both the Kindle app and the ereader.com app on my iTouch, and love it.  I'm a reader, and used to have to find room for 4-6 books for a week's travel, 20+ books on the summer trip.  Now, I have my audio books on my iPod, and my written word books on my iTouch. 

Once the books have been purchased, they can be downloaded time and again, so I can clear it off the iTouch and reload it if I need/want to reference it again.

And there's a Kindle for PC, as well, so you can download that, and then buy and read the books on your computer as well.

So, Daniel, YES!  I'd love to see them all in Kindle format.

Oh, by the way, you DID celebrate Squirrel Appreciation Day on the 21st, didn't you?

[Oss]

anything that gets your books out is worth exploring.  Go for it.

I dont own an iphone a kindle or any electronic reader.

Love the library in town, I can reserve a book and they send an email when it comes in

There is to me nothing  like holding a book, turning the pages and using my imagination  

Never saw a movie I liked better than the book I had read yet.