e-books, hardbacks or paperbacks our thoughts.

[Vertigo]

Are you able to alter the fonts of the pdf to whatever you want in calibre?

The answer is "yes, but" it does get a little complicated (I've only done it a few times) and the results are sometimes a little unpredictable I have found. I generally don't touch that part of it and find the conversion almost alwyas produces perfectly good readable text.

 

[Moggle]

The reason I ask is because the majority of pdfs I download appear to only use the Times New Roman or courier font which I find to be terrible for reading. I have no idea how it came to be that so many pdfs use this. Are you able to change the fonts on an ereader?

 

[Vertigo]

The reason I ask is because the majority of pdfs I download appear to only use the Times New Roman or courier font which I find to be terrible for reading. I have no idea how it came to be that so many pdfs use this. Are you able to change the fonts on an ereader?

I don't have a definitive answer to that but on my Sony I haven't seen anywhere you can do that. I can only change the font size. However as I say I'm pretty sure you can on Calibre though I haven't tried myself; I'm pretty ambivalent about the font I'm reading, after all the paper books I read are certainly not all the same font and I have no choice with them.

 

[Lord Soth]

Well, i've had my Kindle for 2 days now and my (in)expert opinion is that its great!

Took about 5 minutes to get used to it but unless something staggering happens I am a complete convert!

 

[AE35Unit]

I don't have a definitive answer to that but on my Sony I haven't seen anywhere you can do that. I can only change the font size. However as I say I'm pretty sure you can on Calibre though I haven't tried myself; I'm pretty ambivalent about the font I'm reading, after all the paper books I read are certainly not all the same font and I have no choice with them.

Well usually you can't change the font on the reader but you can choose which font to use prior to converting with Calibre. I wouldn't recommend using a pdf file on a reader-the formatting tends to be all wrong-better to convert to your reader's native format.

 

[Murtagh's_Muse]

I prefer paperbacks. They're light, inexpensive, easy to travel with, and easy to replace if you loan them out and don't get them back.

I will never buy an e-book, kindle book, etc. I attended a writing conference where we were told by a publishing house rep that authors only get paid about 8-10% of what they would get from a paperback sale for an e-book sale. As an aspiring author I can't bring myself to support this kind of thievery.

 

[thaddeus6th]

Blimey. That's a rather shocking stat.

Not so bad for the likes of Dickens and Shakespeare though.

 

[Toke]

I won't argue that nothing will beat the old book format in the future but now for me the old fashioned way is the most concrete and best.

However. When you're travelling or at work the ebook reader is undoubtedly the most efficient way.

When I like an author I buy his/her hardcover for collection and paperback for reading. Though usually my paperpacks fall to pieces due to my violent way of reading so that's why hardbacks come in order also.

I have plans to buy an ebook reader, and it will be nice, oh yes.

 

[Captain Campion]

I prefer paperbacks. They're light, inexpensive, easy to travel with, and easy to replace if you loan them out and don't get them back.

I will never buy an e-book, kindle book, etc. I attended a writing conference where we were told by a publishing house rep that authors only get paid about 8-10% of what they would get from a paperback sale for an e-book sale. As an aspiring author I can't bring myself to support this kind of thievery.

That's like the record labels warning against itunes.
I was never a big e-book fan, until I saw the Kindle, which was/is a game-changer.

The problem with the publishing industry (compared to just about any other industry/endeavor) is that entrepreneurs have little chance at success because the publishing houses and agents are the gate keepers.

On one hand, this ensures a level of quality, which is good and protects readers against accidentally purchasing "novels" written at a 3rd grade level.

On the other hand, it greatly limits opportunity for writers.

E-books change that. Now everyone who wants to write a story has an oportunity to sell it to the public, warts and all. The publishing houses will lose their grip on the industry if e-books catch on, the same way the record labels lost their grip on the music industry thanks to electronic media.

 

[Lacivetta]

That's like the record labels warning against itunes.
I was never a big e-book fan, until I saw the Kindle, which was/is a game-changer.

The problem with the publishing industry (compared to just about any other industry/endeavor) is that entrepreneurs have little chance at success because the publishing houses and agents are the gate keepers.

On one hand, this ensures a level of quality, which is good and protects readers against accidentally purchasing "novels" written at a 3rd grade level.

On the other hand, it greatly limits opportunity for writers.

E-books change that. Now everyone who wants to write a story has an oportunity to sell it to the public, warts and all. The publishing houses will lose their grip on the industry if e-books catch on, the same way the record labels lost their grip on the music industry thanks to electronic media.

I don't really know ultimately where it will leave writers. There is plenty of trash published, so the 'quality assurance' (urgh business speech is like language with all the flavour chewed out) argument hardly holds. There is a need for something recognisable for readers to grab onto (a brand) which currently is partly publisher and partly author I think (the publisher supports the author). So it may really come down to marketing...and content might win out. That's a big might though.

 

[Murtagh's_Muse]

That's like the record labels warning against itunes.

Actually the publishing rep had a Kindle with him and said that he uses it all the time. Lol He gave us the stats to make our own decisions about, but personally he said he likes e-books.

 

[Wiglaf]

What about textbooks? Lugging those around sucks and the web textbooks only give you a course long password with no option to retain access or to sell it back. If they had cheap Kindle versions for $100-$120 a textbook, I'd be all in just for that. Paying $200 for a used paperback is a bummer.

 

[Rodders]

What about textbooks? Lugging those around sucks and the web textbooks only give you a course long password with no option to retain access or to sell it back. If they had cheap Kindle versions for $100-$120 a textbook, I'd be all in just for that. Paying $200 for a used paperback is a bummer.

Nice point. I'm not a student, but i can definately appreciate how much you guys need to spend on books.

Personally, i feel that sooner or later e/publishing will take effect. Poorer or less well known writers will command less of a premium, but hey, supply and demand is king.

The price of e/books needs to be reduced before this can take off properly. With no physical item to ship and the downloads completed automatically via server, surely the production costs are considerably cheaper.

 

[Anne Lyle]

I'm a big fan of ebooks - I'm running out of space on my bookshelves, even after cutting back to the unread pile plus favourites I don't want to give away to charity! Nowadays I generally only buy novels in hardcopy if I can't get the electronic version or if, having read one, I really like it and want a physical copy to re-read at my leisure.

Re pricing, etc, I would point out that not all publishers charge rip-off prices for ebooks. Angry Robot, publishers of our esteemed member Ian Whates amongst others, publish all their books as both paperbacks and DRM-free ebooks, the latter at around half the price of the paperback. I don't know what the royalties on each version are like - I will have to make discreet enquiries

P.S. Love the ASCII tie-fighters, Rodders!

 

[Rodders]

I'm a big fan of ebooks - I'm running out of space on my bookshelves, even after cutting back to the unread pile plus favourites I don't want to give away to charity! Nowadays I generally only buy novels in hardcopy if I can't get the electronic version or if, having read one, I really like it and want a physical copy to re-read at my leisure.

Re pricing, etc, I would point out that not all publishers charge rip-off prices for ebooks. Angry Robot, publishers of our esteemed member Ian Whates amongst others, publish all their books as both paperbacks and DRM-free ebooks, the latter at around half the price of the paperback. I don't know what the royalties on each version are like - I will have to make discreet enquiries

P.S. Love the ASCII tie-fighters, Rodders!

LOL. Thanks. You should see AE35Unit's Discovery. She's lovely.

 

[AE35Unit]

LOL. Thanks. You should see AE35Unit's Discovery. She's lovely.

Ah yes,
]==[]===© •
might have to reinstate that!

 

[chrispenycate]

Hmmm, I agree with both Rodders and Steve, I think. Having the book case and books is one thing, but being able to read something that is by no means as big and bulky as a full hardback is definitely a bonus.

However, I think the thing that seems a bit off, is having to buy two copies of the book (if you want the Hardback, I might actually give up on paperbacks and just e-read).

With Blu ray on the rise one of the things that impresses me is that on some films, you get the Blu ray movie, a digital copy and in some cases a DVD copy too. I guess the feeling is that you have paid for the film - so if you want to watch it on a second medium (Ipod, car DVD, portable DVD) it is all there in one package to use without having to pay twice.

Shouldn't the same be true with this 'new' way of reading - if you buy the hardback you get a free download of the same book, should you choose too?

A very belated response to this one; I believe that Baen, and their Webscription ¿subsidiary? pioneers of cheap ePublishing (and non copy protection, under the theory that if people don't feel they're being ripped off, they won't tend to pirate. Whether this is true with the up and coming generation, who feel that everything electronic must be free, remains to be seen.) include a CD ROM in their hardbacks, which contains not only the text of that novel (after all, a text file is only a couple of Megs; given a cover, maybe five, and a CD holds seven hundred) but previous work published by, interviews, details of the universe in question, readable on computers or most eReaders…
A considerably more attractive alternative to a simple download, but seeing that it's $25 instead of $6 – it all depends if you've any space to keep the dead tree version, anyway.

How many people here have never lent out or borrowed books? The publishers seem to be determined that this traditional means of advertising die, as it involves copying, so you don't have to give the data back, and the company has lost a sale. What does this mean for public libraries, if the eBook trend establishes itself? And school/university libraries? Perhaps the next generation of eBook readers should have a library card slot, and an eLibrary card, writeable/erasable only on special machines available within those hallowed walls, and uncopyable developed.

Then the only problem is convincing librarians it's a good idea.

 

[Behni]

I borrow eBooks from the local library all the time. They are available from the webpage and they automatically go inactive after three weeks. I also borrow CD audiobooks for listening to in the car.

My eReader is awesome. I'm the kind of person who reads a pile of books all at once, reading whichever one I'm in the mood for one evening and another the next. Having them all on one device is convenient as heck, especially traveling. Additionally, I liked paperbacks when I was younger than 35, but since then I have felt weighed down by their clutter. I have multiple bookshelves with favourite hardcover or trade paperback editions, but paperbacks look too cheap for public display. To me - and that is certainly a personal preference only.

What I do not like about the eReader is that I can't lend my favorite books to my friends. I have to advise them to go out and buy their own copy. This works, I suppose, for the publishing companies and authors but I feel that it limits my enjoyment of getting others 'hooked' onto my favourite authors.

 

[Perpetual Man]

Quite a lot of interesting answers so far, and some things I had not even thought about.

I can see the appeal of an e-reader, still not sure whether I would get one, but I'm starting to lean toward the idea.

I've downloaded the free Kindle reader from Amazon and installed it on the various computers I work with, and have played around with it a bit. I have noticed, much to my surprise that I seem to be reading faster off the screen than I do the printed page. How odd is that?

 

[AE35Unit]

Hmmm I wish our libraries did e-lending, but sadly no! As for a friend borrowing an e-book, I presume you just need to strip the DRM and convert it to the format of their reader.