Everything You Wanted to Know About e-Books, Find Free e-Books, This Week

EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT E-BOOKS
by J.Q. Rose

Image courtesy of ddpavumba / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The more you read, the more things you will know. 

The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go. 
--Dr. Seuss, I Can Read with my Eyes Shut!

As unusual as it sounds to many of you, some readers are not familiar with e-books and are afraid to ask about them. I decided to offer a little primer for information on e-books today to help dispel the mystery behind where they came from and how to get them. Even if you are an e-book reader, you may pick up some fun facts here. Please feel free to add more information so we can all help more people enjoy e-books.

What is an e-book?

An e-book is simply the manuscript of what could be a print book, but instead of being printed on paper, the story is tossed into a mystical place called a formatter so that the manuscript comes out as an electronic file or electronic book, hence the term e-book. This file, also known as a digital file, can be read on an electronic or digital device. Because of the size of the files, this allows a reader to carry an entire library in his pocket.




Just as Gutenberg’s printing press in 1440 revolutionized publishing and and made the Bible more accesible to readers in those times, the development of the e-book has made books more available and less expensive for contemporary readers.


The electronic book (e-book) was born in 1971 as eText #1 from Project Gutenberg, a
project created by visionary Michael Hart to publish electronic versions of literary works.
Thanks to the internet which appeared on the scene in 1974, the invention of the web by
Tim Berners-Lee in 1990, and the release of the first public browser Mosaic in 1993, forty
three years later, ebooks are a major factor in modern publishing.

They are readily available on our computers, mobile phones, smartphones, and e-book
readers by purchasing the e-books through booksellers online. The major player in the publishing business is Amazon with its Kindle reader and apps. They sell anywhere from 50%-70% of the e-book market. This figure varies depending on the reports you read. 

But even with this mega company, online booksellers and publishers are popping up all the time. Take a look at a sample of the companies where you can purchase e-books.

Booksellers

            Amazon US (Kindle)

            Barnes & Noble

            BooksOnBoard - Mainstream

            Bookstrand - Mainstream

            Coffee Time Romance

            Sony e-Reader Store

            Diesel E-books

            Omnilit

            All Romance Ebooks

            Apple iBookstore

            Kobo

            Smashwords

            DriveThru Fantasy

            DriveThru Horror

            DriveThru Sci-Fi

            Muse It Up Publishing

         Publishers/small presses

How do I get the e-book?

Choose the device you will be using to read your e-books. Then you will know what book

seller to use to purchase the correct format/file that is compatible with your device e.g.

E-book Formats

.mobi and .prc for Kindle devices and Kindle apps

epub- for Apple iPad/iBooks, Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo, and most e-reading apps including Stanza, Aldiko, Adobe Digital Editions, others

PDF (good for reading on PC, or for home printing)



Amazon (Kindle reader and apps) and Barnes and Noble (Nook reader}make it easy to purchase your e-book using your credit card. When you order the e-book you want using your account, the bookseller charges your card and magically your e-book appears in your reading device. Very convenient.



Sideloading--If you order from a different bookseller/publisher, you will have to sideload your book (digital file) by attaching the cord to the computer where you download and save the file, then hooking it to your reading device. Check your particular device for complete instructions.

 Why read an e-book?

Yes, that may be the most important question. Why bother with e-books when we have print books. Here's my list of why I love reading e-books. (In fact I still enjoy reading print 

books too!)

E-books are less expensive to purchase. You can also check with your local library to  find out if they have e-books to check out.
Download a sample of the e-book, usually 15% of the total pages, so you can check it  out before purchasing.
E-books are easy to carry with you when traveling, going to the beach, or sitting on     your front porch.
The font is adjustable so I can enlarge or decrease the size of print
When I finish reading, the page is automatically book marked for me so next time I    turn on the device, the page will be right there for me to begin reading.
Dictionary is available to look up the meaning of a word just by highlighting the word.
When I turn pages, there is no noise to wake up my DH
E-books take up no room on my already packed shelves

Free Ebooks links-

Find lots of free e-books online. A lot of them are the great classics.

            Free E-books http://www.free-ebooks.net/

            Project Gutenberg  http://www.gutenberg.org/

            20 Best Websites for Free E-books http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/20-best-websites-to-download-free-e-books/

            Feedbooks  http://www.feedbooks.com/publicdomain

            Promotions through the bookseller or publisher

When my first mystery novella, Sunshine Boulevard, was released e-book form in 2011, instead of selling the book at signings, I was introducing e-books to most of the folks who attended. When my second mystery/sweet romance, Coda to Murder, hit cyberspace, more people had reading devices and actually were anxious to check out the story. 

Book publishing is exploding with new authors, publishers,  and e-books. What an exciting time.

Reading a book is like re-writing it for yourself. 
You bring to a novel, anything you read, all your experience of the world. 
You bring your history and you read it in your own terms. 

                                                                        –Angela Carter

Thanks for stopping in today. Please leave a comment.  Do you read e-books? What do you like or dislike about reading e-books? Do you have a favorite site to download your free e-books?

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This Week:

Wednesday, July 2-- Insecure Writers Support Group IWSG page.  Join hundreds of writers for this amazing monthly blog hop to learn about writing, get tips, and help other writers with their insecurities. 

Thursday, July 3-- Because of the Fourth of July holiday this week, the How to Begin Recording Your Life Story series will resume on Thursday, July 10. If you're in the USA, I'm sure you'll be celebrating the anniversary of the birth of the USA! Stay safe...