Tuesday, October 20, 2015

The problem with "real" books

The problem with "real" books is painfully obvious to any book lover:


E-books, as far as we know, weigh nothing and take up no space. Anyone who can make a case to the contrary is invited to comment.

Another huge advantage of e-books, at least in the case of the Distant Cousin stories, is that the price-to-entertainment ratio is super-attractive. Each one creates the type of mental movie that appeals to almost everyone. (Several could be double features.) Fast readers with time to spare could be lost for a week. Readers who are slower or have little spare time can look forward to weeks immersed in the unforgettable chronicles of Ana Darcy, the first alien to find her way back to Earth. 

The best thing is that all seven Kindle editions cost about what the first one costs in paperback, the approximate cost of one movie theater ticket, a drink, and popcorn.

As one person told us (with a smile), "You know I love to read escapist trash. Yours is as good as the best of it. It's better than most of it!"





2 comments:

Floyd M. Orr said...

You know I have to respond to this, Al. As the author of "real books" as you refer to them, I have to say that I love them. You are correct that a fictional series like yours is quite readily adaptable to the e-book format and pricing. There is no doubt about that. Some of us do not want to read our books on machines. Some of us want to totally own our books, which Amazon sneakily does not allow with Kindle versions. Some of us would like there to be no chance of any technical electronic glitch ever coming between our books and our minds. With respect to your books, Al, please don't shut out readers who will never own a Kindle.

Al said...

No worries, mate. I would never shut out lovers of real books--I am one myself! Not only do I like a finely made book as an object in itself, I also require real reference works as well as books I have to use a lot and riffle through to find my place.

The above post, with its tongue in cheek photo, was only intended to make a point for those who read books ravenously but don't want to warehouse them long term. They can save money on e-books too, especially mine. There are still readers who need to know that!