I'm encouraging e-book publishing Out There.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Psst! Just FYI, I've recently jumped into a conversation about self-publishing on the Chronicles Network forum, a favorite SF writers' site of mine, to introduce (you might say force ) a discussion about e-book publishing. I'm proud to say that we got past the disparaging comments quickly, and I am doing my part to bring the Word to the street!

You can check out the thread here. Look for my icon... you can't miss it.

[Bob Russell]

Way to go! And very interesting discussion there. It's really nice to see some of the "other" side of the coin from a writer's perspective. I think you contributed a lot of information that was generally useful to know, as well as specifics that might actually influence them in the future. Great job.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Just pitchin' in for the team, coach.

[yvanleterrible]

Hey ! That's a nice forum!

I have only one comment about it and I don't want to sound negative. Aren't you guys preaching to an already converted crowd? Selling the ebook concept to people blogging on a computer is way easyer than converting Paperheads!?! (You can use that term, I encourage it ) Saying this, I envision what they'd look like. I would be a great concept for a commercial spot.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by yvanleterrible

I have only one comment about it and I don't want to sound negative. Aren't you guys preaching to an already converted crowd? Selling the ebook concept to people blogging on a computer is way easyer than converting Paperheads!?!

You'd think so, wouldn't you? But in fact, the vast majority of writers and readers on that forum (and the forum's editor) that have rendered an opinion--and despite the fact that they embrace science fiction, and are therefore open to new ideas--have no love for e-books. They insist that paper is the only way to read (wouldn't you know, I'd light-heartedly coin a phrase--"Give me paper or give me death"--as the response of a closed-minded person... and the editor would throw it back at me in ernest?), disparage the e-book for being "promised for so long and not delivered", and generally downplay it as filled with "low-quality" authors and content.

On the other hand, they encourage self-publishing by Print-On-Demand and vanity press, despite the equally low opinion of the content of those mediums by the public.

I saw this as uninformed and a bit hypocritical, and wanted to raise their consciousness a bit with some frank discussion, supposition-busting and fact-providing... as well as encouraging anyone else who may have experiance or appreciation for e-books to speak up in an otherwise-disinterested area.

The fact that a few voices joined in with me helped the effort, and that seemed to encourage ernest questions from others, including a request to make the thread sticky.

Even in areas where you wouldn't think there'd be resistance to e-books... you might be surprised at how unfamiliar or misunderstanding of the concept most people are. This is what you sometimes have to do to get past ignorance and prejudice, and spread the good word to people who will understand and "get it," once they know the facts.

[Anais9000]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

This is what you sometimes have to do to get past ignorance and prejudice, and spread the good word to people who will understand and "get it," once they know the facts.

It's not ignorant, it's perfectly well informed.

eReading is still a bit unpleasant to many readers, and we're not helping. Reposting classics without bothering to properly format or proofread them is like pissing in the swimming pool. Then we yell 'Come on in!'

And BTW this is no better than what Sony's doing with their Classics line.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Anais,
"Ignorance" and "prejudice" might be overly hard-sounding, but comments like "nothing but bad and unaccomplished authors," "can't hack it in real publishing," "I can't read on a computer screen," and "it'll just get corrupted or deleted," are the kind of comments I regularly hear about e-books (outside of this forum, obviously). Those are not the comments from well-informed people... those are people who are mis-informed, or behind the state of the industry, and are making subjective judgements as gospel.

I think eReading is unknown to far more readers than those for whom it is considered unpleasant. Unfortunately, too often it is the "unpleasant" comments that keep people from trying e-books in the first place. We're just trying to make sure the "It's great, try it, you might like it" voice gets heard, too.

Yes, e-book posters should be taking care when posting classics--or any material, for that matter--to proof and format properly. I'm not aware of what Sony's doing to their Classics line... are you saying Sony is not proofing or formatting its books? If so, someone should tell Sony in no uncertain words what damage they are doing (and hope that they care).

[yvanleterrible]

Good insight Steve!
Could their responses be based on fear or lazyness?

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by yvanleterrible

Good insight Steve!
Could their responses be based on fear or lazyness?

Well, "fear of the unknown" could apply, though I don't think it's that strong... we're talking books, not pan-sexual lifestyles or something...

But when it comes to trying new systems, especially with electronics and gadgets, many people just don't want to leave their "comfort zone," and let's face it, reading a paper book can be plenty comfortable. That's why early adopters respond to factors like getting books they can't find in print, format flexibility, or easy/small storage, etc, before those who are good with books the way they are.

In the case of e-books, though, there's plenty for the newbie to be concerned about... cost, formats, readers, DRM... looking weird in public... Many people need help from others to see how best to do it, and how it'll best work for them. Just showing someone a reader can often be enough to start the conversion from nay-sayer (or unknower) to e-book aficionado.

[Anais9000]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

are you saying Sony is not proofing or formatting its books? If so, someone should tell Sony in no uncertain words what damage they are doing (and hope that they care).

Yes, I'm saying that Sony is not proofing or formatting their books. See
http://www.babblebooks.com/images/So...Kidnapped1.jpg
http://www.babblebooks.com/images/So...Kidnapped2.jpg

Notice that they explicitly disavow any responsibility for publishing what THEY THEMSELVES are publishing. And notice also that it's the same crap that HarryT grabbed from Gutenberg, with the same hundred errors, as discussed in
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...t=11479&page=3
except they haven't bothered to even modestly clean up the file, like Harry did.

They're also refusing to sell professionally proofread etexts such as the ones published by Babblebooks under a commercial license from www.the-ebook.org

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Yeah, that sucks a big, hairy one. Doesn't say much for Sony, either... and no, that doesn't help the promotion of e-books at all.

[yvanleterrible]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

... and let's face it, reading a paper book can be plenty comfortable...

Not so with the HP's I'm rereading now.

I read laying down and get those annoying pressure lines on my wrists, and cramps from holding them up so long and dropping them to loose the page...

She could have had them engraved on stone tablets and I wouldn't see the difference.

But if you're talking about the fact that we're used to them and that they're easyer to find, I agree.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by yvanleterrible

Hey ! That's a nice forum!

I have only one comment about it and I don't want to sound negative. Aren't you guys preaching to an already converted crowd? Selling the ebook concept to people blogging on a computer is way easyer than converting Paperheads!?! (You can use that term, I encourage it ) Saying this, I envision what they'd look like. I would be a great concept for a commercial spot.

The term used most often is not paperheads.. it's dead tree lovers.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Anais9000

They're also refusing to sell professionally proofread etexts such as the ones published by Babblebooks under a commercial license from www.the-ebook.org

That URL does not work. Do you have one that does maybe work?

[yvanleterrible]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The term used most often is not paperheads.. it's dead tree lovers.

I'm a professional woodworker. I love woods and what I can do with them. The work I do will give that wood years of existence because of its beauty and value, probably longer than those tree's life times! I'm a dead tree lover for that reason but not for paper. And there are papers made from other vegetals than trees!
That's why I'd call'em paperheads instead.