Read an E-Book Week Cometh: March 6-12, 2011

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Read an E-Book Week is right around the corner (March 6-12, 2011), and Rita Toews is, as usual, providing great tidbits about ebooks and giving people encouragement to check ebooks out. For instance, did you know the ebook is 40 years old this year?

Yes, I had to be reminded of this one, myself… but it was in 1971 that Michael S. Hart created the first ebook, a copy of the Declaration of Independence, on a Xerox Sigma V mainframe computer. And Rita has other great material on the site, such as:

• An article by the selfsame Michael S. Hart;
• Comments by Warren Adler and Nicholas Hirst;
• Promotional ideas for enthusiasts, libraries, webmasters and newspapers;
• Info on the advantages of ebooks, by Sara Rosso, ready for you to memorize and recite back to your friends;
• Specials by authors and booksellers;
• And a list of supporters and promoters that grows longer every year. (In fact, I wish I could name-drop a few of this year’s big players, but I’d probably get someone in trouble.)

As e-books become more popular Rita anticipates a time when everyone is reading electronically and Read an E-Book Week is no longer needed to promote e-books. “On a recent vacation I saw as many e-book readers around the pool as paper books,” Rita says. “What struck me, is that these were not just young people reading with the devices. A book, no matter what form it is delivered, is enjoyable to young and old alike.”

If you are an author, publisher or reader, I encourage you to find someone to steer towards Rita’s site and spread the good word of ebooks!

(reposted from TeleRead.)

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

I have a simple idea for a basic poster promoting Read an E-Book Week, printable on any local laser printer (BW or color) and posted in any coffee shops or gathering places that allow non-sales posters and promo material. If such a poster was available to download and print from the REBW site, would our fellow MR's be willing to print and put up one or two in your area hangout spots?

(Poll added to keep track)

[neilmarr]

RAEBW has always been about publisher and author giveaways. Nothing wrong with that. It promotes their books, their names and -- most of all -- the ebook concept itself. My own house will be pulling its weight yet again, as we have since the whole idea began.

Now that the big and wealthy players are aboard, though, with their money-spinning stores and big-buck hardware, wouldn't it be nice this year to see some of them enter into the spirit of the thing and not leave it all -- yet again -- to the little guy?

Hoots. Neil

[ardeegee]

You left out the option "Printer? What is a prin-ter?" I go years at a time without printing anything, and on the very rare occasion that I need to print something, I usually have to buy another $30 cheaper-than-the-replacement-ink disposable printer because the old one has already died. I don't need a printer when anything I need to read can be put on my ebook reader and any photos needing printing can be done cheap on real photo stock through on-line services.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by ardeegee

You left out the option "Printer? What is a prin-ter?"...

True... I very rarely print anything myself these days. Of course, if you know of a meeting spot that has a website or electronic display, and they'll put up a link to the Read an E-Book Week site, so much the better! But for those who aren't over their print-addiction, a nice piece of paper on a bulletin board often works.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Hmm... I didn't expect such a narrow difference between choices. I guess I was expecting either a rally... or a revolt. Still, even if enough people are willing, we'll get the poster out anyway, and see how many of them get posted (and draw more ebookers into the fold).

[Anthem]

Printing a poster to promote the reading of eBooks...

Hmm. I see a problem.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by Anthem

Printing a poster to promote the reading of eBooks...

Hmm. I see a problem.

Yeah, yeah, I know. Well, people still go to places that put up signs. Notice that bulletin board at your local grocery store? At the library? At the Starbucks? And it's considered more acceptable than spamming!

[CWatkinsNash]

I selected the "1 or 2" option, then realized that these days I rarely get out to any place to post them. I might have an idea of something I can do though... I'll think on it some more before deciding.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

I plan to hit at least the Starbucks I regularly stop at near my office... which makes it 3 nearby, and 2 that I occasionally pass...

[Namekuseijin]

BTW, speaking about the founder of Project Gutenberg, I was amazed to see nowadays they embraced specific formats like ePub and even Kindle -- it was not even a few years ago that they would only allow plain ugly txt, not even html!

surely enough a reflection of the popularity of e-reader devices in recent years...

[stickybuns]

I wouldn't print a poster, but I would "like" the event on Facebook and (if I actually remembered) probably post a status update with the e-book that I'm reading.

ETA: Oh, and then there's the biggest promoter of e-books--reading in public! What better way to get people interested in e-books and e-readers than for them to see one in action?

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by stickybuns

I wouldn't print a poster, but I would "like" the event on Facebook and (if I actually remembered) probably post a status update with the e-book that I'm reading.

REBW doesn't have a Facebook page, but I plan to add something to my FB page about REBW (and the promotion I'll be doing from my site).

[amward]

Apart from me, my friends whom I've bored witless about them and my ereader, plus some of the library staff (no elibrary as yet), I'm not sure if anyone in the town would know what an ebook is, so I'd need a "what is an ebook poster", rather than a "read an ebook" one. Crikey that's a convoluted sentence, hope you can work it out lol.

[neilmarr]

Let's face it, Amward. We're all still pioneers. Our devices could arguably be called 'prototypes'.

Every time you're asked about your ebook-reader, it's your job to patiently and enthusiastically explain it.

RAEBW is about rewarding those already converted as well as doing what we can to promote the concept to those still in the dark age of paper reading.

This year, we've worked something out that won't be specific to our own publishing house but will encourage existing ereading folks -- no matter where they shop and which publishers they favour -- and introduce ebooks to potential converts with some attractive, no-strings-attached freebies.

I've just totted up that over the years we've supported the RAEBW initiative we've given away more than 5,000 ebooks. Impossible to say, of course, how many we turned to ebook reading through our efforts, but there's no denying that the ebook idea isn't only catching on ... it's catching fire.

Ebook is mainstream at last!

Watch this space.

Happy weekend, folks. Bestests. Neil