More Readers Picking Up Electronic Books

[DonaldL.]

More Readers Picking Up Electronic Books

For a decade, consumers mostly ignored electronic book devices, which were often hard to use and offered few good things to read. But this year, thanks in part to the popularity of Amazon.com’s wireless Kindle device, the e-book has started to take hold.

“The perception is that e-books have been around for 10 years and haven’t done anything,” said Steve Haber, president of Sony’s digital reading division. “But it’s happening now. This is really starting to take off.”

E Ink, the company in Cambridge, Mass., that has developed the screen technology for many of these companies, says it is testing color screens in its labs and hopes to introduce them by 2010.

[zelda_pinwheel]

thanks, very interesting article. it seems ebooks are really taking off finally. i found this statistic quite interesting :

Amazon’s Kindle version of “The Story of Edgar Sawtelle ” by David Wroblewski, a best seller recommended by Ms. Winfrey’s book club, now represents 23 percent of total Amazon sales of the book

mitigating circumstances mean it's probably not representative, but i think it might not be too far off either...

[lilac_jive]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

thanks, very interesting article. it seems ebooks are really taking off finally. i found this statistic quite interesting :

mitigating circumstances mean it's probably not representative, but i think it might not be too far off either...

That is a cool statistic.



I was going to pick it up when it first came out (I think Sony was offering it for free or really cheap), forgot, and now refuse because it is an Oprah book.

I just can't bring myself to it

[Steve Jordan]

I like their use of the word "fetishistic" to describe print book lovers. It's inspired me to add two commercials to the Commercials I would love to see thread...

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

That is a cool statistic.



I was going to pick it up when it first came out (I think Sony was offering it for free or really cheap), forgot, and now refuse because it is an Oprah book.

I just can't bring myself to it

Oh, I KNEW there was a reason I liked you!!!

[=X=]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

Oh, I KNEW there was a reason I liked you!!!

... is that all it takes? If I refuse to read that book because it's an Oprah book... will you like me too

=X=

[lilac_jive]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

Oh, I KNEW there was a reason I liked you!!!

heh heh. 8 years of working in a bookstore didn't help me.

I remember:

customer: "Hi, do you have that new John Steinbeck book?"
Me:
Customer: "You know, that one on Oprah?"
Me:

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

heh heh. 8 years of working in a bookstore didn't help me.

I remember:

customer: "Hi, do you have that new John Steinbeck book?"
Me:
Customer: "You know, that one on Oprah?"
Me:

[Alisa]

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

heh heh. 8 years of working in a bookstore didn't help me.

I remember:

customer: "Hi, do you have that new John Steinbeck book?"
Me:
Customer: "You know, that one on Oprah?"
Me:

I think I would burst a vein in my head. On the bright side, at least they're going to be reading Steinbeck.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

customer: "Hi, do you have that new John Steinbeck book?"
Me:
Customer: "You know, that one on Oprah?"
Me:

You must have worked their quite a while ago. Didn't Steinbeck die in 1968? Was Oprah on back then?

BOb

[Boston]

Even authors who were once wary of selling their work in bits and bytes are coming around. After some initial hesitation, authors like Danielle Steel and John Grisham are soon expected to add their titles to the e-book catalog, their agents say.

..and even better, that means more authors who have been sitting on the fence will be adding their titles

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

You must have worked their quite a while ago. Didn't Steinbeck die in 1968? Was Oprah on back then?

BOb

Exactly his point, hence the facepalm smilie.

[JSWolf]

The reason things recommended by Oprah are so popular is that a most Oprah followers are lemmings and will go out and get whatever it is she thinks is good even if it's not. And they will think they've enjoyed it even it it's not good.

I did download the free MS Reader version of The Tales of Edgar Sawtelle but have not read it because I found out not long after that Oprah recommended it. So it's just sitting on my hard drive unread. Now if Oprah had recommended this book, I might have started it. But as I am not a lemming or an Oprah fan, I probably never will read it.

[Argel]

Good to hear that all those new Kindle owners won't be welcome on Mobileread. After all we wouldn't want lemmings, would we.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

You must have worked their quite a while ago. Didn't Steinbeck die in 1968? Was Oprah on back then?

BOb

I worked at a bookstore, too, for almost 20 years.

Many customers are often notoriously inaccurate, lazy, and dead-wrong.

Here are some true examples (except for my written responses):

____________________________

CUS: Do you have that book that was on [Cavitt, Oprah, Donahue] last night/yesterday/this morning?

ME: Sorry [lady, sir], I had to work while you sat home on your [put in the appropriate body part] and watched TV.

___________________________

CUS: Do you have that new book that just came out? I can't remember the title or author, but it had a green dust-jacket.

ME: Why you stupid silly old [choose the best word that helps relieve your tension].

___________________________
____________________________

Actual bookstore comments by me to other bookstore employees. WARNING! One comment is not politically correct.

"I wish we could hire a midget to work the lower shelves. Just the lower shelves. It would easier for those of us who have bad backs."
__________________

"It's amazing how much work we can do when there are no customers."

_________________________

"I'm thinking of arranging the books by the color of the Dust jacket."

_________________________

"Why should we keep the books in categories, when the customers don't even return the books to their proper places?"

__________________________

CUS: Why isn't this discount 20% off? 10 plus 10 is 20.

ME: No sir. You get 10% off for becoming a member. Ten percent is immediately applied to the price of the book for becoming a new member. Then another 10% is taken off that newer, lower price. It adds up to 19% discount.

CUS: So you're really lying, aren't you?

__________________________________

"Why are your books so high?"






Don