Stumped? Ask Judy!

Office-related . . . Web-design . . . Small Biz Questions? Ask Judy!

Back to Ask Judy Index | Click here to ask Judy a question

Ask Judy Question #24

Dear Judy: I love e-books. My colleagues and I are in a hot debate about the merits of e-books. Do you think they're worth the time, trouble, and paper?

Response by Judy Vorfeld, Rick Thompson, Will Bontrager, and Paul Siegel .

Dear Curious: I'm going to leave this to the experts. I only have a few e-books. Once they're printed, I punch them and put them in three-ring binders. One book, by Ken Evoy, was too large for a binder. I'm right in the middle; I don't love them or hate them. Let's see what others say.

Dear Curious: How could anyone who enjoys reading and technology not love ebooks? I think a more interesting question is who will pay for them?

I won't because I love books. I love the way they feel, the way they smell and the way they look on our bookshelves. It is not only the substance of having a bulky individual thing instead of a smaller more generic thing with data. If I were asked to find a bit of information from any book I owned, it would be in my hand within seconds... I've looked days on end for a specific CD.

Ebooks are really interesting from a marketing standpoint. It is difficult to imagine them ever making a significant impact in the publishing world but undoubtedly there will be a few great authors who rise from self published material. As a tool for the determined author, ebooks are the greatest leap forward since the typewriter!

From Will Bontrager, The Bontrager Connection

Dear Curious: I have no experience with stand-alone ebook readers. Rather, my experience is with publishing and using ebooks displayed with software on a personal computer. My comments are from that perspective.

For non-fiction computer-related subjects where one would by necessity be at a computer during application of the precepts or courses of action presented in the ebook, such as instructions on the use of software, internet marketing, web page creation, or computer programming, ebooks can be superior to paper books.

The eye doesn't need to change focus between book and computer screen. Hands do not need to leave keyboard to turn pages and prop them open. Code snippets and other material that wants to be typed verbatim can be copied and pasted instead of retyped.

The search function of many ebooks is far superior to an index that may or may not have the entry being sought. Ebooks can contain hyperlinks to explanatory pages, footnotes, and even related material on the internet.

Fiction ebooks, on the other hand, can be a hard sell. For me and probably for the current majority of fiction readers, fiction is for relaxation and pleasure. The same paper book can be read while in the bathtub, curled in bed, on a chair with a kitty on the lap, and in a public conveyance. A laptop doesn't quite fit into that image.

Another conceptual difference between ebooks and paper books is perceived value. An ebook, once written can be made into a thousand copies with very little money or human attention, and more copies can be made with the same null expenditure. A paper book, on the other hand, requires actual heavy, metal, physical machinery with constant live human attention in order to create copies of the author's manuscript. High volume ink printing machines are not cheap. Neither is human labor. Therefore, paper books are often perceived to be of more value -- more money and more human effort to produce.

Paper books are a larger financial gamble for the publisher, too, which can require a firm belief in the product and thus be a factor in perceived value.

To answer your question, "Do you think they're worth the time, trouble, and paper?"

Yes, but depending on their subject matter and their purpose.

From Paul "The Soaring" Siegel, The Learning Fountain

1. They are expensive. At $50 or $80, they take a good bite out of your wallet.
2. There is a big lag from writing to production of the book - it may stretch for years. Often the book is out-of-date by the time it is printed.
3. It is hard to update.

1. Cheap
2. Fast - As soon as you can write it you can publish it.
3. Easy to Update
4. Instant References - The paper book has no Hypertext. Hypertext allows you to go instantly to a reference. You don't have to visit the library to follow through. This feature alone is enough to establish the importance of the ebook.
5. Things you want to remember can easily be copied and placed in your online library.

As a tool for business I don't think you can beat the ebook. This is why I have decided to review ebooks on business and Internet subjects that you may have for sale.

Back to Ask Judy Index | Click here to ask Judy a question

Subscribe

Additional Links

Judy's Business Sites

Newsletter

Ezine Archives
Subscribe Page

The Writing Center

Common Mistakes
Dictionaries & Glossaries
General Resources
Grammar Basics
Grammar Tips
Homonyms, Etc.
Idioms
Writing Center
Writing Resources

Miscellaneous

The Idiom Sisters Awards
Syndicated Writing Tips
Webgrammar®