Sunday, February 13, 2011

E-Books Versus Print Books-Which will Survive?

Which would you rather have: an e-book or a print book? I just got an e-reader and am finding that print books suddenly have less appeal. They are more expensive and take up more space. It's so much easier to have my books stored in one place on a compact e-reader. And I wonder, ten years from now, how many bookstores will still be around in the same way they are today. I don't buy as many DVD's (in fact none) since I have a DVR. I also published my last book "The Montezuma Secret" as an e-book on www.amazon.com. If people don't have an e-reader like a Kindle, they can also read it on their PC, MAC, iphone, Blackberry, iPad, and Android, which makes it very convenient.

Here's a blurb and an excerpt: "The Montezuma Secret"
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004JU0IX6 -Only $2.99

Murder and passion meet head-on in the steamy jungles of Belize.

Hunky Trey Zacco, gritty survivalist and host of the hit "Wildman" series and glitz and glamour girl, Erica Kingsley, host of the "Lap of Luxury" show, are thrown together in the steamy jungles of Belize as a publicity stunt and to search for Montezuma’s lost gold. Zacco cannot hide his resentment at having to share the spotlight with the flighty fashionista Erica, and he locks horns with her every step of the way even as both try to ignore the strong physical attraction growing between them. But when Erica’s father's plane goes down in the jungle, Trey and Erica launch a desperate search to find him. And when members of the crew are killed and the equipment sabotaged, Trey and Erica find themselves stranded in the middle of the jungle, where no rescue crew can reach them.

An Excerpt from "The Montezuma Secret"

"Up?" she pointed, unable to believe her ears.
Trey gave her a hard shove.
"Get going!"
"But how?"
"Grab the vines and pull yourself up!" he shouted over the thundering rain.
"You must be joking! It’s got to be one hundred feet high!"
"Good calculation. Now move!"
She stood her ground. "But why?"
"A. There’s no other way. B. I’m ordering you to. And you’ll listen if you ever want to get out of here."
Trey stifled an urge to smack her luscious wet bottom and watched in amusement as she struggled to grab hold of the slick vines, then smirked as she scrambled up a few feet and then landed in the muck with a splat. Her thick mane of black hair, once so splendidly coifed, was heavily matted and caked in mud.
"Again!" he yelled.
Raindrops, big as bullets, pelted her mercilessly. "I can’t do it. It’s impossible."
"Watch the master," he said, stowing the camera in his backpack.
He brushed her aside and grabbed one of the sturdier vines, then pulled himself up arm over arm with the agility of a spider monkey until he reached the top of the cliff where he had a perfect view of the lush jungle canopy and could see for miles.
"Now you know how it’s done. Get your ass up here or I’ll leave you behind."
"You can’t do that. You wouldn’t."
"Pull yourself up, Kingsley. If you have to, use the side of the cliff to push off and boost yourself higher. But watch out for the holes. There may be spiders and bats hiding in those nooks and crannies."
Erica re-tied her sagging ponytail and pinned it to her scalp. Her breath was ragged, her heartbeat erratic.
From above, she heard the sudden monotonous drone of a plane’s engine cutting through the rain splatter, then listened to the sputter as the motor spit and coughed, struggling to stay aloft. Wings slashed through the jungle over her head five hundred feet from her, both turbo props flaming. The plane wobbled and rolled before hitting the ground with an ear-splitting shriek of steel against steel followed by a blinding explosion of light that knocked her off her feet.
A sickening sensation shot through her and she suppressed the urge to vomit. The stench of black smoke as dark as blood filled her nostrils. She knew what had happened. She hoped to God she was wrong, but more than ever she wished with all her heart and soul that she was still safely home in Miami Beach and that she had never come.

From a safe distance, comfortably positioned to witness the entire spectacle, a smiling figure breathed a sigh of relief. It had all gone according to plan. On schedule and on time. They were right where they needed to be. Soon they’d both be dead and no one would be the wiser. Untimely accidents. Marauding terrorists. Ancient Mayan curses. Any excuse would do. Completely believable, considering the dangers of the jungle. They’d just disappear. Perfect. Simply perfect."

The world of publishing certainly will be very interesting. What do you think the future holds?

Alison Chambers
www.alisonchambersromance.com

11 comments:

Unknown said...

Ebooks are very in right now. They do take up less space and less time to wait for them like you would have to wait for a print. I love ebooks. Plenty of ways to read them too.

Sherry Gloag said...

What an intriguing excerpt, I really liked it. Ebooks versus paper books? Not everyone has or can afford an ebook reader, so paper books will not disappear entirely, but there's no denying that ebooks, and therefore ereaders are soaring in popularity.

Sandra Koehler said...

I agree, Sherry. I think both will be around, but something tells me e-books will outsell print in the future, if only for the price difference and I think e-readers will come down in price like digital cameras and the like. Alison Chambers

Jason said...

I thought I would never make the change to ebooks. I love holding a book in my hands. But I have made the change. I can't say that I will ever completely turn away from paper books. I love the smell and the feel. Plus, I really hate all the sharing issues and feeling like a criminal.

Faith Bicknell said...

There will always be those who prefer one format over the other. Personally, I think there are those who will always buy print to have something tangible in their hands and to build that physical library (and I find print research books easier to deal with than the ebook versions), but ebooks are great for saving space like you said, and for those on the go all the time.

However, there's the problem of a glut of ebooks. Anyone can publish an ebook nowadays, and it's sometimes difficult to find well-written and well-edited fiction if excerpts are readily available for a potential buyer.

Lots of things to consider. Great blog topic!

bicknellbrown@sbcglobal.net

Anonymous said...

Personally I like ebooks more. With a budget you can buy more ebooks than paperbacks. I also have the problem that I get a headache when I read too much, but with an e-reader, it takes a lot longer before the headache comes.

luciatea01 (at) hotmail.com

Nina Pierce said...

I'm not sure it's an "us" vs "them" kind of question. I think there will always be a place for print books even as ebooks explode onto the market.

Cate Masters said...

Great post! An ereader's on my wish list. I have so many great ebooks waiting to be read!
cate.masters at gmail.com

Sandra Koehler said...

Since I just got an e-reader, it's good to know that you get less headaches (maybe from eye strain) from using them. That's another point in their favor. I like the fact that I can adjust the font size and make it larger. Sometimes the font in print books is really small. Alison Chambers

Chicks of Characterization said...

I LOVE them both, but I think there will always be those people who will only want a book they can actually hold in their hands. So, my thought is, they will both survive, just maybe print books in smaller demand.

Andrea
atsnider@verizon.net

writermama said...

That's a tough one. I always thought I'd be able to hold my first book in my hands and since its going to be an ebook, it won't be at all how I imagined. On the other hand, I don't have to wait for my husband to drive me to the bookstore (which he hates) or sneak books into the cart. I can just order from home while he's at work. I admit I read too much and ebooks are cheaper too. It's definitely a rising trend. I'm working on a YA series though and all my daughters friends want to read it, none of which have an ereader. That's the only problem is really foresee, though even time should fix that. They'll be like ipods one day.