eReaders From A Writer’s Perspective
Posted under: Readers Vs Writers
Tons of great reviews exist on the web to help answer the question, “Do I, as a reader, want a digital eReader?”
What about the question, “Do I, as a writer, want a digital eReader?”
Why would a writer have an interest in an eReader?
The first and foremost act of a writer is to write, which cannot be comfortably done on the current generation of eReaders. By its very definition, the eReader is for reading, not for writing. It neither markets itself nor implies that it can double as a word processor for projects the size of a novel.
Editing
However, writers do more than write. We edit, we revise, we format.
Getting Our Writing On The eReader
Although the battle of the eBook file format has still not come to a conclusion, most eReaders will accept file types such as .txt, .pdf, .doc, or .rtf. These are all relatively common file conversions for writers – we can get our manuscripts or snippets in these formats with relative ease.
Bottom line – we can put our manuscripts on an eReader, and we can take an eReader with us anywhere we go (although I’d skip the water park, if I were you).
Write – Anywhere!
Are there any other writers in the audience who’ve had to print out and lug around heavy stacks of chapters if they wanted to get some editing done away from home? Anyone else who doesn’t carry their laptop with them everywhere they go? Anyone else who would like to see their book as their readers will see it? (I can attest that having my manuscript nestled in between bestselling authors on my eReader is very much a squeeful moment. It makes the writing feel more REAL.)
The eReader allows the writer waiting in line at the Post office, grocery store, or DMV to whip out their most recent manuscript and look at it with fresh eyes. It allows the writer to show a revamped chapter to a friend and get their opinion on it without having to print out another copy, or send yet another word doc through email.
With unprecedented ease, the eReader allows the writer to carry their work with them, wherever they go.
Most e-readers (the Sony PRS-700, iPod Touch, and iPad are confirmed) allow you to add notes and bookmarks to your eBooks. “Too passive, use more aggressive verbs” or “purple prose gone WILD. Tame it down a bit!” Notes are usually stored centrally, so you can come back to them later from the main menu when you’re sitting at your desk and ready to incorporate those notes into your manuscript.
Reading
You can also use the eReader to read (shocking, right?). Research textbooks, dictionaries, thesauruses – all available at your fingertips without the accompanying weight of pages. As if that weren’t enough, the eReader also encourages you to keep up to date on the latest bestsellers in your genre by making it oh-so-easy to cart around those books in a small, convenient package.
(If you’re lucky, the person holding the purse-strings in your household will actually buy that last line as a valid business expense.)
Summary
Although eReaders are typically marketed at readers (and with good reason), they provide a significant value to writers as well.
The reader in me thinks the eReader is cool, convenient, fun, and handy. The writer in me sees the benefit of being able to access my manuscript anywhere, any time.
So which one are you getting? As an FYI, Consumer Reports just rated them this week. The Kindles come out on top, with Sony’s offering generally second. They didn’t include the iPad, generally for the same reason they didn’t include smartphones: being an e-reader isn’t its primary purpose.
I would love to have a Kindle; I know Iris is enthralled by hers. However, I’m put off by the fact that popular books cost more for the electronic version than for the paperback. I am opposed to paying for DRM. And since I can only read one book at a time, an $8 paperback is going to win out over a $9 or $10 (or more!) e-book every time.
.-= Steve Hall´s last blog ..MarsEdit 3.0: Blogging Software for the Mac =-.
I like the idea of eReaders but I’m still not completely ready to give up my tangible, creased and worn paperback. I still see reading as a break from the technology of my day to day life. Maybe someday I’ll convert…
However, the benefit for writers is definitely there!
@Steve
None of them. My iTouch is a great eReader for my reading purposes and the additional writer purposes aren’t enough of a boon to justify the expense.
I’d honestly probably get an iPad if I were going to buy any of them, though.
I agree with you completely – the cost is very prohibitive for me seriously buying an eReader right now. The eReader itself is very expensive in all cases and my complaints with regards to the book prices match yours completely.
It’s worth noting, however, that those books which are NOT super popular right now are actually very affordable and some writers sell their ebooks for low, low prices from a self-published standpoint. They still make more money per book than they would if they were published, and their readers get to enjoy the books at a very affordable cost.
@Tristina
I felt that way, too, until I actually used an eReader. As I said to Steve, I still have price issues with the eReaders and eBooks, but as far as the ACT of reading, I actually prefer eReader to traditional books, now.
I never thought I’d say that, but it’s true. =]
Where/how do you get eBooks for your iTouch? I’d like to try a couple with mine. Right now, I have some audiobooks, but those have their own set of issues.
And while I could afford, say, a Kindle (I have absolutely NO use for an iPad), the books…but we’ve ploughed that ground.
.-= Steve Hall´s last blog ..MarsEdit 3.0: Blogging Software for the Mac =-.
@Steve
I have two eReader apps for my iTouch – the Kindle app and Stanza.
Both have access to immediate download for a lot of free eBooks, but I vastly prefer the Kindle app and Amazon iPhone store to the Stanza purchasing options.
I may not be pleased with DRM, but from a usability standpoint, Kindle is still king. They have the selection, ease of shopping, and I trust them with my credit card information.
The Stanza is better used for downloaded eBooks, I’ve found. I had to install the Stanza software on my main computer to transfer back and forth, but it wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be.
I also like that the Stanza allowed me to create my own library categories for my downloaded books.
I haven’t purchased any “full price” ebooks from Kindle, but I’ve been very pleased with the bargain books I’ve gotten thus far.
I have the Kindle app too…but apparently I can’t read very well. I couldn’t figure out how to get something to the iPod without having an actual Kindle.
.-= Steve Hall´s last blog ..MarsEdit 3.0: Blogging Software for the Mac =-.
@Steve
The app pretends it’s a kindle. You don’t have to buy a separate kindle in order to use amazon’s ebook store.
I buy my books through the app itself (rather than using my browser and surfing to amazon). I can’t remember if I had to associate the app with my account, and I’m not sure if I could buy the book using the regular amazon (not through the app) and pick it up using the kindle app.
But I definitely don’t need a kindle in order to purchase (or download free) ebooks from the amazon kindle store. =]
Ahh okay: I may have been trying to do it via the computer somehow. That makes a lot more sense. :D
.-= Steve Hall´s last blog ..MarsEdit 3.0: Blogging Software for the Mac =-.
@Steve Hall
Woot! I hope that helps. The iTouch screen is pretty small for eBook reading, but still good enough to get the job done. I don’t think I’ll need a “real” eReader for some time. =]
Went out today and snagged myself a Kobo e-reader from Indigo for a mere 150 dollars. As someone who can’t even afford a smartphone, this pricepoint is a GODSEND for me. It has the barebones features of an e-reader, allowing pdf and epub formats, while being a lot easier to use than the various Sony readers that I tried at other electronics stores. I’m currently setting up the software as I’m typing this, so it will take a bit longer to get a feel for what I’m getting into holistically.
All in all, I’m very pleased with my purchase, as it performs admirably for such an attractive cost.
.-= krizzlybear´s last blog ..What is Steampanku? – Part III =-.
@Krizzlybear
See, and that’s still too expensive for me, with the ebooks themselves costing as much as they do. The device cost is one thing, but there’s also the methods used to fill the device with books and how much each book costs.
Of course, I also already have an iPod Touch, so I’m more than happy to keep using the eReader on it. =]