To be fair this site is an interactive magazine. Especially with the new newsletter. As to the ebooks if it's just a pulp fiction type of novel, ahem, then it seems okay to me. Haven't bought one mind.
Who has an ebook reader? Page 3
They'll soon drop in price, once they become more mainstream or will become a feature on the mobiles somehow? probably already is, for all I know with my 10 year old piece of shite. Atleast it's lastest 10 years, I don't hear you say, well it hasn't cos I've only had it for about 5 and the speaker is breaking.
La, lal, la, laa
Quote: zooo @ June 30 2009, 5:17 PM BSTIt's the end of the wooooooooooooooooooorld.
etc.It is though.
For me, there's two different things here; e-books and e-book readers.
Both, I am in favour of in principle.
Readers need to come down in price - and I've no doubt that they will do - before they make a real impact. A £150 one I wouldn't even consider. A £20 one, I would. But then I have a phone, an Archos media player and a PDA which are all perfectly happy to open PDF files, the format that most e-books I have are in.
Which brings me nicely onto the subject of e-books themselves. I have qquite a large collection, although mostly factual, technical books. Some of them I have physical publications of too. But for me there is one major draw in them - search. Not quite as applicable for novels, but as I said, most of mine are technical, and I find it immensely useful.
Real life needs a search function. (And Ctrl+Z.)
That's true, actually. There have been numerous times when I've had to search for things in books and trawled through them where only older ones can be online, but usually I can remember whereabouts (how far through the book, which side of the book it is page wise, how far down the page etc.) the quote is. I still hate the idea of reading books electronically in their entireties, however.
Yeah, I'm always wishing I had a search function.
Manuals and stuff I can live with being on an ebook reader. But not novels, not reading for pleasure. I disapprooove.
Quote: Griff @ June 30 2009, 7:47 PM BSTSomebody way back in history once tried to make it illegal to publish books - any books - without an index. I can't remember who, but I approve.
Yeah and by the way didn't anybody notice from the original link that since Waterstones have been selling ebooks from last september that I am No 6 on their best selling list and I have only been out five months not nine!
Out meaning published Chip.
Oh shit I am shamelessly self promoting after all - but nobody gives the Shakespeare guy a hard time.
Well done Marc!
You self publicising whorrre. 
That's impressive stuff Marc. Well done.
I might even buy your book to take on holiday.
I respect Marc! I noticed straight away, but thought it was universally seen. My congratulations were with you via telepathy the whooooole time. 
Go Marc! \0/
I'm going to buy it for my Dad for his birthday. If I buy it from you will you sign a copy for me?
Why get an ebook reader?
You can get ebooks in PDF format.
Quote: EllieJP @ June 30 2009, 11:15 PM BSTGo Marc! /
I'm going to buy it for my Dad for his birthday. If I buy it from you will you sign a copy for me?
Of course I would! 
I'd even sign it with my real name if you like! When is his birthday?
Quote: Mikey Jackson @ June 30 2009, 11:34 PM BSTWhy get an ebook reader?
You can get ebooks in PDF format.
It's not the same thing an ebook has the dimensions of a book and the page uncannily actually looks like a real page. Plus there is the weight and power issues.
Come to think of it I can see in the future them being taken up by schools to save having to carry loads of text books about etc. And storage issues.
I don't think the Hard/paper book will ever be replaced, much like the newspapers are still going and alot of people thought the internet would be the death of them. The main thing I really like about writing a book is that it is actually a thing, an object on the shelf that you can pick up and fondle. Once a TV show has gone out that's it - it's gone. It's disposable entertainment. Well the sort I have written anyway. Most of it. But books are books and great.
Personally I dislike the idea of an ebook-reader. I even dislike the name. But then I love books. I think I love having the objects. I still by stuff on CD and then upload it (if that's the right phrase) onto the computer to put on iPods etc. I can't remember the last time I actually played a CD, but I like having them. Whenever - and this is going back a bit - I've had a short story or poem published *adjusts his cravat* I've far preferred it being published in an actual book or magazine than on a website or e-zine, irrespective of the sums of money involved and the ease of getting the piece published.
But the idea of taking 100 books around while I'm on holiday is appealing.
No: it's just plain wrong.
Quote: chipolata @ June 30 2009, 5:26 PM BSTIf their eyesight's that bad, they should get an audio book!
(Is HE avaliable as audio-book, as read by that guy off of Heartbeat?)
Unless they are deafblind.
As someone mentioned earlier, being able to change the font size could be very useful, as could being able to change the text and background colour.
Whether you just love real books or not, they are not an option for everyone.
I can't believe Marc's started a successful 4 page thread! Most of his die on their arse after three posts. Well bloddy done!