January 4, 2010
"A Scary New World. . ."
Commentary by Cherie Jung
Deep in the bowels of mysterydom I'm hearing rumors that e-readers are going to take over the world in the next five years. Yikes! I'm not sure I'm ready to be a slave of electronic reading. I like to hold books and magazines in my hands, much like valued treasures. Also, I have older eyes that already are rebelling at having to stare at a computer monitor for hours on end just to get my regular typing - oops! I mean word processing - done.
I've even heard rumors that publishers, both big and small, will soon stop publishing galleys and ARCs (Advanced Reading Copies) in print-on-paper format and instead rely solely on .pdf format or other electronic delivery systems.
I know that e-readers are not without merit. My hubbie travels quite a bit, connected to his job. He loves to read and usually alternates between four or five books at a time. You can imagine how many books he lugs in his suitcase on a week-long trip. Sometimes more than 10! (And that's not counting the ones he buys during the trip.) An e-reader might come in quite handy for him, if he can get his older eyes to adjust to the reader's read-out format.
Printing and postage costs for publishers are high, I know that. I also know that many of the big name publishers waste a small fortune in the way they send out their review copies. As a reviewer and publisher based on line, do I really need an ARC mailed to me from New York by "next-day air" or even "two-day air?" I think not. Send the book "media rate" (that's what it's for…) and save yourself a hefty chunk of the $20+ "next-day air" fee.
I love trees and want to save as many of them as possible but I love words printed on paper, too!
E-readers seem a bit pricey to try on a whim...
I admit I haven't tried one. I haven't even seen one - only advertisements for them. I wasn't impressed.
If they're still around in five years, I might give them a try. Depending on my eyesight and if I'm still alive, of course.
cj
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