E-books and A Writing Exercise

I usually don't do writing exercises. (I know, bad writer!) I guess I just have too many new shiny ideas to really want to work on them. I happened across this one at Deadline Dames, and the inspiration picture was so cool, I think I'm going to do it. Check it out! You have 'till March 18th to post yours. (There's even a prize for the best five!)

It's Read an E-book week! I'm decidedly pro-ebook. Being able to read on my smartphone has made my life so much easier. So much so, that at least half of what I read now is electronic. E-books aren't for everyone, but I recommend that you at least try it out once. I like the pleasure of the printed page as much as the next reader, but there are a few benefits to e-reading.

• It's green. Few to no trees have to die to produce an e-book title. Especially if it's from an e-book only publisher as they tend to do everything electronically from submissions to the final product.
• With the right device, you can read in the dark. This turned out to be a biggie for me.
• Font size is adjustable. No more squinting at the tiny print in those mass market originals.
• New authors. Some of my favorites only write e-books.
• Instant gratification. For paper books, you have to transport yourself to the library or bookstore during business hours. If you order from Amazon, you have to wait for the mailman or the UPS guy. With e-books, you can buy/borrow and download them 24/7.

What makes e-books daunting for most readers is that there are so many different formats and lots of different ways to read. The latter is one of the things that attracted me to e-books in the first place. There are dedicated e-readers, but one can also use laptop or desktop computers, smart phones (like Blackberry, IPhone, or Palm Treo/Centro), and personal organizers.

The format variety isn't as bad as most people think, though. The software, in most cases, is free. Fictionwise, one of the big online e-book stores, has a really great guide to the formats and links to where you can download the software.

If you have access to a computer, you can try e-books without paying anything at all. Tennessee residents have access to R.E.A.D.S, or the Regional E-book and Audiobook Downloading Service, with their library cards. You can check them out just like you do the physical books at the library. Most e-book stores have an area where you can download public domain (and a few un-public domain) books for free. Fictionwise's is right here, but Diesel, and Books on Board have some as well.