And lo, in those years the shadow of the Amazonian reached forth from the dark, dread realm of the Internet to blight the world of print. Seeing the darkness rise and spread, the Six Lords of Publishing trembled in their towers to the East. They sought a champion, but found none; communed with the spirit of Gutenberg, and yet found no solace. Fearful, they reinforced the walls of their keeps, festooning them with banners that carried words of power:
“Fie on thee, Bezos, for readers love the smell of books.”
“Get thee behind me, epub, for readers love the feel of books.”
And Bezos responded with his own words of power: “Seventy-Nine dollars
And in his dark tower, Bezos smiled, thinking to himself that the Six Lords too often looked behind rather than forward, and knowing that he, Dark Lord Bezos, would Kindle
Or something like that. 🙂
In other news, I, for one, welcome our new Amazon overlords.
The Six Lords of Publishing should have tried another banner: “When a husband reads a book and not a computer screen, then he need not feel the suspicous glare of his wife, who may ponder if he is not reading a book at all, but rather the new S.I. swimsuit edition…”
Ha!
I do love the smell of a book and was extremely reluctant to try e-books, but upon finding that my Masters Degree textbooks could often be found cheaper in digital format, the penny pincher in me made the leap.
I now love my Kindle. I still buy books from certain authors in print format, Mr. Kemp, George Martin, the Tracy Hickman/Margaret Weis team, and a few others, but e-books are just so convenient. Sometimes I buy a book I like in digital and print formats.
$79 is an amazing deal. Considering the number of e-books from new authors, or smaller works from the pros, that come at a lower price, the Kindle will pay for itself in no time.
Very excited for the Kindle Fire. I’ve been looking for any and all news on the Amazon tablet for months and was elated to see preorders were finally up. Already ordered one and thinking of getting another for the girlfriend.
Do e-books allow authors to get their work out sooner? I could see Kemp-fans snatching up the e-version the moment it comes out, then coming back to get a signed print version when it releases.
Apollo,
If an author is publishing the traditional route, then ebooks don’t result in books becoming available sooner. For independent/self-published authors, the cycle from completed draft to available for purchase is generally much shorter.
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