Formatting errors are a large part of what keeps e-books from becoming #1 for me. I have 3 or 4 books on my Kindle now, that take me twice as long to read, because of bad line/paragraph/word spacing, various spelling errors and other editing related errors. I don’t remember “real” books being this bad..or am I looking through rose colored glasses :-/

As I have a Kindle, most of my purchases come through Amazon; for e-books and paper books. And this is starting to scare me a little. OH, not enough to yet stop, but I am occasionally concerned that I am becoming a “one-source” reader.

I can only hope this merger will bring me back into a bookstore, as I cannot remember the last time I was in one. I always liked Walden Books and Borders more than any others, and when they closed I just pretty much stopped going to bookstores, thereby helping to contribute to the demise of the bookstore.

All I know for sure, is I like “real” books and I like my e-reader. Seems like there should be a way for these guys to get together and figure out how to give us best of both. Win for them, win for us.

Random Penguins is the best name!

I see this merger as one way for these companies to try to deal with the changes in the industry. I just hope they make the changes in the right way, and not in the wrong way. This had better not be a case where they decide that more cash at hand means they can create stronger DRM. I also hope they wake up about digital publishing and realize that some of their choices have been really bad. (As in angering the customers bad.)

Digital only imprints sort of make me nervous. It depends on how the publisher handles them. Maybe it comes from hanging around on writer boards so often. When publishers first started creating digital only imprints, they did some things wrong that made writers nervous. For example, whether it would be easy for readers to buy the books, relative lack of publicity, differences in contracts, etc. Of course, some publishers have done really well with their digital imprints — such as Harlequin with Carina. Let’s hope publishers have learned how to sell eBooks better since their early experiments

Maggie AAR: I like your name (Random Penguins) better than the one they chose.
As I have reviewed and read for pleasure the last few weeks I have come to one conclusion. I am a dinosaur. I know my kindle is more convenient but I read faster and more enjoyably when I have a paper book. I see the handwriting on the wall, know that the change is absolutely gonna happen but dang it, I’m sad about it and am sad when I read any news regarding trouble at the publishing houses. ebooks are the future, I get it, I accept it. But I really miss the past.

I completely understand that not everyone loves to read eBooks and many prefer paper. Publishers could have had the best of both worlds- excepted for their bullheadedness. When eBooks were first released I know I was satisfied with a dollar difference. But publishers delayed releasing the digital version, then they joined with Apple in price fixing. Cry me a river – it is their own fault.

As I have reviewed and read for pleasure the last few weeks I have come to one conclusion. I am a dinosaur. I know my kindle is more convenient but I read faster and more enjoyably when I have a paper book. I see the handwriting on the wall, know that the change is absolutely gonna happen but dang it, I’m sad about it and am sad when I read any news regarding trouble at the publishing houses. ebooks are the future, I get it, I accept it. But I really miss the past.

Do I sympathise with the publishers… no. Most of us have read the news here, on Dear Author and other reader sites and in our general news. We’ve seen the numbers, we’ve refused to pay the higher prices, we enjoy the convienience of buying in our jammies, and have used the library instead or found other authors at lower costs that we enjoy through other readers who’s reading habits mirror ours. Authors and publisher’s complain but, my book habit if I had to pay it would be approx $3,000/yr at $10/book and I can’t afford it.

Ebooks are becoming more and more popular. I refuse to buy an ebook over $5 and even then I look for the $3 and under books. I still haven’t moved to borrowing ebooks although my library system has an excellent selection and one day I’ll finally do so.

The days of the big paper publishers controlling book pricing are over although they’ll fight it for a while longer. It’ll be rocky but change will come. First change though…. our books are $2 or so more than US books – both prices are on the back of our books. The reason given was the difference in the dollar. With our dollar often of late worth more than yours… I’d really appreciate a decrease on the price of our books. Before too long I’m going to start buying from Amazon.com/BN etc not .ca sellers especially when it’s cheaper to simply pay for the shipping than buy the book here at full price. I have before, and with NAFTA I can again.

Lastly, websites are very, very important. I know it’s easier to purchase many things in the US online. In Canada we can’t access a lot of it due to the sellers lack of NAFTA, duty, taxes etc ability to send over the border. But, companies here really need to get their act together. Even Toys R US has the crappiest website and nothing on it, yet, I’d use it instead of waiting until I am in the city and shopping elsewhere (like Walmart) simply for the convienience. E-shopping, e-books, e-….. is not going away and consumers are looking to use their computers, phones etc more and more to shop. All, sellers, not just those of books, need to get online.