Digital Books During Isolated Times #AuthorToolBoxBlogHop
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Currently, my entire town has been asked to quarantine until April 6. City offices are closed, events with over 10 people are closed, which means the local libraries have extended due dates on books until their doors reopen in April. This date may change.
We’ll make it. I believe we will eventually conquer and thrive again 🙂
Considering all of these surreal events, this month I’m thinking about the importance of eBooks and what it means to author and writers. Do audiences find e-books as easily? Do covers matter as much? Will the publishing industry change again, completely focused on them? I’m not %100 sure, but I have been cruising around the internet reviewing different articles on the dos and dont’s. So far, I like the list of dont’s because I’ve learned a great deal. I am also happy we have eBooks during these isolated times to escape our walls in our own homes.
A list of favorite eBook tips:
From Owlcation by author Jennifer Wilber on 10 Reasons Why eBooks are Better Than Print, I got a couple of great reasons to consider eBooks over print:
- They can be read in the dark
- New releases are usually cheaper
- Viewers have multiple font options
- eBooks have no late fees from libraries (my favorite one)
- My own added tip: eBooks are sanitary as long as your screen is clean and your fingers are too 🙂
From Publish Green on The Important of a Professional eBook Cover, I got:
- With all the eBooks on the market today, it is important as an author that your eBook cover makes a lasting first impression.
- The cover makes your eBook stand out on similar topics with other authors. I know I’ve drawn to the beauty of a cover first. Publish Green also offers eBook cover designs.
My favorite thorough article on both benefits and drawbacks of eBooks came from Investopedia:
- E-readers may cause eye strain, and some screens are not easy to read in sunlight.
- I also learned the expenses to consider when making eBooks such as the added technology cost of formatting the eBook for multiple reading platforms as well as the conversion cost of print formats to electronic files.
What about you? What number one tip do you have about what has gone well or what you might change regarding eBooks?
Happy Hop Day.
Posted on March 17, 2020, in Uncategorized and tagged author toolbox blog hop;, Erika Beebe. Bookmark the permalink. 27 Comments.
Cloud Nine Girl 
When I got my first iPad years ago, I switched to eBooks only. So much lighter! And take so much less space.
That’s very true 🙂
I don’t know if this will change the publishing industry permanently. I think the answer lies with how long a vaccine will take. If we spend most of 2020 in isolation, then the book world is going to have to adapt to survive. If we can all come out in a month or two, then we’ll probably go back to our regularly scheduled lives and play down the importance of what we just lived through in terms of what’s coming in the future. Great post, Erika. This is really important stuff to be thinking about.
I love both. Ebooks and paper. Ebbok advantages are that I can carry a library in my purse on one device, or use the app on my phone. I can also use my text to talk feature and listen to books. It’s a robot voice, but that doesn’t bug me much.
The downside to eBooks is the difficulty reading outside and I’d never want to use my phone or kindle in water and I love to read in the tub. 🙂
Great post! I think there might be a trend towards eBooks for a while as they’re easier to buy/borrow when quarantined, but once this passes I think there’ll be an upsurge in paperback sales.
My favourite tip for eBooks is to make sure the cover looks good in black and white as well as colour: My Kindle is black and white only and some covers sort of blend together!
We can say the same about audiobooks – the perfect way to pass nine hours, and they can be free with a trial subscription 🙂
I love my Kindle! So many ways…Since I’ve discovered Overdrive, I can also download free books and audiobooks from my library. When I have read the eBook, I sometimes order the print book for my home library. (However another plus for eBooks, they don’t take up shelf space.) Interesting article. Thank you.
JQ Rose
With the right platform(s), it’s easy to get ebooks into almost every market, from retail to library.
I love how you can change the size and boldness of text. This helps those of us who are sight challenged. I still buy paperbacks but those are reserved for when I’m fresh.
I can make the font larger! That’s important as you get older.
Even before this I was a bigger fan of the ebooks. One device, many options. It worked for me. Plus having too many books around my house just gives me more stuff to dust LOL. Publishing is always changing and evolving, this will be yet another adjustment.
I can take my library everywhere I go. For me, that’s near a thousand books. I’ve read e-books since the early nineties.
Anna from elements of emaginette
I love that too 😉
I absolutely love my e-reader. I’ll never give up buying physical books, but I do tend to buy a lot more e-format. I’ll also be very interested in seeing how the publishing industry is affected by this new quarantine normal.
I do both too and there are so many uncertainties unfolding it feels like we are all trapped in a book 🙂
Interesting post. I love physical books, but I realize thery’re are advantages to ereaders, and I appreciate my Kindle! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Thank you for stopping in 🙂
I am new to the Author Toolbox. I do like ebooks because I read and review so many books for my blog and couldn’t possibly fit them on my bookshelves. On the other hand, print books are so much more in demand by the children’s audience so only a few of my books are released in ebook format.
That’s so true about children’s books and print. Nice to meet you Barbara.
I switched to ebooks when the Kindle first appeared and loved it, but I still buy the paperback when I want it on my bookshelf at home. I did cull some of those but I like holding a book in my hand and having on hand hardcopy.
I love having books in my home too Juneta 🙂
While I still have plenty of physical copies around the house (as evidenced by the two boxes I filled this weekend) the bulk of my TBR list nowadays is divided between ebook and Audible. It will make moving (whenever that might be) that much easier.
I do love taking my stories with me wherever I go too 🙂
I still prefer physical copies… But cannot deny the convenience of ebooks. I feel that the access to dictionary for a word with a single tap is the most useful feature of ereaders.
I agree! I could have appreciated that feature when I was much younger 🙂
All great reasons for e-books, but like Damyanti above, I still prefer the physical book to curl up with in bed. All best to you, Erika. Thanks for sharing this with fellow Toolboxers.
I love ebooks. I’ve used Kindle for years but more recently started using ebooks from local libraries, and, sorry to disappoint you, but they do attract library fines.
The reason I’m so much in favour of ebooks is that I don’t have to find a place for them in a bookcase after I’ve finished reading them. We have a house full of books, accumulated by my husband which he won’t throw out, and he never reads them twice.