I've been nudged
Music I'm listening to: "Blue Gene Vincent" by Havana 3AM
*Ahem* Thanks for nudging me, Mary R. :) Mary helped me notice I haven't been hanging around my own blog since March. Ouch. Right, then, I'd better get back into the groove!
First off, I've been contemplating a longish post about the Amazon Kindle. Yes, I now own one of these funky lil' e-book readers, and it's changed my thoughts about publishing's future in a BIG way. Not that the Kindle is all sweetness and light, mind you, and there are some drawbacks to it that give me major pause--but overall, I think the Kindle *or something like it* could thrust the slower-moving, slow-adapting parts of the publishing industry into quite a, um, situation. While I ponder my swirling thoughts, does anyone else out there have one of these goodies?
Second, one of the reasons for my extended absence is my latest project. Ta-da! (Imagine the curtains opening.) For all you busy writers who could use a little nudge yourselves, my Write Now Quotes is a short email newsletter featuring a single motivational quote each week and some brief commentary tailored for the writerly soul. I plan to get the next issue out tomorrow evening, so if you'd like to get it, best sign up now!
More to come in future posts here, including my current irritation with a previous love (Thesaurus.com, a website that has peeved me so greatly I won't even give it a link), and a gleeful party for yet another client who's sold her book. (Waving to Leigh--gal, drink some Chick-fil-A lemonade for me!) Meanwhile, I hope that despite my recent quiet, y'all are out there happily writing away. Right?
RIGHT?
*cracking whip*
:)
Katey
Women-Ink.com
*Ahem* Thanks for nudging me, Mary R. :) Mary helped me notice I haven't been hanging around my own blog since March. Ouch. Right, then, I'd better get back into the groove!
First off, I've been contemplating a longish post about the Amazon Kindle. Yes, I now own one of these funky lil' e-book readers, and it's changed my thoughts about publishing's future in a BIG way. Not that the Kindle is all sweetness and light, mind you, and there are some drawbacks to it that give me major pause--but overall, I think the Kindle *or something like it* could thrust the slower-moving, slow-adapting parts of the publishing industry into quite a, um, situation. While I ponder my swirling thoughts, does anyone else out there have one of these goodies?
Second, one of the reasons for my extended absence is my latest project. Ta-da! (Imagine the curtains opening.) For all you busy writers who could use a little nudge yourselves, my Write Now Quotes is a short email newsletter featuring a single motivational quote each week and some brief commentary tailored for the writerly soul. I plan to get the next issue out tomorrow evening, so if you'd like to get it, best sign up now!
More to come in future posts here, including my current irritation with a previous love (Thesaurus.com, a website that has peeved me so greatly I won't even give it a link), and a gleeful party for yet another client who's sold her book. (Waving to Leigh--gal, drink some Chick-fil-A lemonade for me!) Meanwhile, I hope that despite my recent quiet, y'all are out there happily writing away. Right?
RIGHT?
*cracking whip*
:)
Katey
Women-Ink.com
posted by Katey Coffing, Ph.D. | 8:59 PM
7 Comments:
Katie, good to see you back!
I was the thrilled recipient of a Kindle for Mother's Day. Love it! In addition to "real" books, I also managed to load drafts of my many current WIPs on there. Amazing (and exciting) how different it is to read them in a published-like format, and the clipping function lets me make notes as I read my own stuff. Makes editing fun! (Did I really say that?!)
Looking forward to WriteNowQuotes and hearing more from you here!
Good Lord, it's been so long, I spelled your name wrong! APOLOGIES!
Can you fix it before it goes up?
Katey, Katey, Katey....
LOL, no worries, Laura! I'm used to it--everyone misspells it. (Even my father-in-law. :) )
Anyway, glad to have you visit me here, and happy you're enjoying your Kindle. A friend's manuscript was the first thing I read on my own Kindle, and it was a terrific experience! I didn't like the note-taking function nearly as much as I thought I would--it felt clumsy to me--but hey, better than nothing, and the Kindle 2.0 (whenever it comes) should be fab.
Gosh, I can't imagine really LIKING the Kindle. I love books too much....the feel of a book, the cover, the scent of the pages. I hate reading on a computer, and often print out lengthy articles to read them on actual paper at my leisure....with the capability of applying my pink marker to sections I want to remember. How can you mark up a Kindle book?
I certainly recognize the practical advantage of a Kindle, with its capability of storing so many books all in one, very portable unit. But still.....I think I'll always prefer actual books!
CMCM, the Kindle might be a pleasant surprise for you. It *can* take notes--you can insert them at any place in the text you like--and you can also highlight passages electronically. Neither kind of markup is as quick and flexible as a yellow highlighter, but they do work.
Trust me, I never thought I'd be a fan of e-book reading, either, as my overflowing bookshelves can attest--but the Kindle won me over in a single evening. Just sayin'. :-)
Being a lover of electronic gadgets, I confess to wanting to see a real Kindle in the flesh....no doubt I may succumb to buying one at some point, just wait!
I also have pathetically overflowing and inadequate bookcases....not nearly enough bookcases in fact, so many of my non-current books live in boxes...and boxes...and more boxes under my house. It's very sad! I can see the advantage of a Kindle, no doubt about it!
Is it like reading on a computer screen....adequate lighting, dark enough print etc? Can you adjust text size? How do photos and drawings look? Color? Just curious....
Before our next move, I plan to repurchase many of my "keeper" books as ebooks to save space. I may keep one row of "I just need these here in 3D to make a statement and remind myself of all I love about growing up with books," but practicality will rule. My TBR pile alone has 300 books.
Of course, not every book is available yet as an ebook, so I won't be able to replace everything.
Still, I now prefer the e-book experience, especially for novels where I can just dive in and don't want to stop to take notes. I often read during meals or while getting ready for bed, and I can simply tap the Kindle's "next page" button with a finger or an elbow. With a 3D book, repositioning a bookweight or needing to dedicate a hand to hold the book is a pain.
The Kindle screen is not backlit, which means it's much easier to read in strong light (sunlight, for example), but will require a light source or clip-on booklight to read in the dark. (The clip-on recommended for the Kindle works beautifully and is under $20. I now use it for 3D books, too.)
Text size can be easily adjusted from very small to WOW, that's big. No color yet for any e-reader, as far as I know, but I'm sure it will only be a year or two before they're out. The screen is optimized for text, not photos or drawings, but they do appear. You can add photos or even .mp3s to it. I haven't, since I just use it to read.
There are many resources out there that can explain the features of a Kindle in detail, so go forth and research. Have fun, and enjoy the shopping!
Post a Comment
<< Home