EPub, Kindle, and a new to me author

My iPad does many things, and it has become my reader of choice. After playing with it for a day or two, I began downloading eBook reading "apps" and right now, Kindle for iPad is beating out iBooks. In part, that is due to the vast selection of books at Amazon, but in part, it is due to the way Amazon can zero in on what I enjoy reading.

Within the last couple of weeks I have read two novels by D. A. Boulter, both purchased from Amazon. Indeed, Amazon Digital Services is listed as his publisher. For $2.99 one would be hard pressed to find a better novel than his Courtesan. Now, readers of romance or erotica, do not get excited. It isn't that sort of book at all. If anything, it reminds me of early Elizabeth Moon space operas, and that is a complement. As the story opens, Jaswinder Saroya is on the run. The author sprinkles in enough back story to create suspense, but not so much as to give away his plot line too soon. There are not so many scenes and characters that a reader has to work too hard, either. I suppose I would have to call this lighter science fiction. But, the plot would be just as welcome in a more tech savvy thriller, and I rather liked it just the way it unfolded.


Having enjoyed Courtesan so very much, I went back to the Kindle store and purchased a book which seemed to inhabit the same "universe" but with different characters, Pelgraff. This one was also entertaining, but I did not find it to be as much fun to read as Courtesan. If anything, the world building in Pelgraff is better, because it is set on that planet, whereas, Courtesan is set mostly onboard a space going vessel. But the characters are not nearly so engaging in Pelgraff, and the plot is mostly fight, withdraw, fight some more. Still, it is a war story, so that is how it goes.


I'm sure I will read more of D.A. Boulter, but for now, I am rating Courtesan four and a half stars and Pelgraff is a solid three star read. Either one is well worth the asking price, and with an eBook, there is nothing to sell at a yard sale or try to trade at the used book store.


I am loving the iPad, and I would like to see my own works in ePub format so that other eBook readers will be able to enjoy them.

The Apocalypse Troll and other stories

I really like David Weber's military science fiction. A few thousand fans of this sub-genre seem to like it as well; his books, even the ones which are ridiculously swollen with unnecessary and/or undesirable content, sell well. He has also partnered with other authors, including Eric Flint and Steve White, which helps lengthen his list of published novels.

My introduction to his work was a rough go, however. The science fiction book club was touting his In Enemy Hands, which is fairly far into the Honor Harrington series, but I began with that one, not realizing that I had to catch up. There were several times I nearly abandoned it; but about three quarters of the way in, I realized this was indeed a fascinating tale; albeit one which could have been told without quite so much detail. Intrigued, I read a couple of his stand-alone novels, The Path of the Fury and The Apocalypse Troll. While featuring hardware and propulsion concepts, more than characterization, these yarns did not require any backstory, and that helped. After I finished those, I read the Honor Harrington series, from the beginning. The first book is not particularly interesting, being mostly a set up for the series, but the series hits a good stride with books two through six. The seventh book, Echos of Honor also has its moments, but the page counts grow and the synopsis gets shorter with each successive installment. I read most of the series, but I think I have been reading on At All Costs, which may or may not be book twelve, for a couple of years and I have yet to finish it. Instead, I go back and re-read earlier titles.

Some of Baen's earlier Weber titles, including The Apocalypse Troll, are available as eBooks, and I have been re-reading it. Yes, it is perhaps less polished than some of his more recent offerings, but it is also far less bulky than his newer work. No, he still doesn't really write many multi-dimensional characters. Still, I enjoyed it. No one else seems to have the ability to write large scale battle scenes, but Weber does. He also has a firm grasp of the problems and possibilities of technologically driven warfare. Too many writers of space opera write about conflict one-on-one, because that is easier. In Star Wars, there may have been a lot of blasts, but the camera follows Luke and Han, and everything else is a backdrop. That is both cheaper and easier. However, any civilization which moves to the stars will have multiple ships, weapons, and drive mechanisms. Weber writes about those situations, and when Weber is finished with a battle, the casualties are in the thousands. That is what real war is, and it will be in the future.

So, the bottom line is that fans of futuristic writing may or may not like Weber, but most fans of military science fiction do, because he delivers large scale entertainment. Readers should sample the early stories, like The Apocalypse Troll or Path of the Fury, or at the beginning of one of his many series, rather than diving in the middle, however.

Troll is the story of a twenty-fifth century monster unleashed on our current earth, with only one surviving warrior from the future to tackle it. When researching the published reviews, I read that this novel was the first David Weber wrote, but it was published long after he had become established as a writer. So, while still Weber, the complexity is not so vast, and there are not so many references to politics, which is a major flaw in some his Honorverse works. But not everyone agrees that The Apocalypse Troll is a winner, so here is a link to a differing opinion of this novel over at RPG.net.

Girl Gone Nova— Review

Since I read Pauline Baird Jones' The Key, I have been waiting for this book. One reason I read eBooks is that I enjoy stories which are more "novel" than the novels published by the big guys. I happened upon The Key when it was atop the list of science fiction books at Fictionwise, and I read it and re-read it. One of the more charming aspects of The Key is the POV character, Sara Donovan, a "kick their trash" fighter pilot.

While set in the same universe, Girl Gone Nova is not exactly a sequel. Instead, we have another main POV character who interacts with some of the supporting cast from The Key. Delilah Oliver Clementyne (Doc) is indeed a doctor. But she is also a military troubleshooter who specializes in doing the impossible. A couple of years or so after Donovan returns to earth, things are in such a mess that Doc is despatched to do her version of Mission Now Possible. Her outlook is a bit darker than Donovan's, but she is quite entertaining, nevertheless. The plot involves political intrigue, first contact with aliens, and multiple timelines. Jones bills this book as fantasy, and since it is intended to be contemporary, but all of a sudden we have interstellar propulsion, I guess that qualifies as fantasy. There aren't any trolls or sparkly vampires, but for me, that's a plus. I'd much rather have spaceships, aliens, and nanotechnology, and this series has all three.

Girl Gone Nova is available in print and eBook form, and it is a fun yarn for light summer reading.

Insanely Great

My introduction to Apple Computers was not dramatic. I returned to teaching in 1983, and there was a classroom in the basement of our high school, with a lab of Apple II computers. A class was taught in that room, "Computer Math," and since I have no gift for math, I shrugged and went back to teaching literature and grammar. Later, as computers began to replace other office machines, I took a class on the Apple II, then I took one on DOS, which was the language being used by personal computers manufactured by IBM. Only when my yearbook program inherited a Mac did I really begin to embrace computing, and before long, I became a fan of Apple. Computers have changed our society, and many of the best ideas in computing have come from Apple.

Since those days of beige boxes and green screens with yellow cursors, Apple has introduced some products which have either changed the way we live, or at least made engineers think of a better way to perform tasks. The Newton was a commercial flop, but it paved the way for Palm PDAs (and I still use one of those) and the iPhone, which has put the smartphone into the hands of regular people.

The first really powerful notebook computers were the Powerbooks introduced in 1991. I'm typing this entry on a MacBook Pro, which is merely a later, somewhat greater, Powerbook. Within a few years, the iMac dumped the floppy drive in favor of internet capability; now no one uses a computer which is not online. Increasing the usefulness of online communications was the goal when Apple led the way in home and small business wireless (Airport) a decade ago. I'm still using my second generation Airport, which was installed years before PC users finally adopted the technology they call WiFi.

Apple also acknowledged that people don't want to buy CDs; they want to pick and choose the songs they listen to, and the iPod and iTunes have been wildly successful because the folks at Apple understood that simple fact. While it hasn't been as successful as some of the iWhatever products, Apple TV also acknowledges that televisions in the future will not rely on cable or satellites, but content will come via the net. Just as land line phone users have dumped them for cell phones, online video content is the future.

I'm a fan of ebooks, and I have watched the parade of devices for reading them march into the marketplace, beginning with the desktop computer, then PDAs, and more recently, various readers including the Rocketbook, the Sony eReader, and Amazon's Kindle. My PDA is nearly five years old, and I've not purchased any of these interm devices, because none of them have the elegance of design and function that Apple brings to its products. Today, I just read that Apple has introduced the iPad, a device which blends together a fabulous portable computer with a screen which might make the Kindle obsolete.

Sometimes Apple is first; sometimes Apple is just better; and often, Apple manages both. As Steve Jobs says of his company's products, "Insanely great!"

Trinity on Tylos available at the Palm eBook store

As an eBook fan, and as the owner of a Palm devise, I was doubly pleased when a "Google Alert" let me know that my science fiction novel, Trinity on Tylos is now available at the Palm eBook store. The book is formatted for Palm's eReader software, which is one of the programs I use on my own pda.

Readers of Pam's Pages no doubt realize that this novel has garnered several good reviews from sources as varied as the Midwest Book Review, Living Jackson magazine, and is a Fallen Angels Reviews recommended read, and the novel is still available in print via the internet and at the Bookstand of Northeast Georgia in Commerce.

An Action Packed Page Turner

Best wishes for a wonderful New Year!


The stats indicate that Christmas shoppers tend to buy just about as much for themselves as for their giftees. I don't usually do that; but after the wrapping paper is in the trashbags and the kids go upstairs to play with all the stuff they got under the tree, I do shop for me. Often, I do it online, and this year was no different. I visited the sales at LL Bean and Land's End, and I took advantage of the end of year sale at Fictionwise. While cruising through bestsellers in Science Fiction, I came upon a real gem by Pauline Baird Jones, entitled The Key.

Fighter pilot Sara Donovan crashes on a mysterious planet and is rescued by an alien who is seriously hot. The Key is not hard science fiction, nor is it a sensuous romance, but that is a plus for me. Instead, it is action-packed, often funny, and blessed with enough suspense and engaging characters to keep readers turning the pages. I enjoyed it quite a great deal, and I believe my teenaged son would also enjoy it, due to the frequent "kick their trash" battle scenes. There are a few lapses in logic, but that is all part of the fun in space opera, so if you are willing to suspend your disbelief, Jones' saga is worth your time.

By far, this is the best space opera I've read since Tigra, which was my favorite entry in the genre in 2007. I read this as an eBook, but it is also available in trade paperback from Amazon. This novel further cements my belief that the most entertaining stories are not being put forth by the "big guys" in publishing.

The Amazon.com price for the trade paperback is $14.93, considerably less than a book would be with my current publisher, WCP, so kudos to L&L Dreamspell, a new publisher, which printed this wonderful read at a reasonable, if not cheap, price. I recommend this book for an entertaining way to stay inside out, of the cold.

I'm an eBook fan!

I have numerous bookshelves in my home, and I use spots (such as the ample space atop my kitchen cabinets) to store books as well. My children’s friends call our house “the library” which is a better label for it than “a messy house,” which is how hubby views it.

However, I do tend to let the paperbacks and hardcovers stack up, while I read all of the eBooks I can get onto my PDA. That is in part due to having it with me— I usually tuck my Palm into my purse, so wherever I am, I have those eBooks. Last week, I was at my doctor’s office for my annual physical, and they were just a bit behind, so the visit took up over two hours, and I spent quite a bit of that time reading. (Regs, by Nina Osier, a science fiction book which really made me say, “Wow!” and I don’t do that often.) The Palm had seventy seven titles on it the last time I looked, and most of those are novels, rather than short fiction. Try putting seventy paperbacks in your purse....

Yes, I have Marjorie Liu’s new paranormal romance in my TBR stack, but it was Osier’s book which got the nod, and that was due to it being in electronic format. I have a borrowed novelization of the life of Mary Magdalene which I do want to read as well, but it is large and heavy, so it is gathering dust. Instead, I just began reading a new Angela Verdenius eBook, which I had with me while I was waiting for my kids to emerge from school.

Some of my friends and relatives look at me as if I have lost my mind when I tell them that I prefer eBooks, but the truth is the number of unread titles on my Palm is fewer than five, and the number in my TBR stack on the shelves at my house is a tall stack (and it is growing). Actually, there are too many to put in one spot, but let’s just say that I have quite a few.

My friend, Malcolm Campbell, recently commented on eBooks as well, and he makes a case for them, but in a different way. Do take a look at his entry posted as Trick Falls.

Science Fiction online for Cyber Monday

Maybe you want to give a gift to a science fiction fan; maybe you want to entice a fellow reader to try speculative fiction, or maybe you will have a few days off and want something new for your own entertainment. Whatever the reason, there are so many wonderful stories for fans of science fiction these days. Last year, I devoted one of my blog entries to new releases in science fiction, but this year I have thrown the “new” part out and simply listed some of my favorites which happen to be available via Fictionwise. Hopefully interested readers can find most of these in print as well. The Niven story was in an anthology quite a few years ago, and Asaro’s story was first published in Analog magazine. I began reading Asaro’s novels after I read “A Roll of the Dice”— a piece which is long enough to qualify as a novella and lets the reader know just how wonderful a writer she can be.

David Weber is one of the modern masters of the space opera, but I prefer his early works, so both of those named represent that period. Lois McMaster Bujold just seems to get better and better, but her Vorkosigan saga begins with Shards of Honor, my favorite of her stories, perhaps due to the underlying theme of motherhood. Another talented writer of two space opera series, plus fantasy is Elizabeth Moon; however, I deliberately chose one of her stand alone titles. Best known for a multiple book series with dragons that are more fantasy than sci fi, Anne McCaffrey sometimes writes sci fi, and Nimesha’s Ship is such a work. My own Trinity on Tylos owes quite a lot to my love of various space opera and sci fi themes, and it does include some romantic elements which make it appeal to readers of that genre as well.

Real romance lets science and logic take a back seat, but they are still present in these tales. Angela Verdenius is always a delight, and Love’s Sweet Assassin is my favorite of her novels. Beloved Enemy, by Janet Miller, is a mostly a romance, with some military and paranormal elements, and she has other works set in this same universe. Kaitlyn O’Connor is my favorite New Concepts writer, and I have read all of her titles to date. I chose Exiled to represent her work. This title is very sensual so be forewarned (or delighted)— it’s up to you, I suppose.

Here’s my list of suggestions, so get started on that shopping!

Short fiction:
• Asaro, A Roll of the Dice
• Niven, Jigsaw Man

Space Opera:
• Weber, Apocalypse Troll
• Weber, Honor of the Queen
• Moon, Remnant Population

Space Opera with romantic elements:
• Bujold, Shards of Honor
• Bujold, Barrayar
• McCaffrey, Nimesha’s Ship
• Dodd, Trinity on Tylos

Romantic sci fi, also known known as futuristic romance:
• Verdenius, Love’s Sweet Assassin
• Miller, Beloved Enemy
• O’Connor, Exiled

“Show Me the Money!”

Romance Writer Brenda Hiatt has a page on her website with that title. Since she depends on volunteers to report the terms of their contracts and earnings, the survey isn’t really an accurate account of what writers make. The publishing industry is notorious for obscuring all sorts of numbers, from how many books are actually sold, to what authors make, and whether or not those same authors ever receive what’s due them.

As an ePublished author, I am a bit disappointed that so few such publishers are listed. Indeed, one of the ePubs listed isn’t in business anymore. However, it is really interesting to know that some books put out by ePublishers “earn out” at less than $100.00, while others reach as high as $9000. Of course, there is much more info on print publishers, including many of the traditional romance lines. If you want to know where the money is in publishing, especially in romance, take a look at her “Show me the Money” page. It really is fascinating.

The Downside of ePublishing

In June I made a couple of posts which were enthusiastic endorsements of eBooks and vendors. Honesty makes me publish this post, but I really am, for the most part, an enthusiastic eBook customer and happy to be an ePublished writer. Someone out there has to be saying that Pam is just plugging eBooks b/c her novels are available in that format, so here are some points for the sake of balance.

First, some of the ePubs are either not able to produce a good product, or they don’t concern themselves with quality. That was more of a concern a few years ago than it is today. Several of the early ePubs went under due to poor sales, and their sales sucked b/c the books did too. Unfortunately, today’s ePublishers are somewhat handicapped by the bad reputation garnered by some of the those early efforts which were not quality works, and by the occasional bad apple which still exists.

Second, being ePublished may not get you any respect. Indeed, having an ePublisher is sometimes equated with being self-published. My first novel, listed by Booklocker as an eBook and as a trade paperback by many online vendors, is self-published. I’ve written about the whys and wherefores of that decision elsewhere in this blog and on my website, so I won’t bore readers with that again, but suffice it to say that many folks do not distinguish between The Gift Horse, which was self-published, and Trinity on Tylos, which is a Whiskey Creek Press publication, other than by genre. Since I paid my cover artist and the fees for getting The Gift Horse in print and I didn’t pay Whiskey Creek Press, my checkbook and I see a big difference. (Huge!) However, I’ve heard fellow eBook authors lament that they have problems getting reviews and/or recognition by writer’s organizations. Actually, I’ve gotten reviews from four different sites, good ones for the most part, so I am quite pleased. The only problem I have seen has been in getting reviews has been from science fiction only sites, which seem to be rabid in their disgust with self-publishers, so I consider this unfortunate but inevitable.

Third, there isn’t much money in ePublishing. The percentage earned per book (i.e. royalty) is usually better than for print, but for many writers the numbers just aren’t there. This lack of sales volume is sometimes due to ePublisher distribution problems, but there still just aren’t enough converts to the format. (Not yet, anyway.)

My first novel didn’t make any money at all the first year, but I managed to make some in the second year after publication. Trinity on Tylos is still a loser, from a financial standpoint, and that is due to my promotional efforts, which includes a number of give-away copies, to reviewers and potential vendors. On the plus side of this equation is that ePublishers know it takes more time to find an audience, and they generally give a book two or more years to build an audience, which larger publishers and bookstores almost never do. So while I’ll probably report a loss in ‘06, I should make a profit in ‘07 and even ‘08.

Actually, my total sales to date are less for my ePublished book than they were for my self-published book at the same number of weeks after publication. (That is for total sales, not just eBook sales.) My promotional plans are a bit different this time, because of the change in genre, and due to this being a sophomore novel, which seems to be the red headed step-child of the publishing world.

Lastly, it is really hard to autograph an eBook. I’ve heard of ePublished authors giving away autographed “cover flats” but that seems kinda weird to me.

Here’s the bottom line— if any readers of this post are thinking about seeking publication, getting a contract with an ePublisher, even an award winning one, might not be the best thing that ever happened. Patience and hard work, especially in marketing, are requirements for this new publishing frontier, so if you want someone else to do that work, don’t bother with ePublishing.

Titles and Devices

Hopefully, some of you are interested in trying eBooks. First, how are you going to read an eBook? You’ll need a reading device, and I have experience with two of the top devices: a laptop computer and a PDA. My current computer is an iBook G4, which I’ve had for about 18 months. It replaced a 3 year old Ti Powerbook, so I’ve been in laptop land for a long time. At first, I downloaded books in html format, but with those page breaks and chapter breaks, along with much of the formatting, bite the dust. The thing I like best about this format is you can read fast, due to fairly large type and all you have to do is scroll. As I continued buying eBooks, I switched to Adobe pdf, which preserves much of the publisher’s formatting.

Several months ago, the Whiskey Creek Press author’s group had a thread going about eBook readers and PDA’s, which sounded better than a computer for reading. I did a bit of research and although the dedicated reader was interesting, I bought a “blemished” Palm Tungsten E, at Overstock.com, for $50.00 less than most other vendors were offering their closeouts. The Palm was a natural choice, since the software is Mac friendly, and it will do more than just display my books. The learning curve wasn’t that bad, and I have really enjoyed this device. I have downloaded some of my Adobe pdf titles to it, but I much prefer eReader or Mobipocket formats for reading on this PDA. Some of my older friends say, “How can you see that tiny thing?” but I haven’t had any problems with that aspect. Really, the screen is much brighter and more crisp than my son’s GameBoy. Of course, these same older friends live in a different time period— one where you write checks for small purchases at the local discount store, after driving up in a really long car with a big V-8 engine.

Not all titles I might want to read are available as eBooks, of course, but the selection of available titles is quite good, and the prices range from free to about what you’d pay for a hardcover at Amazon. I don’t buy those at the top end of the price range. The best freebies are found at Baen books. That publisher and many of their authors are forward thinking, and by offering free samples, they are enhancing their image as a publisher and increasing their sales of eBooks and print ones, too. Some Baen hardcover titles include a CD with other titles in eBook formats from the publisher for free. Fictionwise also has freebies, especially short fiction and samples. Another thing I love about Fictionwise is that they seem to like a sale as much as I do! Also, once you’ve purchased a book there, you can download it again, for no additional charge, even if you want a different format. I bought some books from the site in pdf for my laptop, and when I moved to the Palm, I downloaded my favorites again, as PalmDocs. Cool!

There are many sites which sell eBooks on the web, but my favorite ePublishers are Whiskey Creek Press, Wings ePress, and Baen, and I’ve bought books from their sites as well as at Fictionwise. If you can buy books at Amazon or Barnes and Noble online, then you shouldn’t have any trouble purchasing eBooks. If you’re reading this, you own a computer and are online, so you are on the way to sampling eBooks. Once you try them, I think you’ll find something to like.

Why would any one be interested in ebooks?

I’ve already written about eBooks, but I’m hosting a panel on the subject for SciFi Summer in Atlanta in a couple of weeks, so I’ve been brushing up a few remarks regarding this new form of publishing. While both of my books have both eBook and trade paperback editions, I have sold far more print copies. Yet, as a book buying customer, I have gradually increased the number of eBooks I am buying. For me, three things matter most: a title I would want to read (regardless of format), a good price, and, a format that works on my Palm Tungsten E. Until I got that handy little device, I only read a few eBooks, b/c toting a laptop is worse than toting a book. However, the last time I counted, I had about 50 titles on my Palm, with room for a few more, and it takes up less space in my purse than my wallet.

As I’ve cruised around the net, I have found several articles touting ePublishing. Based on that research, here are some reasons to consider eBook purchases or having your book ePublished:

•eBooks don’t require paper or ink, so they are less costly to produce
•due to this cost-effectiveness, eBooks can be cost-effective for niche books that wouldn’t interest traditional publishing
•eBooks are more compact (hundreds can be held in a single PDA, dedicated eBook reader, or laptop)
•eBooks are more environmentally sound, with no physical product to throw away
•eBooks do provide accessibility via flexible font size
•eBooks can be updated and/or corrected more easily
•eBooks can be electronically searched
•eBooks provide instant gratification, which is just a download away. The next book in a series can be purchased instantly without the need for a trip to the bookstore or a wait for physical delivery of a paper product.

My website’s “links” page includes a link to the bestselling eBooks from 2005, and you’re going to find some familiar titles there. I’ve heard a few nay-sayers who proclaim that no one is reading, buying, or selling eBooks. Nope, these books, authors, and publishers are the only segment of the publishing industry growing in double digits, and while print books certainly still sell better, this technology will eventually change publishing.

New hope for eBook authors

While cruising around the Sci Fi channel's really excellent website, I read a favorable review of Linnea Sinclair's Finder's Keepers, which I bought a few years ago as a pdf file (that is, an eBook) published by NovelBooks, Inc. Here's the link to the review: http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue423/books2.html

Finder's Keepers is "new" in a mass market paperback edition, and I wish the author much success as she bridges the gap between the fringe market of eBooks and traditional publishing. This book is a lighthearted futuristic romance and deserves to find a larger audience than it had when it was just a download away. In an earlier post, I examined the role of eBooks in modern publishing, so I won't rehash that here.

My new novel has been accepted by an eBook publisher. I'm glad that Whiskey Creek Press offers trade paperbacks as well, so I can purchase those for resale at booksignings and so forth, but I hope that people who don't know me will purchase Trinity on Tylos for the same reasons that I purchased Sinclair's book— because it looked like a fun read. I've never met Ms. Sinclair, but I've enjoyed several of her books, and I see the publication of Finder's Keepers by a New York house as a reminder that the original publisher isn't always the only publisher.

Also, I'm glad that futuristic romance is becoming a genre recognized by larger publishers. I've been reading them for some time, but some publishers and authors are bringing this genre into the mainstream. Susan Grant's books, published by Dorchester, are among those which are finding a large audience.

So check out Sinclair's book and the Sci Fi channel's website, especially the reviews and letters.

eBooks, fad or future

A few years ago I bought my first laptop computer, and I purchased my first eBook shortly thereafter. The only reason for that purchase was that the book was out-of-print, and rather than spending time hunting for it through some of the used book sellers online, I could get what I wanted instantly, at the price of a mass market paperback. That book, an electronic version of a print book, didn’t suffer from either of the biggest problems I’ve encountered with books which are marketed as eBooks— that is, it was not rife with errors which should have been eliminated in the editing stage, and it wasn’t too brief to be called a book.

Once I had that positive experience, I bought a few other eBooks, but I only purchased electronic versions of books which had begun as print books. However, as an avid reader of online book reviews, I kept seeing reviews of books which were only available in electronic format. Eventually, I tried a few of those. Some were wonderful reads, but as I ventured on to more and more publishers, I ran into the previously mentioned problems— poor editing and an occasional novella sold as a full-length book.

Despite these issues, eBooks have a few advantages over their print cousins, but just a few. First, it’s easy to store a whole bunch of them on the hard drive of a computer, or in the flash memory of a PDA. Travelers find this especially helpful. By carrying their reading in electronic format, they can have far more to read and far less to carry. Better yet, when you are finished, you don’t have a big box to sell at a yard sale or donate to charity. Also helpful, but not universally true, is the fact that many eBooks are less expensive than their print counterparts. However, the main reason I began reading eBooks is the same one that keeps me coming back, and that is the generic nature of the titles which are available from the local bookstore. I might find ten futuristic romances at a bricks and mortar store, but I can find a hundred by checking my ever growing list eBook retailers.

There are some reasons that eBooks aren’t for all readers. I can’t imagine sitting at a desktop to read a whole book, so the reader needs a PDA, a laptop computer, or a dedicated eBook reader. Sometimes a print book is best, whether you’re sitting on the beach under the umbrella or in the bathtub. I’ll always want print media for certain times, but at other times I’m willing to sit inside with my laptop and read until the battery gives up. Thankfully, editing has been steadily improving, but I wonder “where’s the rest of it?” when I find I’ve paid for a book which has about 25,000 words— which is less than half the usual count for a full length novel. And this may seem petty, but I don’t like it when I download the book and don’t get a close-up look at the cover art. Some publishers send it along, but many do not, usually because including such graphics will slow the download process.

Although they often sell poorly in comparison with print books, eBooks are more than a fad. As the internet matures, online media will evolve to include music, video, and eBooks. Just as digital still photography and video cameras are beginning to merge, one day people will have a paid access to multimedia files, and eBooks will be one of the attractions. Until then, print will sell better, but books in electronic format will provide an avenue for new authors to strut their stuff to tech-savvy readers. Many of these books provide readers with what they want, something different. And different can be better— a lot better.

My answer to the title question is simple, "Both!"

There are many eBook vendors, but I’ve bought multiple volumes from the sites below. If you’ve never seen any electronic books for sale, check out these publishers and vendors—

http://www.wings-press.com/
http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/
http://www.fictionwise.com