There is simply no question that, like 'em or not, e-books are enjoying an exponential growth in popularity. So says Hugh McGuire, CEO of Book Oven, an online company that builds Web tools for publishing e-books and print-on-demand titles. This is not really news, so much as a continued affirmation of a trend that has been in the making for a while now.
And although e-books still comprise a small fraction of the market, I fully anticipate that segment will grow significantly. And fast.
Based on my own (decidedly unscientific) inquiries, e-books are quite popular with a wide range of people. You can find everyone from young people with their iPods and electronic toys to older readers, who enjoy e-books not only because they provide an easy way to read on trips (no more lugging all those heavy books around), but are easier on arthritic or otherwise debilitated hands. I didn't appreciate this last aspect until I learned of it from several, older readers.
I'm beginning to think I should get one. Now, that's serious, as I've always loved print books.
So, due to their burgeoning popularity, Best Buy and Verizon have decided to jump into the e-book market, by developing their own e-reader devices. With all these different devices on or coming onto the market, it'll be interesting to see how the formatting issues get resolved. I'm afraid it creates yet another headache for us writers (I'm not a computer geek, okay? :)), but it's something we all have to buckle down and deal with.
I know I've got just such issues to resolve with my own e-book version of IDENTITY CRISIS on Smashwords. Must do it in order to get my book in the Barnes & Noble system. I will get to it . . . any day now . . . any day . . .
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