Exploring E-Books and E-Readers

It seems like everywhere you turn these days people are talking about e-books and e-readers and other gizmos and gadgets that are taking over the book world. As an author, what should you know about these devices? Should your book be formatted for the tiny screen? Today we’re going to take a look at e-books and e-readers in an attempt to understand what they are, where the industry is headed and how AuthorHouse's e-book publishing and distribution can help you benefit.

You’re probably already somewhat familiar with e-books and e-readers. In fact, some of you may already own an e-reader like the Amazon Kindle™ or Sony Reader™. But for those of you who are not familiar, here are the basics:

• E-book: an electronic version of any printed book available online. E-books can be bought and then downloaded onto a variety of devices including computers, laptops, e-readers and handheld phones. The average price of an e-book is $3.99, but prices do vary among e-book distributors.
• E-reader: a handheld device designed primarily for reading e-books. Most have a long battery life, a backlit screen and e-ink technology so it looks like you’re reading a real book. Some e-readers feature touch screens, keypads, music-playing capabilities and full-color screens. The price of an e-reader varies depending on which brand it is. The most popular e-readers are the Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader, Barnes & Noble Nook and Apple iPad.

As the popularity of e-books and e-readers has grown, so has the competition. In January 2010, Apple introduced their iPad tablet, a device that is bigger than an iPhone, but smaller than a laptop with a built in e-reader and access to millions of e-book downloads. The growing competition and new products coming to the market every day are evidence that this industry isn’t going anywhere. In fact, e-book sales are expected to continue to rise as more e-readers become available at lower prices.

With the e-book market growing, where does that leave you as an author? We certainly do not recommend abandoning printed books (they still dominate the market and will be around for a long time). However, we do recommend publishing your book in multiple formats to reach the widest audience. An e-book is an excellent way to gain more exposure to a wider audience who otherwise may not have discovered your book. That's why at AuthorHouse, all of our black and white self-publishing packages include e-book publishing and distribution. We also offer an App Publishing service for children’s color books allowing your work to become an interactive application on the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. We’re committed to staying on the cutting edge of the e-book market, constantly offering new services to keep up with this growing trend in the industry. Take some time to explore e-books and e-readers, and we’ll help you compete with the latest digital formats.