In the last 9 - 18 months, the publishing world has been turned on its ear - e-readers are on the rise, e-books are outselling paper books, Borders is closing. These are seismic shifts.
It feels like vertigo every time I open my browser.
Notes from the E-Revolution is a new semi-regular feature on my author blog, where I'll be rounding up tidbits from the e-revolution.
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E-book Signings
Peter Smalley (a new Google+ friend) recently held an e-book signing using Kindlegraph, which "lets authors send personalized inscriptions and signatures ("kindlegraphs") directly to the electronic reading devices of their fans."
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How cool is that?
Authors: If you have a Kindle book, go to kindlegraph.com, sign up to have your book added to their list. When a reader requests a kindlegraph, you'll have the opportunity to type a personalized message, attach your signature, and it is emailed to the reader's Kindle. The "e-signing" is then attached to their e-book on the title page, as well as collected in a kindlegraph book (like a signature book) on their Kindle.
Readers: Go to kindlegraph.com, see which of your favorite authors are listed, and request an e-signing. It will be sent directly to your Kindle!
I signed up (of course!), so if you want your Kindle version of Life, Liberty, and Pursuit signed, just click here.
FOR THE NOOK: If you have a Nook Color, authors can now do in-person signings with a stylus.
Awesome.
E-Readers for Kids
While on vacation, I took a quick tally at the airport: 2 iPads, 2 Kindles, 1 Nook, and 4 paperbacks (just in two rows). There's nothing like travel to bring out the e-readers! In fact, my Nook was in high demand during our trip. Last year, each of the boys brought their own (paper) books on vacation, and I encouraged them to try a Nook book as well (and loaded the Nook with several for myself). This year, we had a lot of driving to do, and with four people reading at once, we had to bring paper books. But the kids complained - they ALL wanted to read on the Nook.
Worm Burner (10yo) has started a campaign to get me to upgrade to a Nook Color like Grandpa has (darn him!), so I'll hand down my Nook to him. "It will be the boys' Nook," he argues, knowing that I like it when they share. After a week of passing the Nook around in the car, and having to fight Dark Omen (12yo) for it, I'm starting to see the merits.
Which makes me think that a boom in e-books for Middle Grade can't be far behind.
Laura Pauling said as much in her post, where she speculates that parents upgrading their e-readers this Christmas will hand down their old e-readers to their kids ... and a increase in MG e-books will result.
On the Kindle Boards (the trenches of the E-Revolution), there was a great thread on the possibility of a surge in MG e-books. Will Pottermore put more e-readers in kids hands? Or the fact that Toys R Us is now stocking Kindle in their stores?
(BTW, have you gotten your e-owl? I'm still waiting for mine. I'm such a Muggle.)
E-books ... coming to a middle grader near you.
Back-to-School Supplies: Don't forget your e-reader!
I posted about the 900 iPads that will soon be in the hands of 3rd-6th graders in two schools in District 15 (low-income schools that won a grant). It will be interesting to see how teachers adapt and use that technology to teach, but textbooks are already finding their way to iPad (via Inkling).
Gartner analyst Allan Weiner says Inkling's major challenge is getting schools and professors on board. "Students buy the texts their professors recommend to them," he says. He thinks it will take about five years for students to fully make the switch from analog textbooks to digital.
My hairdresser is an early adapter who has been taking her online college classes on her iPad since it came out. Anytime I see a prediction like above, about the E-Revolution, I cut it in half (at least). So, expect to see e-textbooks become the norm in about 2 years.
The speed of the E-Revolution continues to amaze me. But technology revolutionizes every industry that it touches. Publishing is no different. Ten years from now, when my kids are all in college, hunched over their e-textbooks and collaborating with students in China via holographic Google+chat, I'll be ... doing e-signings and sending them virtual care packages.
What do you imagine the future will hold?
