The Joy of Reading Returns

I was always a good reader. This is not meant to be a bragging thing, just a statement of fact. I cannot add or multiply to save my life, but I can read up a storm. This may not come in handy when doing particle physics or, say, figuring out a tip, but it does come in pretty handy a lot of the time. However, despite my love of reading and, ironically, in spite of the fact that I make my living as a writer, over the years the amount of books I read has drastically declined.

There was a time when I always had some form of book in front of my nose. I was always reading. You could have called me a bookworm if you wanted and I would have taken it as a compliment. If it wasn't a novel then it was comic books. I believe comic books are fine because they get people reading and reading is a good thing, overall.

As I grew into an adult, however, lugging books around and even getting to the bookstore just became more and more difficult. Sure, there was Amazon.com and their ilk that would allow me to order books online, but then I had to wait for the book to be delivered. Then there was the matter of what to do with the book once I was done with it. I am not a handy guy and the idea of me putting shelving together is just a bad idea. Meanwhile, my existing bookshelves are full to bursting with all kinds of things.

All of that changed the Christmas of 2009 when I got my Sony eReader. Now, I am not here to sell you any particular brand of eReader. I am just here to tell you that since I got this marvelous little device, I have been reading almost constantly. I can't seem to stop. The novelty of being able to carry dozens of books, even hundreds potentially, on a device I can fit in my pocket is making reading fun again.

eReaders are becoming more and more popular these days. With the huge popularity of the Apple iPad, they are likely to become even more so. Amazon.com lead the way with what is still the industry leader, the Kindle. I publish books exclusively for Kindle users because Amazon has made a platform that makes self-publishing via Kindle very easy.

What is interesting is that I am finding I love searching for books again. I can simply plug my reader into my computer and the online bookstore appears before my eyes. My first book was MIchael Harvey's mystery The Fifth Floor which harkens back to detective stories by Dashielle Hammett and his ilk. I then discovered a book called Mandibles which was a delightful mixture of gross-out horror and comedy. It was a quick read at a great price. Then I read Peter Straub's latest A Dark Matter. Again, the price was just right and I didn't have to lug around the hardcover book all over the place.

The reader has also caused me to discover and explore older works that I have always meant to read and never got around to. Right now, as I write this, I am in the middle of a collection of H.P. Lovecraft stories. Before that, however, I discovered a book called Every Dead Thing by an author I was not familiar with and might have never found in a physical bookstore.

The electronic device is an amazing thing. The non-backlit creation doesn't cause eye fatigue like earlier devices. This is the new electronic paper that other readers, like the Kindle, also use. It means you can sit there and hold a thin, small, plastic and metal device and not feel like you are staring into a computer screen.

I certainly hope there will always be a place for paper books. I never want the world to move to an all-electronic method of reading. There is still magic in spending time in a book store, picking up a book, admiring the cover art, and smelling the paper. There is still wonder and magic in entering a library and standing amidst shelves that tower over you. I still write books that come out only in print and I hope people are always going to be buying them.

However, if you have been away from reading for a while, you might want to give eReading a try. There are even applications you can get that allow you to turn your laptop into a Kindle or your iPhone. The market is going to be flooded with more eReaders this year if the Consumer Electronics Show is to be believed. That means that eBooks are likely here to stay.

Right now, I compare them to the way iTunes was when it first came into being. eReaders provide a unique opportunity for both writers and readers. Writers you might not have seen or heard of in a physical bookstore can cheaply sell their wares and create new fans. The eReaders level the playing field so that guys like me can compete with the big boys.

Yes, there has been some controversy over the prices of ebooks. Some authors have complained that places are selling them for a fraction of the price of hardcovers. As such, there are going to be changes made at the big publishing houses requiring places like Amazon to sell the new books by the big names at the same prices as the hardcovers. That just opens the door for smaller self-publishers to sell their books cheaper and maybe make that dent in the publishing world that can be so hard to make.

I think eReaders are a great thing. As a fan of reading, they have reminded me how much out there is there to be read. As a writer, is has allowed me to reach people that I might not have reached had I tried conventional publishing.