What E-reader do you recommend?

[Starla Ramcy]

This summer I finished my first novel "Liberty Taken" and after many rejections from agents I decided to self-publish on Amazon and Smashwords.

Since I can't afford to have my book printed, it's only available as an e-book, but I don't even own an E-reader (like a Kindle, Nook or iPad). I can only read books on my computer and that sucks.

Any suggestions what I should buy? What's the best value? Which one is easy to use? I'm completely new to all of this, so all advice is welcome.

 

Thanks,

Starla Ramcy

[Starla Ramcy]

Hello Ray,

I signed up on Createspace, converted my word document to a pdf and uploaded it. After that, I created my cover (with input from my hubby) and a few minutes ago I got an e-mail that my interior and cover are printable in their current state. So I immediately took the next step and ordered my first proof. I'm so excited!!! I'm self-publishing (under $ 50.- for my proof print) and will have my first novel in my hand within 10 days.

Without BookBlogs I wouldn't have known about this wonderful possibility and felt safe proceeding thanks to tips, advice and experience from other bloggers.

I use my computer for writing, research, work, blogs etc, but I want to curl up with a book. That's why I want an E-reader.

Thanks so much for your input, Ray. I'll check out your blog. See you there. Starla Ramcy

 

[Harrison Jameson]

Hi Starla,

 

Check out what Steve Gibson has to say on the matter, and here is a great source for all things Kindle related, click here.

 

Why and how the Kindle changes everything 
By Steve Gibson 
This is less a "pros and cons" review than a hopefully useful commentary about the Kindle compared with other eReaders and what it means for the eBook industry. (I believe that everything has changed with the Kindle's creation.) 

For many years I have been an avid reader of eBooks using almost every eReading device on the market. So as an early-adopter of techie gadgets I had been anxiously awaiting Amazon's Kindle since its first rumors. So I immediately purchased it both out of curiosity and hoping for a better "next generation" eBook solution. In case you're wondering whether I'm "that" Steve Gibson, I probably am -- I'm the guy who gets Google's first three or four links when Googling my name. 

I was driven to write this review because it is somewhat distressing and, it seems to me, a bit unfair for the Kindle's average review rating to be dragged so far down by Kindle NON-OWNERS who, judging from their comments, seem to be quite annoyed by all of the positive comments about a device that's expensive, monochrome, not a general purpose media player, unable to leap tall buildings, or in some way less than they were expecting, wanting, or hoping. In contrast to non-owners, the people who actually HAVE Kindle's appear to universally love it, though with very valid caveats. I think of this as "The TiVo Effect" since, for the right sort of user, the Kindle will be life-changing ... but it certainly won't be that for everyone. Although it took me a few days to get completely comfortable with it, I am now hooked. 

So, for what it's worth, if this posting is discovered by any truly interested pre-purchasers, I hope that the following commentary might place the Kindle in "perspective" and be of some value to you. (And if it is, I hope you'll click the button at the bottom to indicate that, so that this review might be found by more potential buyers ... Thank you!) 

I have read many novel-length books on my various Palm's, I owned the original Rocket eBook, and I own both generations of Sony's eInk readers, the PRS-500 and PRS-505. So my clear bias is of someone who enjoys technology for its own sake and who loves the idea of reading books on a "device." 

Amazon's first-generation Kindle arguably has a few warts (see below). So depending upon your needs, budget, willingness to purchase a "first-generation" gizmo that you might regret purchasing and want to replace a year from now, and so forth, you might well decide to wait for the next generation Kindle that will doubtless be even better. But whether you choose to jump aboard now or later, Amazon's entry into the eBook market is a BIG deal -- it forever changes the game. I think there is no doubt that for the first time ever, a substantial number of people who were never captivated by ANY previous eBook system will find themselves reading and enjoying textual content on Kindle's eInk screen. 

The weird initial love/hate reaction to the Kindle is being compared with Apple's iPod, which was also initially met with striking polarization. We all know how that turned out. :) Although the iPod was far from being the first portable MP3 player, and critics called it a copycat, it was the first portable music player to go mainstream, and it changed the world. I believe that, similarly, the large and tightly interacting collection of Kindle features, that go far beyond those of any other previous eBook attempt, will cause the Kindle to be the first eBook to succeed. By connecting their massive book library, as well as newspapers, magazines, blogs and the Web -- wirelessly -- to a long-battery-life chunk of consumer plastic, Amazon has kicked eBooks into the mainstream. 

Is the Kindle perfect? Not yet. Is it expensive? Yep. Does it feel like a first-generation product? Absolutely. Will I purchase the next Kindle too? Please let me be first in line!

[Starla Ramcy]

I'm still undecided, but if I decide on a Kindle I want the "Kindle Fire" and that one is not available until a few weeks from today.

Anyone knows if you can type and make notes on a Kindle? And e-mail/share the notes to your computer?

 

[Bobbie Crawford-McCoy (NURTURE)]

I highly recommend an iPad. I love mine! :-)

[Jim Rada]

I have a Kindle 2 w/ 3G and I enjoy it immensely. I've seen Nook and whatever Borders e-reader was. I definitely didn't like the Borders e-reader. It didn't feel good in my hand. The corners were too sharp. I don't like any of the touchscreen readers because of fingerprints on your reading surface. A Nook color would probably be my choice if I read a lot of magazines or comics on the reader. However, my Kindle can play music in the background while I read and also has a text-to-voice feature. I'm told not all of the readers have these features. Finally, Kindle has great customer service!

James Rada, Jr.

Author of Battlefield Angels: The Daughters of Charity Work as Civil War Nurses

 

[Starla Ramcy]

A Kindle can play music? And has a text-to-voice feature? Are those features optional? I had no idea. That's great.

[KW McCabe]

You can use the features or not as you choose.  You can also do web-browsing on the kindle as well.  I uploaded entire audiobooks to it.

[J. K. Swift]

Hi Starla,

I have an iPad and a Kindle, but do most of my reading on the Kindle. I work a lot on a backlit screen during the day so I just prefer the Kindle for reading on. Also, the temptation to do other things on the iPad has proven too great for me at times and I end up surfing the net instead of reading! But you may be stronger willed than me, so the Fire or iPad might work for you.

If you can swing it, I suggest getting both. It's very useful when it comes to proofreading your books and seeing how the formatting looks on different devices.

Good luck!

JK

[Starla Ramcy]

Unfortunately I have to make a choice and feel the Fire is probably going to be my best bet. It's an inbetweener, what might suit me just fine. I'm not spoiled since I never had another device than my pc. Thanks for your reply JK.

[Harrison Jameson]

Hi Starla,

 

The Kindle Fire looks like a good choice, I am thinking of my pre-order here:

 

http://astore.amazon.com/amazon365-20/detail/B0051VVOB2

www.amazon365.net

 

HJ.

 

[KW McCabe]

You should really go with Kindle because it's going to beat out all the other ereaders eventually.  Longevity is what you want :)  Also, they're much cheaper now than they were.  You can get one for $79.  I have the kindle with wifi and 3G.  It's not the touch screen or the color screen- but I don't know what I would do without it. I can also use it to upload what I write and test what it will look like for other kindle/ebook readers.

[Ms.Tiptress]

Oh!! It all depends on what you want your E-Reader to do for you, I say. I got a flytouch, it is android based and allows me to turn it into a small pc. I paid $160 for it. I can type using word, play games, read news, tweet, update my blog, browse the internet, watch youtube... and a bunch of others things I can't think of. I here that the kindle and the nook are starting to do things like that (app store) 

 

But I am in love with my tablet. 

 

Congrats on finishing your novel I hope it works out just the way you want it to. 

 

Ms. Tiptress

Passion Reads