How many times have you heard a reader say of eBooks, “I
like to hold a book.”? Well, in a new move launched recently eBooks are now being
sold in their own custom designed reader which opens just like a book. Although
no bigger than a normal ereader these one-off devices open like a book,
have a left and right hand page and come with their own printed front and back
cover, just like a ‘real’ book.
This has come about because ebook
technology has become so cheap and easy to produce. Admittedly it does take a
little longer for the ‘book’ to be produced, but no more than it takes to
produce a POD book if all goes well.
What are the advantages to this? It means you can browse for an ebook in a shop
just like you can for a hard copy. For people who like having their books on
display for others to see, they can be lined up on shelves (watch out for eBook
reader shelves, just like DVD and CD storage units). Ebooks will become more
visible. People will be able to swap them with friends, or loan them (and
probably never get them back, just like paper books). Old eBooks will turn up
in charity shops alongside paper ones instead of sitting unseen on a reader’s
device. And authors will be able to hold signing sessions, just like they do
for paper books.
Watch out for this new venture
coming to the UK SOON.
Posted 1st April 2014
