Anything that supports the book industry is important to me. Though I favor and value print books over e-books, if I had to support e-book readers I would go with the new Nook. Why? Because to do so supports Barnes and Noble, which supports the existence of physical book stores and offers real competition to the industry’s arch nemesis—Amazon.
The new Nook Simple Touch With Glow Light, from the reviews I have read, sounds amazing. It’s the only e-reader that allows you to read in the dark, in a private way, that doesn’t strain the eyes or bother others around you such as a roommate or a spouse. At $140 it’s cheap and affordable.
What consumers need to understand—and publishers need to promote—is that no one device is perfect for everything, though the iPad comes close. To read e-books, you need a dedicated e-reader. Once you buy one it’s like committing to a sports team that you remain loyal to for life. Why?
Because Amazon and the Nook are not compatible. Once you buy one book through one of them, you need their device to read it. Should you switch from one to the other, you lose all of your previous books. Really, what you do now is “rent” a book indefinitely, provided your reader can read it.
If an e-reader company goes under and out of business, your books are lost forever. If your e-reader breaks or you tire of it and get a different brand, you lose the books you bought.
Further, Amazon and Barnes and Noble no longer carry the same books. There was a time not that long ago where they both offered the same books for sale. All that differed was whether you bought them online or went to a store to get them. Not anymore. Books published by Amazon are not carried by B&N. Further, Amazon is pushing for various exclusives with some publishers and authors, denying B&N from carrying them. It’s getting ugly.
So, let’s recap. If you have to go read e-books, get the new Nook. If you can avoid e-books and support book stores in the community, even better. If you want Amazon to rule the world, buy up Kindles.
If Barnes & Noble was smart it would connect its stores to the Nook. For instance, offer special deals to Nook purchasers or e-book purchases for customers who make such purchases in their physical stores. B&N needs people to come back to their stores. They can sell more non-book stuff there, such as coffee, music and DVD’s and they can get more people to read and touch books that may inspire print of purchase and discoverability sales.
Perhaps the new Nook can light the way. Yes, pun intended.
What Advice Would You Give To A Struggling Writer?
“Everybody wants to have written but few strap themselves in the chair daily and just grind it out. That's what it takes. You can fix a bad page but you can't fix a blank page. Write! Also....READ!”
--John Bond, www.johnbondwriting.com
“Stop struggling! Just stay calm, open up to the experiences around you, and write exactly what you want to write. As Ray Bradbury always said, if writing isn’t fun, stop doing it and do something else that is fun. My writer’s workbook, How to Become Your Own Book, covers lots of tips and exercises like this.”
--Jim Reed, Author, curator, http://www.jimreedbooks.com
“Keep struggling. The flip side of that is guaranteed failure.”
--Larry Stouffer www.scsfe.com
"Books" will be bought and sold primarily through cable and satellite systems.“
--Jeff Herman, Author and Literary Agent www.jeffherman.com
"Never give up. Never give up. Never give up. After ten years of rejections from editors and agents, I finally received my yes. If I had given up I would have missed my future. Never give up. Never give up. Never give up."
--Ann Fields, Author, Fuller's Curse @ann_fields
“Writers struggle with so many things! Doubt ("Say no to the voices in your head that try to stop you. "); lack of mastery ("The only way to improve your skill is to keep writing. We all have to write badly before we can write well); rejection ("Your goal is to connect with readers; keep putting your work out there until you find the right outlet for your readship.") And then I want to say, "Don't struggle. Learn to fall in love the process of putting words on paper, then finding better, truer words, and take your satisfaction from that activity."--Terry Wolverton, Writers At Work, Los Angeles, www.writersatwork.com
“My best advice would be to consider your market before writing your book. Then, spend some time researching ways to contact your market. Join professional writing organizations. The Arizona Authors Association is a good example. I would encourage a struggling writer to work with professional editors and proofreaders. The next step would be to have his or her manuscript evaluated. Listen to the voices of experience.”
In Case You Missed It:
Are You Prepared For Book Publicity Hunger Games?
Book Advertising That Makes Sense
Book Marketing Pep Talk
Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person.
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