Read an E-Book Week 2012

March 4^th thru 10^th we are celebrating the great invention of E-Books. The publishing world shook a bit at the thought of paperless books but the idea has caught on and caught fire to the imaginations of writers and readers everywhere.

The book began to evolve into its electronic form in 1971 when a copy of the Declaration of Independence was stored on a Xerox Sigma V mainframe computer by Michael Hart.

Hart believed computers could be used for more than just… well computing. They could be used to store, retrieve, and catalog information such as documents and books. From this simple idea began a new revolution for readers he called, Project  Gutenberg. Where over 30,000 books are available for free downloads. 

Books evolved from paper to discs that could hold one book to handheld devices that hold hundreds of books. Are e-books going to take out bound tomes like VHS kicked Beta’s ass?

a Xerox Sigma V mainframe computer

No, I don’t believe so. Paper books and documents have been around for millennia. Though e-books have become a part of our everyday life, bound books are still just as involved. There is nothing like holding a new book in your hands and turning the page in anticipation of what will happen next. It’s like comfort food for your brain.

I do believe that E-books will provide a new frontier of opportunities in publishing for the writer and reader alike. E-publishing is opening doors for many writers to get their feet wet in the publishing pool and build a readership.

 Books being available instantly, almost anywhere in the world there is internet can provide vast new opportunities for established writers to reach new readers and expand their platforms.  

E-books are not a fad, they are here to stay. In the forty years they’ve been around electronic books have made an impact on the publishing industry. It’s going to be interesting to see what the next forty years brings to this broadening frontier.

This week choose a book for your favorite e-reader and support a new era in the book. Check out my e-books in the Literary Emporium or just click the book store tab at the top of this blog. Get 20% off your order with the coupon code SPACIOUS, now through March 7th. 

Happy Read an E-Book Week!