tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post1490842105040920260..comments2024-03-25T09:56:16.164+00:00Comments on An Awfully Big Blog Adventure: Me and my Kindle: Sue PurkissUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-11808177152785139182012-01-06T11:34:20.865+00:002012-01-06T11:34:20.865+00:00Oh, they're so pretty! The only difficulty is ...Oh, they're so pretty! The only difficulty is going to be how to choose...Sue Purkisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09084528571944803477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-1692764875203758782012-01-06T08:05:22.184+00:002012-01-06T08:05:22.184+00:00Sue, I also love my Kindle, particularly the abili...Sue, I also love my Kindle, particularly the ability to preview a couple of chapters before making the commitment to buy and, living in Australia, the ability to download the Observer for less than the cost of what passes for a Sunday paper where I live. My dull grey Kindle is also now very beautiful, wearing a Van Gogh coat of almond blossoms. I cover all my devices with skins from Gelaskins (Canadian I think) - you will be amazed at the variety of designs for all shapes of Kindle, as well as other devices. I have no vested interest - just thought you might like to know.JudiJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02288121862862887118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-54202995052446689012012-01-05T18:08:43.956+00:002012-01-05T18:08:43.956+00:00I'm always surprised that people want to take ...I'm always surprised that people want to take so many books on holiday. I find I have less time to read on holiday than at home - far too busy rushing about visiting places, going for long walks, and sitting around in restaurants. I like to have one book - maybe even two - but that's enough.Ann Turnbullhttp://www.annturnbull.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-52554080164383554402012-01-05T10:19:02.735+00:002012-01-05T10:19:02.735+00:00Thanks for the mentions of Authors Electric, Sue! ...Thanks for the mentions of Authors Electric, Sue! My next post, on Saturday 7th, will be about Kindle for writers - well, partly, anyway. <br /><br />I don't mind the charcoal grey at all, though I might soon have to buy a more eye-catching cover than the black one I've been given.Linda Newberynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-69500236153385643112012-01-04T22:13:14.159+00:002012-01-04T22:13:14.159+00:00Thanks, everyone - and particularly Giles, for the...Thanks, everyone - and particularly Giles, for the longest comment I've ever had on a post! What you say about cost is interesting. I too feel I shouldn't have to pay as much for an e-book - it doesn't cost as much to publish, obviously. But I'm prepared to pay more than £1.99. As a reader, I'm paying for what's inside the package, not for the wrapping. And as a writer, I'd hope to receive a reasonable payment for that. <br /><br />Well, we can all dream...Sue Purkisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09084528571944803477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-11942282941643711792012-01-04T21:12:07.794+00:002012-01-04T21:12:07.794+00:00What price ebooks? How much are you prepared to pa...What price ebooks? How much are you prepared to pay? It depends what you really mean by an ebook. My own purchasing habits as a reader have given me pause for thought.<br /><br />Previously, I have compared ebooks for the Kindle as being like well-thumbed library books: text but not necessarily a sensory experience.<br /><br />I have been buying quite a lot of books for the Kindle during December, prompted by the free classics, The Kindle Daily Deal, and the Twelve Days of Kindle Christmas promotion.<br /><br />I have purchased 20 books and have paid no more than £1.57 per book. Most have been for £0.99. At a fair reading rate for me that's about £25.00 for six months' reading. A sobering thought for an author trying to make a living.<br /><br />It seems that price is dictating what I read, and it's all interesting quality stuff. It turns out that £1.99 is about the maximum, I am prepared to pay for a Kindle ebook. That means for the author to have any chance of making a living, their royalty needs to be at least 50%. That should be ok, considering lower production costs and no expensive warehouse and shipping.<br /><br />So what am I prepared to pay more for?<br /><br />Well, I might pay £3.99 for a new novel, which would normally come out as a hardback, if I thought it was a must-read. It would have to be pretty special. I would pay a premium for an ebook on the iPad if it was illustrated or was an app like T S Eliot's The Wasteland or Jack Kerouac's On the Road, or a reference book like The Elements or anything that DK produces. Illustrated children's books I would pay for too, even if they didn't have multi-media features.<br /><br />As a reader, do I feel guilty? No. Should I as an author be concerned? Yes.<br /><br />We are fortunate as readers that authors will always write, because they have to, even if there's not living to be had from it.Giles Digglehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17121206338303291004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-41145125271765354192012-01-04T19:42:29.540+00:002012-01-04T19:42:29.540+00:00My relationship with my Kindle is weird. I'll ...My relationship with my Kindle is weird. I'll be obsessed with it for a few months, then not pick it up for a few months over and over again. However, I'd still recommend it. Though I do see where you're coming from and it is nice to hold a proper book as well.<br />I don't mind the colour, as I have a case, but it would be nice for it to be available in lots of different colours!-Ria xohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15307568242534893953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-90901550372309747342012-01-04T19:18:08.981+00:002012-01-04T19:18:08.981+00:00I have a Kindle and an iPad2, which covers all bas...I have a Kindle and an iPad2, which covers all bases. It would never occur to me to try and get the Internet on the Kindle.<br /><br />I don't mind at all that's it's grey - and the cover I bought for it is black. I bought the Complete Works of Dickens straightaway as soon as I'd got it, and Jane Austen and Shakespeare, all for ridiculously low sums.<br /><br />The only novel I've read on it so far, apart from friends' unpublished work, is Wolf Hall and it was ideal for that.<br /><br />I'll never stop buying dead tree books though - it's a quite different experience.Mary Hoffmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06241989732624913706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-82950581020666254232012-01-04T18:47:41.000+00:002012-01-04T18:47:41.000+00:00Mm - it is very useful, the way it saves your plac...Mm - it is very useful, the way it saves your place. I'd forgotten about that.Sue Purkisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09084528571944803477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-55430711310906450102012-01-04T18:25:01.278+00:002012-01-04T18:25:01.278+00:00I know I'm one of the Electric Authors, and so...I know I'm one of the Electric Authors, and so biased, but I love my kindle! I don't mind it being a boring colour (I keep it in a bright red, light-weight leather cover). I don't want to connect to the internet with it - if I did, I'd get distracted from reading my book by emails that can wait.<br />I find it far less annoying than paper books - no losing your place, no struggling to hold bulky pages flat. I get far more absorbed in reading on the kindle - it gets out of the way of the words.<br />In short, I'm something of a gadget lover, and always expected to be a kindle fan - but I love it much more than I expected to!Susan Pricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07738737493756183909noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-77675301569370378382012-01-04T17:51:40.804+00:002012-01-04T17:51:40.804+00:00Many of these objections refer to using the Kindle...Many of these objections refer to using the Kindle for activities which are not its primary purpose. I've never attempted to look at emails on it - but I do use it for commuting and holidays, and it's wonderful. A whole rucksack-full of books in one! And the e-ink is great because it's not tiring on the eyes the way a back-lit screen is. I suppose the lack of colour is a problem if you want to read illustrated books (though as Elen C says, Kindle Fire is on its way) but most of the books I want to read are just text. And B/W suits me fine for that.Janhttp://literaryteapot.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-43055271913210046722012-01-04T16:21:58.060+00:002012-01-04T16:21:58.060+00:00I found this really useful as it confirms some of ...I found this really useful as it confirms some of the prejudices (?) I felt about the Kindle. <br /><br />If I was a daily or regular commuter I know I'd get one right away (especially for the Falco!) but just now I'll wait for future developments in the devices and enjoy my lovely real world books.Penny Dolanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16386668303428008498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-40319189470269774942012-01-04T16:09:50.654+00:002012-01-04T16:09:50.654+00:00I didn't know about that, Ann. I'm sure th...I didn't know about that, Ann. I'm sure there are lots of other useful things I haven't discovered yet, too.<br /><br />The iPad certainly looks very lovely - but I don't think it would pass the standing-on-a-train test!Sue Purkisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09084528571944803477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-79029742997093662302012-01-04T14:36:48.490+00:002012-01-04T14:36:48.490+00:00I got mine last August, and do so agree about the ...I got mine last August, and do so agree about the boring grey appearance. I now keep it in a nice red cover, BUT this makes it twice as heavy! I haven't travelled with it yet but if I do I might leave the cover at home and carry the Kindle in a light padded envelope. No problems reading on it, though - and did you know you can convert a Word manuscript to a PDF and transfer it to your Kindle? I'm probably way behind the times, but I only found out yesterday, and it's a real boon.Ann Turnbullhttp://www.annturnbull.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-21185555315863841712012-01-04T14:19:09.373+00:002012-01-04T14:19:09.373+00:00Glad you added that all this is from the reader&#...Glad you added that all this is from the reader's point of view. As an author, I can benefit from my ebooks, but sad that the wonderful experience of actually handling a book is missing. I still buy some books in hardbook and enjoy. :0)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07957545161716269528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-11960012838812294242012-01-04T12:09:57.783+00:002012-01-04T12:09:57.783+00:00Oh good grief. Sorry. That should be boring and mo...Oh good grief. Sorry. That should be boring and most. Brain going faster than fingers.madwippitthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02595748471651052552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-24394910232025014152012-01-04T12:08:58.691+00:002012-01-04T12:08:58.691+00:00Yes, I'm with you on the biring grey casing. I...Yes, I'm with you on the biring grey casing. I had to buy an electric apple green cover to jolly it up so I could spot it when I put it down instead of losing it somewhere in the background ...<br /><br />But modst of all, hurrah for another Falco fan!madwippitthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02595748471651052552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-52944992728060078802012-01-04T11:39:16.820+00:002012-01-04T11:39:16.820+00:00No e-ink, so backlit, I should add. Elen is right....No e-ink, so backlit, I should add. Elen is right.Frankofilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01735463685466184020noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-50633896704389950782012-01-04T11:37:43.826+00:002012-01-04T11:37:43.826+00:00YOu might look at the Asus eeepad transformer. It&...YOu might look at the Asus eeepad transformer. It's a tablet with a detachable keyboard (which also extends the battery to 16 hours' usage). Expensive. But I use it as a reader (handles colour), and as a netbook. Oh, and as a phone (Skype) and for all those little android apps that people can use on their phones (sudoku, anyone?). I am not connected in any way with this product, just found it served my purposes. I just wish more illustrated books were produced in electronic format!Frankofilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01735463685466184020noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-16702784472209344562012-01-04T11:01:59.978+00:002012-01-04T11:01:59.978+00:00Sadly what you want doesn't exist yet - the se...Sadly what you want doesn't exist yet - the second it does I'll be buying it too!<br /><br />There area few 'nearly' things. The iPad is close - internet, apps, basic wordprocessing as well as ebooks. BUT it doesn't use eink, so is backlit.<br /><br />Kindle Fire is coming to the UK soon and is a non-apple version of the same. Again, no eink.<br /><br />It won't be long though before eink, internet and colour all come together to make the perfect reading machine (I think that used to be called 'books'...)Elen Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00445201005486291612noreply@blogger.com