I have lately been thinking about writing an e-book guide for the average consumer—something very simple and basic that breaks down some of the complex issues surrounding e-books into something easy to understand for people who don’t currently know anything about them. Before I begin, I’d like to know what members of the TeleRead community might think such a guide should contain.
My new tech support day job has brought home to me once more just what a gap there is between how much the average person knows about computers and how much computer geeks know. In a sense the gap is very difficult to bridge, as people who are experts on a subject are often instinctively hardwired to assume a basic level of knowledge on the part of other people that may still considerably miss the mark.
Lately I’ve been thinking about what kind of advice I would give if someone called me on the tech support line and asked me what e-book reader they ought to buy, or what the differences between them were. (It hasn’t happened yet, but the retail chain my tech support company works with is starting to sell more and more e-book devices, so I don’t doubt I’ll get e-book questions sooner or later.)
This in turn led me to consider what my co-workers ought to know about e-books to be able to answer those questions if they get them, and also what my parents ought to know about e-books if they ever consider getting a device that can read them.
So I am coming up in my mind with a plan for a very basic primer on the most commonly-used e-book formats and the most common e-reader devices. I generally want to keep it simple, to avoid confusing people too much—e-book technology and the Tower of E-Babel are confusing enough as it is.
So this is the rough outline of what I was planning to cover:
Why (Not) to Buy E-books
- E-book advantages (carry anywhere, read on multiple devices, keep your place, instant large-print, doesn’t take up space on your bookshelf, etc.)
- E-book disadvantages (DRM, can’t resell, need to charge up, pricy device, etc.)
E-book Formats
- EPUB (Adobe, Barnes & Noble, Apple, DRM-free)
- MobiPocket (Kindle, DRM-free)
E-Readers
- Kindle
- Nook
- Sony
- Kobo
- iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad
Now, I know there are a lot more formats and e-book reading devices out there, and I will probably at least mention some of them. But almost none of them have the support of any kind of major e-book vendor, and they’re generally meant for people who already have some sense of what they’re doing.
What I would like to know is whether there are any obvious omissions in my list above (bearing in mind that, again, I’m trying to keep it relatively simple and not confuse people right off the bat). What things should non-tech-savvy newcomers be told right off the bat so that they have a better idea of what they’re getting into by buying an e-book reader?
Please leave me your suggestions!
I’d start with a simple description of what ebooks are and aren’t; what eink readers do and don’t do, what reading apps do and don’t do. No evangelizing, no techno-talk; just point out how the stuff is *used*, not how it works.
Then I’d offer up a pre-purchase guide in the form of a checklist of value-judgment questions; which features serve what purpose, what they cost. Let them figure out what matters to them and *then* try to match their needs to the feature sets of available readers and ebook ecosystems. Again, focus on functionality; benefits, not features. The last thing to be discussed, if at all, is the gadgets themselves. eBooks should be about reading, not about the tech toys.
Anybody looking into ebooks is by definition literate and to get here they have to be computer literate. As long as the tech-talk and market-speak is kept to a minimum most folks can decide what matters to them and then choose their approach to ebook reading.
Just me, though…
Chris,
I would suggest you address which ebook readers have compatibility with library ebooks. Some consumers may want the ability to borrow popular trade titles from their public library rather than to purchase each title. Academic titles are a bit more complex, but you could focus on the larger aggregators (ebrary, NetLibrary, EBL, Ingram) and which, if any, ebook readers are supported by their platforms.
The book sounds great, and is very much needed. I hope your planning on lots of updates 😉
Sue
The first important thing to ask yourself, imho, is this – are you trying to turn the reader of your guide into an expert in eBooks, eReaders and formats ? Perhaps you are. But my guess is that you are not.
I have learned over the years that non techies know as little as they do because they don’t NEED to know any more, and why should they want to know more than they need? Perhaps because their jobs and personal interests just don’t cause them to need to use computers or other devices much. So when I answer their questions I always think first about what it is they actually NEED to know to get as far as they NEED to get. Not what I would LIKE them to know.
So as regards your potential customers of eReaders etc. I would ask yourself and them – what is it they want to do with the eReader ? and what is it they want and NEED to know ? Perhaps an initial simple list of questions that then reference them to a different section of a Guide.
Imho a Guide with long lists of options and lists of formats and explanations of them all is not what a non-techy wants. They just want to read books! LOL
If they just want to buy an ereader then I would start with the above question. What do you want to use your eReader for ? In this I am in mind of issues like making notes, fancy functions, and even the desire to share eBooks with other people ? or do they simply want to read basic novels and books, one page at a time, end of story.
This leads directly to how much they need them to know. The bog standard person simply needs to answer a couple of basic questions … perhaps about screen size, personal preferences for buttons etc… and then be guided through a short tutorial on using an ereader … navigation, downloading/purchasing, reading, bookmarking, dictionary maybe. Also a very short and brief pointer about what a format is (ePub etc.) and the fact that they can only use certain ones for the machine they chose.
If they want to use more advanced functions or sharing of eBooks then they need to know more. This should still be limited to what they NEED to know, rather that what it would be nice if they knew 🙂
My two cents.
As far as advantages and disadvantages, I’d put narrative vs. graphic at the top of the list. A lot of folks want to unburden themselves of textbooks, professional reference books, etc., but those books don’t work so well on a 6″ E-Ink screen. Images, graphics, footnotes, endnotes, and indexes generally don’t work too well; bookmarking, highlighting, and note-taking varies between readers in both capability and permanence, and page-flipping is generally to slow to be tolerated.
Similarly, a caution that PDFs are generally designed to be viewed at letter/A4 size and generally are not very much fun to view on the 6″ screen.
Also a short comment about the suitability (or lack thereof) of e-readers for minors.
As a separate category, I think you *have* to touch on the pricing and availability issues. With printed books, almost nobody pays any attention to who published it (Harlequin being a big exception). With e-books, much of the pricing and availability issues are in the hands of the publisher, and each publisher is different.
Add a brief mention that certain authors, notably J.K. Rowling, refuse to allow their books to be published electronically.
There’s also the availability time-gap between the public domain books (approx 1923 and before) and the era of digital printing (approx 2000). Books printed in that time-gap often don’t exist in digital form, and need to be either typed in or scanned in, then carefully proofed and corrected, before they can be turned into e-books. Projected sales need to compensate for that. Also, in many cases it’s not clear who owns the e-publishing rights to those titles (e.g., Wylie v. Random House).
I think that e-book “ownership” issues need to be touched on. E-books are personal, not physical, and generally can’t be sold, loaned, or given away.
Myself, I’d also point out the amount of free and low-cost content out there if you’re not looking for big-name titles. Between the public domain books, short-term promotional prices from the publishers on more recent titles, and independent distributors like Smashwords, it’s possible to keep one’s spending pretty low.
(By the way, it took over a dozen tries before I got a reCaptcha that I could read. I’m getting symbols, what appear to be foreign words, prices in foreign currencies, and some stuff that just looks like scanner noise. These are really ugly.)
I agree with the too much information problem.
Perhaps, you should structure it toward what different types of people want. They’d only have to read the section that pertains to them.
Some don’t want the technical stuff, they want an ereader with minimal learning curve and simple downloads. For them, you’d list the hardware that would work for them.
Others want to read ebooks on their computer or smartphone. For them, you’d cover the readers that work with various types of computers and phone hardware.
Others want the freedom offered by multiple, translatable formats and are happy with an intensive learning curve. Here, you’d offer much more info.
That’s just a few of the types I can think of.
Links to sites with the technical details and buying info. would also be helpful.
Jane at DearAuthor.com has been doing ebook/ereader posts for years. Lately these have been going up on Sunday afternoons and are answers to questions she gets.
I suggest take a look at some of her posts and the comments to them. As a librarian trying to introduce people to ebooks and get them to use the ebooks we provide, I find her posts and the comments to be really useful at helping me figure out the line between answering questions and oversharing techie blah mumble mumble mumble.
This sounds like a great project. Go Chris.
Anyway, my 2 cents would be:
1. I would also put longevity right at the top of cons for all e-books. E-books are great for something you plan to read right now, but if you’re making a long-term purchase you should really go for a hard-copy.
2. Don’t forget to mention the world’s most popular e-reading device: the PC (or Mac, if you’re Paul).
I wrote such a thing for a group I belong to. Its at Scrib (under ‘ficbot’) and aside from not covering the iPad, is still fairly current.
Ebook formats: Mention “legacy” formats, and the fact that there are several other formats that are less common now. They don’t need the complete list (lit pdb rb imp wol it just goes on…) but even a basic primer should mention “…and others.” That way, when they search for ebooks online and run into sites like Memoware, they won’t be totally lost.
Same with devices. There are *many* other devices; all of the ones mentioned promote their wireless options, and some people prefer non-wireless for security/privacy reasons. None of the 4 dedicated ebook readers mentioned can read .epub and .mobi, but several other devices can. At least a nod should be given to the devices that are devoted to widest usability & broadest filetype support, instead of bookstore connections.
Mention that there’s a broad array of complicated features–and that most people who buy an ebook reader are happy with the one they have. There is no “best ebook reader;” there’s only maybe “best for how & what you read.”
I’d put in a brief section on the history of ebooks, mentioning Project Gutenberg’s beginnings, and the fact that commercial ebooks have been available for more than 10 years. Some notes that “ebooks” aren’t limited to publishers’ offerings might also help; people new to ebooks might not have realized that there’s no technical difference between an “ebook” and a “document.”
DRM. Gotta mention DRM, at least as far as saying “no, you can’t move the books you bought on the Kindle last year to your new Nook.” Ut’d be nice to include a note that the legalities around DRM-stripping, ebook conversion, and sharing ebooks, even with family members, are all very contentious & blurry.
One more thing!
Even a very basic primer can include a list of links for further reading. Those can be as technical and detailed as any hardcore ebook geek could want.
Some pre-purchase considerations –
1) How one actually gets an e-book file:
The Kindle WhisperNet is cool. No other computer is needed! This is a BIG plus for non-techy book-buying public. Unfortunately, the Kindle isn’t good for libray books, but for those who prefer to buy anyway, direct download is a winner of an option.
(I think the newer Nooks have some wireless “G” capability for buyign from BnN, … I don’t know enough about it.)
Because of the Kindle lore, a lot of library users are surprised that they need to download via a ‘double-step’ by way of their laptop or desk computer and that complicates matters a bit.
Describe the middle layer such as Adobe Digital Editions for Overdrive books, etc. (or if buying books – Sony Reader Library, or other software for other readers), that needs to be loaded onto your computer – and briefly what it does and why it is necessary for certain readers.
It would be good to know that this middle step is necessary for many readers. Also what an Adobe ID does for you.
2) Users of e-textbooks. The ability to write notes in the reader is great for students using a reader for textbooks, but less so for leisure readers. Also the ability to import WORD, and other non-book text files or images might also be a boon to students or anyone expecting to use the reader for work. But again, less so for just leisure readers.
3) How to find the manufactures’ website help/support and related forums.
4) Soem readers have extra card memory capability, some do not.
5) If talking about the Sony – mentioning the Protected page error issue might be a nice public service. We have found that loading only PDF or only EPubs on the reader at a time, (not combinations of the two) has avoided this. (And check & delete any bookmarks from the opposite format, before you load up a different format.)A protected page error on the Sony is yucky to have to solve.
Btw – I have an AluraTek Libre, sold at Borders in addition to the Kobo also sold there. I like it because of its smaller footprint size (fits my purse), but has almost the same screen size.