Sounds basic. But many people–and I’m one–have not done it often enough. Instead of just raving on to a friend about the glories of e-books, why not give a demo?
“I showed my Palm Zire 71 to a friend last night at a party,” Brad writes in the ePublishing Blog, “and told him there were over 40 books on that device, many of them free. He was amazed and went and showed it to his wife. This despite the fact that I had been telling him about PDA’s and ebooks for months on an online forum. Like so much in the computer world, seeing a live demo can be worth a thousand words.” Advises Brad: “Take your PDA to your next party.”
If you’re really fanatical enough, send your old PDA to an out-of-town friend or acquaintance you’re trying to convert. That’s what I did. Worked like a charm. Now she expects to buy her own PDA, and meanwhile her youngest is enjoying the Blackmask version of Steal This Book and the Mobipocket edition of Aesop’s Fables. Oh, how eclectic a reader you can be in this medium.
Tip: Before lending a PDA to a prospective convert, ask him or her for a list of titles to include, and make certain beforehand that everything works smoothly.
Related: Brad correctly suggests that the PDA-makers should devote more energy to talking up PDAs as e-book readers. He’s also concerned about the Tower of eBabel and the DRM disgrace and the price gouging–all of which, I suspect, have helped reduce the popularity of e-books on PDAs and other platforms.
