Bytes Alive! It’s Read an eBook Week!

(((Somehow, Saint Rita roped me into this. I'll have to say though, it's been interesting so far.)))

Summary: Several years ago, Canadian author Rita Toews did an extraordinary thing: she had a new form of literature officially recognized with a week of its own.

According to Chase’s Calendar of Events, this March 6 to 12 is Read an eBook Week.

But wait! Why a special week for ebooks?

The invention of the printing press in the 15th Century brought reading to the masses. The invention of the ebook in the 20th Century promised to revolutionize not just reading, but publishing for the masses. Suddenly, anyone could be published without having to wait years to find agents and publishers. The process of getting a book into the hands of the reading public shrunk from months to a few days. Royalties on ebooks were oft times unheard of amounts ranging from 50 to 70 percent. Readers would pay a fraction of what it cost for a hardcover book, and they would be able to download anything they wanted without having to leave their homes. Dedicated ebook readers were hot items for those in the know about cutting edge reading platforms. Stephen King himself jumped on the bandwagon with a free book accompanied by a free e-reader.

Things were looking good for trees and anyone who wanted to publish that novel collecting dust in the closet.

Then, the dream began grinding down. For some reason, ebooks weren’t the hot sellers everybody had predicted. Some blamed it on the tactile love for paper books you could hold in your hands. Some said the dedicated ebook readers were too expensive, too difficult to use, and too cumbersome. Some said: “I can’t take my computer into the bathtub with me.” There were disputes over digital rights and copyrights. There were complaints about proprietary technologies. There were concerns about sloppy editing. Stephen King left a serialized ebook novel dangling in cyberspace, half-finished. Abandoned.

Things were looking grim for trees and the ebook industry.

But now, the future of ebooks is looking bright again. Digital natives, who grew up reading on screens, are reading ebooks. They’re loading dozens of them into their PDAs and cell phones. Libraries are beginning to stock ebooks on CDs and even loaning out the dedicated e-readers. Project Gutenberg, a vast online repository of free e-reading, is growing by leaps and bounds. Major publishers are beaming out electronic versions of their bestsellers…while they’re still bestsellers. Some independent publishers are testing a book’s marketability by publishing electronically first and then, if sales are good, in print format. Even bookstores are selling ebooks.

The resurgence of interest in ebooks promises major impacts on what we read and the way we read it.

Said reader Peggy Loyer: “I love to travel and I do it frequently. I used to take an extra suitcase on vacation just to hold all the books I was planning to read. Now, I take only two paper books with me because I've got at least another ten in my palm pilot.”

“Teens regularly download and pay online,” said e-novelist M.D. Benoit. “They find reading the latest novel on their PDA or laptop as normal as breathing."

In the last year, e-publishing has prompted a renewed interest in the short story. Indie publishers like Echelon Press and ShortStuff Books began publishing single novellas and collections of three or four short stories. eBook distributors like Fictionwise have begun selling individual short stories alongside novels. Said reader Brad Parks: “Can you imagine going into a bookstore and buying a single short story, bound as a print book? Maybe in Dickens’ time.”

According to some, the greatest potential in ebooks is the creation of a whole world of new voices. According to Deron Douglas of Double Dragon Publishing: “The discovery of the ebook by the reading public has created a vast new industry that’s given voice to a very large group of talented writers that would otherwise not have been heard due to the inherent inequities and practices of the established publishing industry.”

Others go still further. “I see the democratic potential inherent in this publishing form,” said political essayist Glenn Brigaldino. “eBooks can offer views, enable independent debate, and present uncensored political critique from a multitude of political perspectives from around the globe.”

Much to the joy of both e-publishers and e-authors, sales of ebooks have been increasing steadily. “Double Dragon has seen an increase in ebook revenues between 25 and 30 percent in the last three years. “We’ll continue to concentrate on this emerging technology,” said Mr. Douglas.

This closely parallels the US ebook industry’s growth of 25 percent for the third quarter of 2004, according to the Open eBook Forum, a trade and standards organization dedicated to the promotion of e-publishing.

“There’s much to be celebrated,” said e-author Rita Toews. "As an author, I find it exhilarating to be on the ground floor of a new movement in reading."

It was Ms. Toews who approached Chases several years ago to have the second week of March declared Read an eBook Week. “They accepted it,” she said. “The response in the first year wasn’t great, but it was much better the second year.”

“The idea is for ebook publishers and authors to hold special events during the week,” said Ms. Toews. “By uniting in a mass promotion beginning March 6th, I am confident we can bring ebooks to the attention of the media and the public.”

In honor of the week, members of the ebook industry are encouraged approach local libraries, reading clubs, and the media to plan special events and bring them to the attention of the media.

“Authors can hold readings at libraries,” said Ms. Toews. “Publishers can offer special discounts, contests, and other promotions in honor of the event.”

“I think anybody who owns a PDA should download a free book from Memoware.com and try an ebook during Read an eBook Week,” said reader John Heinstein.

Canadian eAuthors, a group of Canadian e-writers and e-publishers, has created a series of free banners and buttons that can be downloaded at http://www.biffmitchell.com/eBook_Week/ebook_week.html to promote the event. The page also contains a schedule of events submitted by organizers. As calls will not be returned, callers with events to submit are asked to leave their email addresses.

Contact:

Biff Mitchell Canadian Spokesperson for Read an eBook Week 506-455-3678 (Calls will not be returned. Leave your email address.) Email: biff@biffmitchell.com

Download buttons and banners, and announce events at: http://www.biffmitchell.com/eBook_Week/ebook_week.html