Santa Gave Me a . . . .
Kindle.
I must have been a very good girl. Or very naughty, which is just how my Santa likes it.
Early assessment? I love it.
And now . . . I must eat crow.
Because I said to Lurker Monkey that I would never part with my bookstore experience. And I think that is largely true, because my bookstore experience has been based, for years, on relaxing, on spending a few hours BROWSING and not on some predatory book search for a single item.
But I loaded this on my Kindle (my first purchase!). And I loaded a bunch of free stuff, like Sherlock Holmes and Tolstoy! And I realized that together all the stuff I loaded doesn't weigh more than a couple of credit cards (or so it seems). So light. And for someone like me, whose tastes run to Tolstoy and physics . . . that is a WONDERFUL thing. So I honestly think it IS an eithor/or for me. Done. No real paper books.
That said, I need to get a case for my Kindle so as to not crack the screen as I drag it places. And the other eating crow part? I really do "curl up" with it at night same as a book.
And now for one more thing . . .
I will spend WAY more money on books.
That's the surprising thing. I only bought books in the bookstore, for the most part. (I.e., I have never ordered much off of Amazon because of shipping and because . . . I just didn't.) And as a busy (!!!) mom of four? How often do YOU think I got to go to the bookstore that WITHOUT Demon Baby in tow? If I was to hazard a guess? Three times in the last calendar year. Count 'em. Three times. In general, except for my Christmas purchases this last visit . . . I spend maybe $80 a trip. That's $160 on books this year (plus $300 at Christmas--but that included DVDs). With my Kindle? I've dropped $20 already and I've had it two days. Now, some of that is novelty. But I do think I will more often hear about a book, check out a few pages online, and pop it into my Kindle. I will spend more on books--albeit the e-book variety.
Another thing? There is no (zilch) temptation for me to download free books by people I have never heard of who self-publish. None. Free doesn't mean anything to me except for Tolstoy. I will BROWSE more online, I think. I will discover new authors and new books, but in the end, it will still MOST LIKELY be word of mouth that drives me to a new book. Again, this isn't a rant against self-pubbing so much as I don't find my browsing goes that way, nor do I think it will go that way ever. I could be wrong.
So there you go . . . the buying habits and thoughts of a new Kindle convert.
And what did Santa bring YOU?
36 comments:
2010 will be my year for some sort of e-reader, I'm pretty sure.
The Taylor 214E was the primary gift, subsidized by the fam. Got a sweatshirt, the new Jimmy Buffett CD, couple books, slippers...
:-)
Have you been to Feedbooks.com? Free books for the Kindle. Thousands of them. Dickens, Hardy, everyone. It's amazing. You can also access it from Kindle, and it'll download to your Kindle automatically, if you go to Experimental/Basic Web, and then feedbooks.com. That way you don't have to use the usb cord to transfer them. They're formatted a little nicer than the Kindle free books.
Forgot. I got a gift certificate to Amazon. :-)
I've got twenty samples, fifty books, and 150 public domain books on my Kindle. :-) I just LOVE carrying all those books with me!
I adore my kindle. Anther thing to know about the kindle: if you have an iPhone, you can buy an application in tha App store that will allow you to access your kindle library on your iPhone and you can read on your phone while at doctors offices, in line at the grocery, etc, without taking your kindle along. It accesses your current read at the exact place you are on the kindle. That's perfection!!!!
Enjoy!!!!
Among the things Santa brought me was a cover for my Kindle.
You are right. Over the last nine months (I think) of owning the Kindle, I have spent more on books.
I still read traditionally bound books, about one of those for every five on the Kindle.
To me the interesting thing is this--If I see a blog about a book I'd like to read I go to Amazon. If the book is on Kindle, I order it and have it in a few minutes. If it is not on Kindle, I put it on my wish list. Once a year I go through and delete most of the books on that list.
In other words, I'm a lot more likely to make an impulse buy and immediately read the book on Kindle. Most of my hardbound mystery books I buy from Mystery Guild because they were kind to my book.
My father-in-law and friend got Kindles too. Very cool.
My husband bought me an infared sauna for Xmas. It's kind of a health thing for a weird circulation problem I have, but it's also permission to go in it for 30 minutes a pop and read or chat on the phone or listen to music. Me time! (Yay!) Happy New Year, Erica!
Hi Mark:
I also got a small buddha statue, candles . . . a necklace. But the Kindle was way cool.
E
Natasha!
THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!! I knew you'd know all the secret stuff. :-)
Beth:
I expected to like it. But I sort of expected to like it as a "gadget" (i.e., the coolness factor). I didn't expect to LOVE it for real.
E
Joe:
Sort of like iTunes, I will have to be cautious I don't overspend since they make it SO easy.
E
Wendy:
As a busy mom-writer myself, I find I need "permission" for those sessions of me time. Good for you that you have that built into something healthy for you.
E
Erica,
I think my point about the Kindle is that a publishing house and author make a mistake not putting their offerings on book readers such as the Kindle.
Several authors I was interested in lost sales because their books were not offered on Kindle.
Also, I think withholding books from Kindle-type readers for two months (something I read publishers are considering) would be a mistake. After the two-month period, interest may have declined and the publishers may well have lost sales they would otherwise have made earlier.
Here's one cool thing about the Kindle ... remember when DVDs came out and the movie industry was surprised with a few years of incredibly strong revenue? It turns out that people 1) replaced their entire VHS libraries with DVDs and 2) the studios underestimated how much enthusiasm there would be for collecting movies on DVDs. Maybe e-readers like the Kindle will spark a similar surge in revenue as people stock their devices with whole libraries, and that's a very good thing in my book (ha ha).
Merry Christmas!
Oh yeah, I got a lovely new office chair that somewhat resembles the captain's chair in the starship Enterprise, so I'm currently enjoying time in the cockpit.
Oh Erica. You traitor! LOL
Joe:
My own publisher (Jabberwocky) made headlines for delaying. Now that I have one . . . I have to question that policy for the same reason, but it's an evolving thing . . . so who knows how publishers will approach this as time goes on.
E
Lurker:
That's it exactly. I would consider buying certain faves (such as Man's Search for Meaning and various philosophy and religious texts I re-read often) AGAIN just to have them in one luggable spot.
E
FF:
I KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL! But as I did say, my EXPERIENCES of the bookstore will remain for the same reasons. Relaxation. But I do think I will buy the majority for the Kindle.
E
ALL:
I will likely blog tomorrow about the fact that I think one reason the Kindle appeals so much is I read as many as six books at a time . . . who could lug all those in a purse or backpack? So the fact that I could have them all with me for whatever mood strikes me? Love it!
So fun that you got a Kindle!
Santa brought me an awesome chef's hat - I look like the Swedish Chef, it's great! And I got an adorable apron with pies on it, a kitchen scale and a fantastic book on cake decorating. I am thrilled!
I love the Kindle on my iphone. And I have spent a lot more on books than before. The convenience is awesome for busy moms.
Santa got me a Wii Fit to work off all the holiday pounds.
Nadine:
Post a picture on your blog of your new hat!
Cheryl:
We have a Wii Fit, but I haven't used it. Seems I can't really get any privacy to do it. I prefer walking outside--at least I escape for a little. LOL!
E
My wife loves her Kindle and I got her the non-leather cover. They don't offer many. I think I secretly covet her Kindle. We went to the bookstore tonight - me, mom and my dear wife. My wife is the only one who walked out empty-handed.
I got a feral kitten this year. It was supposed to be a working fireplace. Ah well. The kitten is much more interesting and we taped two channels that were showing "Yule Log" specials. A lot less messy though the heat and crackle factor is definitely missing.
We're also celebrating New Year's instead this time around but only because we were too late to do the solstice. So the small gift giving has yet to happen.
I never saw why people liked Ipods so much.
Sandy Claws has shown me the light. So..much..music.
This e-reader stuff is starting to get me excited. Think of all the extras that could be include in digibooks. I'm thinking more artwork, all leading to a better understanding of the story and a greater visual experiance the readers.
I covet the Kindle. I'm happy to hear you love it, and that it enhances your reading/book experience. No Santa here, but when (note the positive energy there) I get an agent, even though that doesn't guarantee a sale, I'm going to buy myself a Kindle as my own hooray for me gift. I already spend lots of books - I'm an amazon dot com junkie - and to think I wouldn't have to wait for UPS or have my hands cramp up holding books open (which they do) means is very enticing.
But I'm waiting...
Naturally, I've got all the dirt on Cheryl's recent book buying binge. I NEVER thought she'd out spend me on books.
Welcome to the dark side. Mwahahaha! We knew we'd get you eventually. Now the apocalypse can begin!
LOL! I love watching another reader fall in love with their Kindle. :-)
Okay, two more: to read in bathtub, jacuzzi, or pool while doing exercises, put in Ziploc bag.
And the "Try a Sample for Free" feature at the Kindle store is... well... I've got near a hundred samples on my Kindle.
Saraha:
"the kitten is much more interesting"--LOL!
We got a kitten this year, too. We named her Pumpkin.
JT:
I don't watch DVD extras . . . but I see where you can go with it.
E
JT:
P.S.--MISSED YA!
Amy:
Here's hoping it's soon. :-)
John:
LOL! If you're goingg to be outspent on something, books are a good thing.
E
Robin:
The Four Horsemen just rode by.
E
I still have not tried an e-book, although it is getting more and more tempting. How is it from a tactile perspective? That's the only thing that I worry about... I enjoy the feel of a book in my hands. Is the Kindle reminiscent of this feeling at all?
How exciting! I got a netbook and even though I'm a Mac girl, I love it.
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