For Writers and Readers

So far, ebooks aren't my favorite. What I prefer is a 250-300 page hardback with good-sized type. Larger hardbacks can be clumsy. And they cost far too much, or if I shop around online for deals, often the copy I get is rather shabby.

Mass market paperbacks usually have minuscule type. Trade paperbacks are of a pleasant size and usually have readable type, but the covers curl.

Also, if you, like me, have lived a long while without following the advice of Mari Kondo you may own a literal ton or two of books. Lately I've been sorting through mine and allowing myself to give away many of those I read and may or may not want to read again by remembering I can always get them, for very little, as ebooks.

And a lot of the best books ever written are free. The complete works of Shakespeare, Poe, Austen, Dostoyevski, Twain, for nothing.

That's ridiculous.

For voracious readers, sites like Open Road Media can feed you any number of worthy titles for less than boutique coffee. And Scribd, to which I happily subscribe though as a rule I avoid subscriptions, provides unlimited ebooks and audiobooks for about one-third (monthly) of the cost of a new hardback.

Besides, with ebooks you can adjust the font or type size and highlight parts you choose to save.

Here's some help in case you're considering a Kindle and don't know which one to buy. Or to compare several ereaders and online bookstores, read this article.

For a brief primer on how to deliver ebooks from Smashwords, such as we commonly offer give away here in less IS more, go to the ar chive and look in the 6-1-20 issue.