Digital Novels?

Hello Everyone

Hope you're all having a great holiday!

Does anyone know if novels in digital form are an acceptable medium to novel readers at this point in time or is it not yet accepted?

I know that well known authors like Stephen King have had great success with doing this, but then he's...well, Stephen King!

I remember some time ago reading an article by Rick Beneteau. He mentioned that there will come a time when we will be reading such books in digital form only with an electronic handheld product designed especially for book reading, which we will take to bed with us instead of the traditional paperback or hardback.

My own personal thought is that when it comes to a novel, I would prefer to have a book in hand - maybe I've just answered my own question!

Regards,
Susan.

I was just reporting for an artists/writers' magazine about several e-novel publishers that closed their e-novel lines, including the one that published Stephen King. Several of us artists did book covers for e-novel publishers and the sales were... well... 'low' is a bit optomistic. "in the range of 5-20 copies per month" is the brutal truth.

Basically, everyone thinks it's a cool idea... but nobody's buying it.

I think it is one of those things whose time hasn't quite come yet.

I've read a couple of novels on my Palm computer and it is hard work. I wouldn't even bother to try to read one on my PC.

But ... sometime in the not too distant future, someone will bring out a platform that really takes off. Here's my prediction. It will be a multimedia player, capable of playing MP3s, maybe mini discs (or memory sticks, or whatever the next thing is). It will have wireless internet connectivity. It may even make phone calls.

And if the latest developments in electronic paper move ahead, it will probably be able to be rolled up and put in your top pocket (or purse).

Seriously, people who love PDAs will buy (or copy) novels to read on some kind of handheld device, but the market is way too small right now to make commercial implimentation a reality.

But as soon as Mr Gates sniffs a possible pocket, watch out ... everyone will just HAVE to have one.

Martin Avis

> Basically, everyone thinks it's a cool
> idea... but nobody's buying it.




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