Happy Wednesday everyone! We have Sherry Gloag, author of Vidal's Honor, with us today with a special Guest Post on the future of e-Readers! Take it away Sherry!
Guest Post by Sherry Gloag: The Future of e-Readers
Where would we – authors and readers – be without our e-readers? More and more people are turning to the convenience of carrying a fairly small gadget in a bag or pocket that allows them to access hundreds of book, articles and music all in one place.
But…
What of the future?
I can’t help wondering whether future generations will still have access to today’s latest e-books. Already millions of books are published every year, so in – say – twenty years time, or even a hundred, how many of these books will still be around?
If Jane Austen had written books for the e-book market back in the 1800’s, would her books still be available today?
Already many of the files I created on my first computer are no longer accessible due to the constantly updating of software. And I can’t help wondering whether a time will come when either e-readers as we know them today will morph into something completely different, -I mean how many of you remember the 3.5 inch floppy disk? And if that happens, will we still be able to read our favourites from the early 2000’s when e-readers are updated and upgraded?
And what about the readers that are specific to certain companies. Kindle, for one, and the Nook. If the company that issued the reader fails for whatever reason, would the owners of those readers find themselves without access to the books they have paid for?
There’s no doubt e-readers are amazing and convenient, and I have several e-books on my PC e-reader, but for me there is still something about holding a book in my hands, and I have many books that are nearly half a century old, and a few that are older than that. In fifty years time, will my latest e-reader still manage to provide me with all the e-books I buy today?
About Vidal's Honor:
Date Published: October 31, 2012
Publisher: Astraea Press, LLC
The Blurb:
When plunged into a world of spies, agents and espionage during the Peninsula wars, Honor, Lady Beaumont, flees for her life when the French capture her husband at Salamanca, and relies on his batman to arrange her safe passage back to England.Viscount Charles Vidal is ordered by Robert Dumas, the First Lord of the Admiralty, to travel to Spain and escort the only woman he’s ever loved, Lord Devlin Beaumont’s widow back home before the French discover her whereabouts.
Their journey is fraught by danger, least of all knowing whether they are surrounded by friends or foe. Will they survive long enough to explore the possibility of a future together or will whispers of treason be enough to see Honor dispatched to Tyburn first?
:-) Gabby, thank you for inviting me to visit with you on your blog today.
ReplyDeleteI read somewhere that most people read these days on their tablets rather than ereaders. I think dedicated ereaders might be a rarity in the future but there'll always be some sort of device on which readers can satisfy their literary hunger. :)
ReplyDeleteGorgeous cover! Congrats on your release!
:-) Thanks for your kind words, Cate. Good point about tablets. I don't have one, so wonder, can you read kindle on your tablet?
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