Jak pisać i mówić o e-książkach
Ostatnio sporo można w polskiej prasie i Internecie przeczytać o e-książkach. Ma to związek z planowanym przez Empik rozpoczęciem sprzedaży e-publikacji oraz polską premierą iPada.
Spowodowało to duże ożywienie wśród graczy na rynku e-publikacji – i bardzo dobrze. Im więcej się mówi, tym lepiej. Informacja musi dotrzeć do czytelników, muszą się z nią oswoić i przełamać obawy, w końcu to oni będą e-książki kupować.
Zastanawiające jest jednak, zresztą nie po raz pierwszy, że treść artykułów brzmi tak, jakby adresowana była nie do czytelników, ale wydawców, akcjonariuszy, analityków, jakbyśmy mieli do czynienia ze streszczeniem biznesplanu, a nie informacją dla potencjalnych odbiorców. »»»
5 pytań, które warto sobie zadać przy wyborze urządzenia do czytania e-książek
Coraz więcej osób zastanawia się nad zaprzyjaźnieniem się z książką w jej nowej, praktycznej, choć ciągle jeszcze kształtowanej formie elektronicznej. Zwykle nasze pytania krążą wokół samego urządzenia albo dostępnej treści.
Ja chciałbym zaproponować zastanowienie się na wyborem urządzenia z punktu widzenia własnych preferencji. Najważniejsze jest przecież to, jak tobie będzie się czytało.
Obecnie e-książki można czytać na komputerze, e-czytniku, tablecie i telefonie. Skupię się na trzech ostatnich urządzeniach – w miarę rozwoju e-czytelnictwa korzystanie z komputera będzie coraz bardziej ograniczało się do zarządzania półką e-książkową, a nie do samego czytania.
E-czytnik to urządzenie dedykowane (SPD – Single Purpose Device). Jego zakup zwykle wiąże się z decyzją o przejściu na czytanie książek w formie elektronicznej. Natomiast powodów zakupu tabletu jest dużo, a e-czytanie wcale nie musi być na początku listy preferencji. Z kolei w przypadku telefonu, a zwłaszcza smartfonu, dla większości z nas decyzja o e-czytaniu związana jest z wyposażeniem go w odpowiednią aplikację – samo urządzenie bowiem już posiadamy. »»»
Weekly links on mobile e-books & self-publishing 28.08.2010
- Cybook Orizon officially unveiledAugust 27, 2010Bookeen just revealed the new Cybook Orizon. Apparently I was wrong and the model from CES 2010 was not replaced. I don’t have all the details yet, but I do know that it has a 6″ touchscreen and Wifi. There’s no word yet on price or availability. From past coverage, I know that it’s suppos...
- Review: eBooks by Kobo for iPhone and iPadAugust 26, 2010This hybrid iPad-iPhone offering adds to the number of e-book readers in the App Store. It's a little slow at turning pages and doesn't do much to distinguish itself from the other offerings out there, but if you're dissatisfied with other e-book reader apps, eBooks by Kobo is certainly worth a tria...
- The Sharper Image announces Literati color e-readerAugust 26, 2010The Sharper Image may not be quite the retail presence it once was, but it looks like its still in good enough shape to hop on the latest trend -- its just announced The Literati by The Sharper Image, a $159 e-reader with a 7-inch color screen. That device actually comes courtesy of MerchSource, an...
- A book library on your phone - Mail & Guardian OnlineAugust 23, 2010Times LIVEA book library on your phoneMail Guardian OnlineThe m4Lit project began in 2009 to test whether teens in South Africa would read stories on their cellphones. Most of the reading and writing that happens ...Yoza m-novel library launchedTimes LIVELink Love: Yoza.Mobi Brings Mobile Fiction t...
- More Android e-book devices on the wayAugust 25, 2010Ars Technica’s Ryan Paul has a look at three upcoming or recent Android e-book readers, including the Cruz Reader, the Pandigital Novel, and the SmartQ T7. Velocity Micro’s Cruz Reader looks particularly impressive. Paul writes: The device has a seven-inch color LCD touchscreen with a resolutio...
- A selection of the best tablets you can buy nowAugust 23, 2010The announcement and subsequent release of Apple's "Jesus tablet" has set the portable touchscreen computer market on fire. Manufacturers are scrambling to release devices, wanting to get in on the tablet craze while it's still hot.
- Sony Touch Edition has been discontinued!August 22, 2010At least, that’s the product status reported by BH Photo. You usually only see “discontinued” when a retailer tries to order more and is told it won’t be available. Of course, at this point it’s not really that much of a surprise, is it? We already knew about the new models. via Mike Cane...
- Mobile Ebook ReadingAugust 16, 2010Mobile Ebook Reading - That's a good question. Does the future of books lie in the increasing popularity of mobile eBook reading? eBook readers have certainly advanced a great deal in recent months, partially because they allows people ...
- EC Media launches Wink e-reader in IndiaAugust 21, 2010While the world holds its collective breath for India to actually mass produce that $35 tablet it's been trumpeting here lately, the country's own EC Media International is taking the wraps off of a sparkling new e-reader: the Wink. This cutely titled device doesn't look much different than older g...
- Pocketbook announces color touch screen Android powered e-reader and moreAugust 21, 2010Manufacturing upstart PocketBook is clearly still gung ho about e-readers, judging by the five new models it has announced will be released at IFA in September, which include a pair of entry-level ProBook 602 and 902 units, as well as the ProBook 603 and 903 premium units. The 60x designated models...
- Books Have Many Futures : NPRAugust 21, 2010If many types of paper-based books are headed for extinction, what will take their place? "E-readers" are a big part of the present and future -- but not the whole story. Video games and multi-narrator online stories will have their places too.
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A geeky banner to Amazon Kindle Store which deserves its own blog post
Yesterday I’ve made this banner to draw attention of techies to my books at Kindle Store. I’m proud of it. It’s so shiny and beautiful – and links to short stories, which generally say shiny gadgets are not always perfect. You can read them on your Kindle, iPhone, iPad or BlackBerry.
From now on it’ll shine above comments on every blog post. Compare it to that boring Google stuff below. Oh my Geek, just move over the iPhones…
Google Editions delayed and why it’s good for readers

A couple of days ago Reuters had news stating that Google Editions is “due to launch this fall”.
It sounds like a hell of a delay. When first announced in October last year it was due to start in first months of 2010. Then it was about to launch in June or July. Now we have to wait till a vague fall.
The delay suggests Google is not ready with a new service. In view of all failures it’s not good to hurry up again.
Postponing is not good for Google, but it’s actually good for the reader. There are two major reasons for that.
Google will have time to improve before it’s too late
There are a lot of questions and concerns about a new e-bookstore. In my opinion a serious player in the e-book market should not only provide the right tools to buy books but also the right tools to read them. »»»
Reading books on a mobile phone [video]
Find the Ether Books application at the iTunes AppStore. Lots of great reading!
Weekly links on mobile e-books & self publishing 21.08.2010
- liquidpubs – new publishing service launchedAugust 20, 2010Has anyone heard of them? From the press release: liquidpubs is a set of services and technologies that allows publishers of magazines, newspapers and books to offer a groundbreaking experience of their content on tablet computers and smartphones. For newspapers and magazines, whether it’s the iPa...
- Ebooks: Revolution Or Fad?August 20, 2010HSINCHU, Taiwan — The marriage of an American technology firm and a Taiwanese display panel manufacturer has helped make digital reading a prospective challenger to paper as the main medium for transmitting printed information. Four years ago Cambridge, Mass.-based E Ink Corporation and Taiwan's...
- Kobo Price To Drop To $99 By ChristmasAugust 19, 2010With all of the new tablets rumored to come out this fall and the new Kindles almost ready to ship, this should be an interesting holiday season for the eReader. And the price wars are likely to continue. The New Yorker is reporting that the Kobo will be down to $99 by Christmas. From The New Yo...
- HOW TO: Make Your Mobile Websites Act More Like Native AppsAugust 18, 2010This series is supported by Rackspace, the better way to do hosting. Learn more about Rackspace’s hosting solutions here.As smartphone sales continue to soar, more and more developers are focusing their efforts on building applications for mobile devices. Whether it is a native application or a mo...
- Google Editions "Due To Launch This Fall"August 18, 2010In a Reuters article about indie bookstores, the reporter broke some news about the seemingly postponed launch of Google Editions. It appears that Google's bookstore--poised to compete with Apple iBookstore and the Amazon Kindle Store--will "launch this fall." Check it out: "The [American Booksell...
- Self Publish Your Tweets & Tweetpics with TwournalAugust 19, 2010The brand new Twournal service launched yesterday, allowing people to print and sell copies of their Twitter feeds. The company also offers a free eBook edition of your tweets, even if you don't want to pay to print your Twitter journal. Here's more about the site: "All Twournals have color cover...
- Wattpad launches marketing program for self-published authorsAugust 18, 2010From their press release: In the first half of 2010, Wattpad has established cross-promotional partnerships with major self-publishing houses Smashwords, Lulu and Bubok. To assist writers in connecting with readers on the site, Wattpad is launching the Self-Published Writers Program, a new marketi...
- eTextbooks: iPad & eReaders Lag Behind, PCs Still DominantAugust 18, 2010Last week we looked at the pros and cons of eBooks vs traditional paper books. For the consumer market, eBooks are still at the early stage of adoption - but becoming more popular due to the iPad and the price point getting lower for eReaders like Kindle. Another market where eBooks have a lot of po...
- Half.com Offers iPhone App to Find Cheap Textbooks On The GoAugust 16, 2010With college students around the country heading back to school in the coming weeks, the hunt for cheap textbooks is on. If you've ever spent a couple hundred collars on a single book, only to read a few chapters and put the book back on the shelf, then you know the unique sticker shock that comes w...
- Can Apps Save Content Publishers?August 16, 2010Can apps save content publishers? That was a question posed today at the DigiDay: Apps conference in New York. Panelists from the magazine and mobile industry discussed the growth of mobile devices and tablet devices for reading and asked how this new adoption can help save magazines. EBook publis...
- Is all piracy bad piracy?August 13, 2010The law’s not working, the entertainment industry is ignoring the problem and piracy’s not going away anytime soon: these were just a few of the ideas circulating at Wednesday’s panel debate on piracy in East London. read more
- iPad Passes Print Reading in User PreferenceAugust 13, 2010That didn’t take long now did it? The iPad is king of content absorption, according to a new survey from media agency Cooper Murphy Webb. Less than six months of age, the iPad has changed the way readers prefer to get their content. The survey results show that iPad owners now prefer their tablet...
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The present and future of e-books [presentation]
Please have a look at this wonderful presentation by Veronica Reynolds.
Week on Twitter 2010-08-15
- Week on Twitter 2010-08-08 – Week on Twitter 2010-08-01 http://ow.ly/18nBLK # iPad: Evolution of Books [video] htt… http://ow.ly/18tKVQ #
- Top level applies also to humans » Hierarchy of Robot Needs http://j.mp/9KAT9m #
- InDesign CS5 ePub Export http://ow.ly/18u0PC #
- #1picstory :: Lost – Posted via email from One Picture Stories http://ow.ly/18ubHV #
- Bubble Cow: Editing Your Own Novel: The Importance Of Self Editing http://ow.ly/18uqI5 #
- Comparison: books vs. e-books [infographic] – via makeuseof.com Posted via email from Password Incorrect http://ow.ly/18usm1 #
- Bubble Cow: How to get published with a single email http://ow.ly/18vmP5 #
- I'm failing as a writer, but I'm doing well as an Amazon affiliate. Sold 2 Kindles yesterday from my Mobile Reading Store http://ow.ly/2noN6 #
- @moominboy I'm OK with failing, I create only when I fail:-) in reply to moominboy #
- Self-Publishers Start Here: Understanding Fonts & Typography http://ow.ly/18vXMJ #
- To fall in love with an eBook http://j.mp/c0Qpqw by @TheLitPlatform #
- Love Noise to Signal » 5 Funny Social Media Web Comics http://bit.ly/b87Ako #
- RE: @mashable I love "Noise to Signal" and G&P.
Social Media is a main focus of the stories I'm creating on an iPhone… http://disq.us/k3wib # - 5 Ways That Paper Books Are Better Than eBooks http://ow.ly/18wHFy #
- 5 Ways That eBooks Are Better Than Paper Books http://ow.ly/18wHFC #
- Project Gutenberg and OverDrive integrate http://ow.ly/18wHFA #
- EPUB Straight to the Point (Book Review of the Paperback) http://ow.ly/18wUtL #
- Plastic Logic Cancels Que ProReader http://ow.ly/18wUtJ #
- The human body in html & php http://ow.ly/18xpQr #
- Bubble Cow: Keywords: A writer’s guide to attracting more traffic to your blog http://ow.ly/18xnUf #
- RT @toc: New post: What publishers can and should learn from "The Elements"
http://oreil.ly/cHKbjY # - 10 Kindle tips http://ow.ly/18xSUv #
- 66% through A Short History of EBooks using @stanza_reader. “A SHORT HISTORY OF EBOOKS”. #
- Getting Ready to Publish http://ow.ly/18yeVE #
- Bubble Cow: Links to resources for writers #week1 http://ow.ly/18yedB #
- I agree, color is a no-go » Why Nobody Will Buy a Color E-Ink Ebook Reader http://bit.ly/b36dzQ #
- RE: @mobilecontent It's a fantastic idea to convince hesitating minds. A couple of days with e-books on an e-reader an… http://disq.us/ka3r2 #
- Lonely Planet’s Discover guidebooks for iPad [video] http://ow.ly/18yke0 #
- Getting Ready to Publish http://bit.ly/dfw8Lf #
- Lonely Planet’s Discover guidebooks for iPad [video] http://bit.ly/aC5r48 #
- Testing new Twitter button at my blog. I love it – it's dead simple. #
- @mikodragonfly I've inserted a code, generated here: https://twitter.com/goodies/tweetbutton in reply to mikodragonfly #
- @mikodragonfly in a post template (actually I've inserted it in Ad Manager plugin, so that I can use a shortcode whenever I want it) in reply to mikodragonfly #
- @eoinpurcell Sure! And easy to implement in reply to eoinpurcell #
- @eoinpurcell next level: one blink sharing;-) in reply to eoinpurcell #
- A great interview with @mikodragonfly » Cafe Monday: Web Fiction Directory http://ow.ly/2p71l #
- @eoinpurcell devs will do it, it's just a matter of time (you know webcam scanning your eye » script » code » wow:-) in reply to eoinpurcell #
- Use new Kindle for iOS as a free dictionary app http://ow.ly/2p7yT Better than standalone apps #iPad #iPhone #
- I'm strongly identyfying with it » A Bookfuturist Manifesto http://ow.ly/2p9T0 #
- Found a great list of Bookfuturists by @jomc http://ow.ly/2pa3i #books #tech #
- GooNews RT @paulkbiba: GooReader for Google Books released – http://tinyurl.com/2wx43f2 #
- RT @thecreativepenn: Why read fiction and why write fiction? http://youtu.be/lj9gv8U2P9I?a #
- No. 3 – the font is too small? » 8 myths about reading books on a mobile phone http://t.co/mZwS9lm #
- 41% Of UK iPad Owners Prefer iPad As Reading Devices http://bit.ly/ccAEYj #
- Murdoch to create newspaper for tablets, mobile devices http://j.mp/cwwdva #
- Beautiful book cases for iPad and iPhone » Photo Gallery for Pad&Quill http://ow.ly/2ppbl #
- One Man Will Try to Tweet the Bible Over Three Years http://j.mp/b4vcNm #
- Lucky guy, only 4 new ones » The Email/Productivity Cycle http://bit.ly/dzXiNh #
- @exportswede I understand him. It's called "a mission". in reply to exportswede #
- @exportswede 90% of missions are pointless. Otherwise they would be called "goals":-) in reply to exportswede #
- Weekly links on mobile e-books & self publishing 14.08.2010 http://ow.ly/2pArg #
- How Google Translate works? [video] http://ow.ly/2pAs5 It explains a bit how crazy is my Google-translated fiction project #
- Great tutorial RT @dcomdico: Stanza: the best iPad ereader. Create A Stanza Repository Using Dropbox http://ow.ly/2pAEZ #
- RT @BubbleCow: Links to resources for writers #week1 [BubbleCow] – http://ow.ly/2p3Me #
- iPad Passes Print Reading in User Preference http://bit.ly/cMYtCb #
- How Google Translate works? [video] http://bit.ly/9lhuBj #
- Weekly links on mobile e-books & self publishing 14.08.2010 http://bit.ly/ciGrK5 #
- RT @debwoehr: RT @cnet How to find free e-books for your Kindle | Crave – CNET http://bit.ly/79lDKY #
- Writing a report on a Polish e-book market. It's exciting how different are the triggers in a small vs big e-book market. #
- eClicto was a first Polish device-led e-book platform http://ow.ly/2pDyH Native DRM is not an option in a small market 1/2 #
- Poland goes ePub+Adobe DRM. Number of ePub books (public domain + DRM-ed) – up to 4000 2/2 #
- Number of Polish top bestsellers in ePub format = 0 (yep, sarcastic) #
- RT @jafurtado: E-Readers and E-books: What Everyone Should Know – Presentation by Paul Gallagher http://bit.ly/aAY0HL #
- What about a human developing emotions in rel. with a robot? » Robot that develops emotions on interacting with humans http://j.mp/bhFZQ3 #
- @AFSienko Will put an excerpt on my blog at the beginning of Sept.:-) in reply to AFSienko #
- Love it! » 15 Great Geeky Web Comic Strips [PICS] http://j.mp/cUyxQu #
Weekly links on mobile e-books & self publishing 14.08.2010
- Ebooks: New Android-based Sony Readers May Be ComingAugust 12, 2010It is a day for Sony news it seems, but this is based on a very interesting notice pasted on a professional bulletin board which has now apparently been taken down. According to the posting, Sony is looking for an engineer with Android experience to join their Reader team…gosh I wonder why? The wa...
- 41% Of UK iPad Owners Prefer iPad As Reading DevicesAugust 13, 2010UK iPad owners use their iPads as their main reading device. According to a poll of iPad owners by copywriting agency Cooper Murphy Webb, 41% of the respondents prefer the iPad as their method of reading books. The survey also found that 31% of iPad owners preferred reading newspapers and magazin...
- Getting Ready to PublishAugust 13, 2010The very first thing to do when you start thinking “Should I self-publish?” is to find out what kind of publisher you might become. This decision is critical because it will influence the decisions you make down the road about organizing your publishing business, if you start one, budgeting for...
- 10 Kindle tipsAugust 12, 2010Got an email from John Cog about 10 Kindle tips he put up on his Me and My Kindle blog. Well, I took a look and found some stuff I didn’t know about. Here are the tips and go over to his blog to get the details: 1. Justify your Kindle’s text 2. Skim faster 3. Instantly clear a note or S...
- Top 10 Ways Authors Can Use TwitterAugust 11, 2010It's Twitter week here at the Savvy Book Marketer! In today's post, I discuss the many benefits of Twitter for authors. Tomorrow, novelist Graham Storrs shares his secrets for planning a successful round-the-world virtual book tour on Twitter. On Thursday, Tony Eldridge and I will be presenting the...
- EPUB Straight to the Point (Book Review of the Paperback)August 11, 2010EPUB Straight to the PointCreating ebooks for the Apple iPad and other ereadersby Elizabeth CastroPeachpit Press, ISBN: 978-0-321-734686Available Formats:Paperback, 192 pagesPDF (watermarked with buyer's name)EPUB (unencrypted, direct from Castro's web site)Reviewed by Michael Pastore, Epublishers W...
- Plastic Logic Cancels Que ProReaderAugust 11, 2010After many delays in a ship date, Plastic Logic has officially canceled its Que ProReader product, which debuted in January and was supposed to ship this year. At CES, mediabistro.com's editorial director took a video tour of the eReader with a premium $799 price tag. Looks like the new Kindle, the...
- 5 Ways That Paper Books Are Better Than eBooksAugust 11, 2010Yesterday we gave you 5 reasons why you should read your next book on an eReader device. Needless to say, many paper book fans protested in the comments. And with good reason. Paper books have many things going for them and it's still early in the evolution of eBooks. This is a technology blog. Howe...
- 5 Ways That eBooks Are Better Than Paper BooksAugust 10, 2010Recently I began to buy eBooks for the Kindle application on my iPad. While I still love paper books, the digital wiles of eBooks are looking increasingly attractive to me. Below are five eBook features that may tempt you to buy electronic books too. I should note that I wasnt a hold-out on eBooks f...
- Project Gutenberg and OverDrive integrateAugust 10, 2010OverDrive has announced integration with Project Gutenberg. Boston Public Library is the first to add this featured collection of more than 15,000 EPUB eBook titles to its website. There’s no authentication needed to access these eBooks, and the eBook titles don’t expire or count against a user...
- Google’s count of 130 million books is probably bunk, says Ars TechnicaAugust 9, 2010That’s the title of an Ars Technica article today. The article discusses, at length, the problem with Google’s metadata and says: Google’s counting method relies entirely on its enormous metadata collection—almost one billion records—which it winnows down by throwing out duplicates and no...
- Self-Publishers Start Here: Understanding Fonts & TypographyAugust 10, 2010In my recent blog redesign I added the “Start Here” categories on the left sidebar to make it easier to find articles with basic information about self-publishing. Each introduces a stage on the journey to publication with links from the archives of TheBookDesigner. This is the fourth in the se...
- 9 Reasons To Be Optimistic About BooksAugust 5, 2010In the midst of one of the most disruptive transitions the modern publishing industry has ever experienced, it can be easy to give in to pessimism, fall in with doom-saying pundits and short-term gamblers, and forget why you thought working in publishing was ever a good idea to begin with.
- InDesign CS5 ePub ExportAugust 7, 2010Another novel, another excursion into e-book conversions. But this time, its with all new software. InDesign has bumped up to CS5, and of course Sigil and Calibre have both had numerous updates since I used them the last time. The process has gone much smoother. Step 1, make minor formatting...
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Recently updated Polish tech-absurdist and mobile fiction writer 3.0 beta. Addicted to ebooks and technology. Guest writer at

