Are e-readers still too underdeveloped to be worthwhile?

Sonic67

Digital books still have VAT on them and VAT is going up to 20% as well. Time to start lobbying I think.

E-book readers attract unwanted VAT • The Register

Zaichik

More problematic than that is the fact that some big publishers are forcing retailers, including Amazon, to enter into Agency pricing agreements, which means that the retailer has to charge what the publisher tells them to for e-books.

andrew markwort

Speaking as a published author (honestly!) and with stuff available in ebook format, all I can say is 'revenge is sweet'. Not many people realise the extent to which the big retail chains have had publishers (and by extension, authors) over a barrel the last few years since the axing of the net book agreement.

Let's suppose you're a publisher and have a great new book to sell. If you want any sort of promotion of it in the shops, you'll have to pay (e.g. display in the front window will cost several thousand quid come Christmas time). Stores will also insist on incredible discounts and/or a 'return if it doesn't sell in six months' type agreement. This puts a high proportion of risk onto the publisher. All the bookshop has to do is put books on shelves. Before I get howls of anguish from people who work in book stores, there are honourable exceptions, but most of the big retailers are pretty bad.  I welcome the ebook trend - the public gets a far wider choice than they can ever have in a book store, and the book is always available. And what's more, the author stands a better chance of getting a decent level of royalties.

Returning to the original question - I think the Kindle and the iPad are at last feasible propositions. I've got the iPad and it's great for reading (and whoever can only hold an iPad for 20 minutes is a wuzz ). They're bound to attract imitators and once the price drops to a tenner for a basic reader (and believe me, it will), watch the floodgates open.

CooperUK

Kindle is excellent. Love mine.

Miyazaki

Kindle 3?

GasDad

Is there anywhere to actually try a Kindle ?

Or more specifically does the kindle make the whole page go black on page turns (as the Sony readers seem to do).

Noggin1980

YouTube - Amazon Kindle 3 Video Review

4 mins 39 seconds into that review shows page turning and yes it goes to black, it's a very fast transition though and the reviewer says that going to black is an inherant feature of the eink technology.

GasDad

Just to let people know - John Lewis are now selling (and demonstrating) Kindles in store (at the same price as amazon).

I've now got one as an xmas present.

confused88

This is great news and a good move from Amazon to coincide with the release of the new Sony Readers.

Zaichik

While all of that may be true, prices of a lot of books on the Kindle store are now much higher than their hard copy counterparts due to the start of Agency pricing. This is likely to suppress the sales of electronic books.