Best Ebook Reader

Green Books or Greenbacks

Green books are great–as long as publishers and book buyers have the green to pay for them.

Green books making headlines should come as no surprise, since green industries are now "in"–and whatever’s "in" is where the money is.

German publisher, Dorling Kindersley just announced that it has created "a global publishing first, using the most ethical and environmental practices available… with its Made with Care series of striking new books."

Kindersley’s green book transformation includes:

• No paper book jackets
• Used card stock which is 100% recycled
• Printed on FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified paper, which is sourced from responsibly managed forests.
• Used vegetable inks
• Energy-efficient in-line binding process
• Minimized travel for distribution (the books are printed locally in Europe)
• Works with the best environmental printers in the business.

Ebooks – Greener than Green

Several years ago by default, modern technology already started courting Mother Nature when it introduced ebooks to a dot.com marketplace still in its adolescence. Now with the advent of the latest ebook reading devices, the two have just tied the knot and embarked on a green honeymoon together.

Ebook reading devices are greener than the greenest green hard copy books, and with Amazon’s Kindle and the Sony Reader delivering a product with a reading screen that many book lovers claim is less strenuous on the eyes than paper, this is an environmental marriage made in heaven.

Avid readers can now carry around over 200 books in their purse or briefcase on a device that is slimmer and lighter than a standard-size trade paperback. And if 200 books isn’t enough, a tiny memory card "chip" slips into the kindle for even more storage.

A Kindle owner has access to over 90,000 books already "virtually stocked" in the Kindle Media Center of the Amazon website. (Audio books are also available at Amazon through audible.com, and easily downloadable.)

Ebooks are not for everyone, however. Many people have no desire to deal with new-fangled technology. "A book should be printed on paper without ever having to be charged!" (What is this world coming to?)

Green Eggs and Books

The market for children’s books will never disappear as long as we humans keep producing more children. Children who are avid readers are always asking for yet another book and friends and family love to give books to children as presents.

Any teacher or parent knows that kids give their books a good workout. Few books that are beloved by children avoid food stains and beverage spills or corners chewed off by the family pet (or teething sibling).

Today’s electronic reading devices require tender loving care that few if any children are equipped to provide. That doesn’t mean that inventors are not already working on indestructible models. However, we can safely say that children’s paper book are still going to be around for a long time.

Green Profit Margins – Reality vs. Illusion

Let’s get real about the cost of producing green hard copy books in the US. The media is flooded with articles about large chain bookstore complaints that they can no longer compete with Target/Walmart/Costco Made in China low production costs.

Mom and Pop corner bookstores are often forced out of business when a Barnes & Noble or Borders came to town. Now, David and Goliath both find themselves pitted against the "Great Walmart" of China-made goods.

Green books or green turkeys?

Can we find a green solution for Made in China books, or will customers be willing to pay more for green books printed in the US?

It takes a great deal of "go green" dedication and deep pockets for customers to pay double or triple the amount for the same book they can buy at Costco’s, when they know that book may end up lying outside in the rain because Dick or Jane forgot to bring it inside in time and the babysitter was feeding Sally.

For more information about new publishing and the changing book industry, check out Write to Publish for Profit.

caroladler@buzzle.com

By Carol Adler
Published: 4/15/2008

There’s more information on the following pages: Best Ebook Reader – Book Reading Device – Best Portable Reading Device – Buy Ebook Reader – Wireless Reading Device – Wireless Books – Electronic Book, Reading Device – Portable Ebook Reader.

iPhone eBook Readers Still Stone Tablets
Zealot’s interesting iBook article published on the Mobility Site has compelled me to make a few observations about iPhone eBook readers. While I am pleased that eBooks are a growing and popular download item, I am disappointed with the (…)

Onyx Boox Ebook Reader
The Amazon Kindle Ebook Reader pretty much rules the roost in the ebook reader market at the moment, but there are alternatives. The latest to hit the stores soon is the Onyx Boox Ebook Reader, which, according to Onyx embodies both (…)

New eBook Readers for 2009
The reader is not available today but Onyx are looking for OEM customers for their touchscreen for their 6, 8 or 9.7 inch touch screen sizes. Other features of the Boox eBook reader can includes Wi-Fi, plus the usual technology.

3 More eBook Readers
In the wake of the release of Kindle 2 earlier this week, no less than three manufacturers have announced that they will soon have their own eBook readers out. But, will any of them be a Kindle killer?

Linux dominates in Amazon Kindle competitors
It’s exciting to see eBook Readers moving outside of the bounds of the United States, and also being based on free, open-source operating systems. Hopefully, the use of open-source and lower component prices such as the eInk screens (…)

Sony Reader (an ebook reader)
I finally gave in and bought a Sony Reader ebook device today. Its intended mainly for reading science fiction on the bus, as well as academic papers which I currently print out to read — I hate reading large amounts of text on a (…)

Technorati Tags: alternative, book reading device, ebbok reader, environmental friendly, modern, paper books