Thursday, January 16, 2014

Fast and Easy Steps to Reading Electronically

I am an author, and when my publisher releases my works, they start as ebooks, and go to print later.  This is actually pretty standard in the industry now, and many publishers don't release their titles in print at all.  I live in a tiny, rural area where ereading hasn't really caught on yet.  What I hear from local fans is, "How can I get it in print?  I don't have a Kindle."  Part of it is opposition to ereading because of preference to physical books, but mostly it's just a matter of not being familiar with ereading techniques.  So, let me take a second to explain why ereading is awesome, and quick and easy steps to get you reading ebooks!


Benifits to EReading:
 
I myself also prefer print books, as does most everybody, I'd guess.  I always will, and wasn't at all interested in ereading until I became a published author myself.  However, I quickly saw some huge benefits to ereading you may not have thought of.  

1. Free material.  Free ebooks are available all day, every day.  More stuff than even the fasted reader could ever read in a lifetime.  Good stuff.  Wonderful books.  Free every day.  You can be an ereader, and never ever ever pay for a book.

2. I'm personally a cook and an arter/crafter.  I first got drawn into the Kindle world because I discovered when you're doing something that requires instructions (i.e. cook book, pattern book) and you already have supplies out everywhere, it saves room not to have a big book in the way.  Plus it makes your project so much simpler when you can refer to your instructions without flipping endlessly through pages.  Likewise if you're a student.  You can use an ereader for text books and save yourself endless page flipping and searching, not to mention a gigantic savings in paying for these sorts of manuals.  My husband uses ereading for building cars and guitars.  That's the biggest draw for me. 

3. Perhaps the coolest thing about ereading, for those of us who are true literary lovers is you never have to wait for a book.  When I hear about a book that I want to read, I get PUMPED.  In the past, I had to order it online (no close by book store) and then wait for it to arrive in the mail, plus pay shipping.  Not anymore.  If I wake up at two a.m. and can't sleep, I can pick about any book imaginable I'd like to read, and read it.  Right then.  And probably for a fraction of the cost of ordering the physical book.

So, like I said, I'll never do away with physical books.  But, I also don't want to be cheated out of this whole new world of PHENOMENAL literature that may only be attainable in ereaders.  Who knows, you may just find your new favorite author!

Steps to reading Kindle eBooks, even if you don't have a Kindle:

Chances are, even if you are the least tech savvy individual on the planet, you probably own a device you can read Kindle books (books from Amazon) on.   You do not have to buy a Kindle, nor do you have to pay to have an Amazon account or a Kindle account.  Here's how you do it:

1. Create an Amazon account.  If you've already got one, great!  You're almost there.  If not, it's super easy.  Click here and depending on your country, the Amazon home screen may look slightly different.  But there will be a "login" option somewhere, and right under that it'll have an option for new customers.  Click there, and follow Amazon's registration process.  You will need to associate a credit card with the account.  That is how you purchase books or items through Amazon, but no purchase is required just to register.  For the purpose of ereading, Amazon makes purchase SUPER easy.  It's called "one click."

2.  Once you have an Amazon account, you need what's called a "Kindle App" if you don't have an actual Kindle device.  Again, this couldn't be easier.  Here are the devices on which you can get a Kindle App: Android devices (ie smartphones, tablets, etc.), Apple devices (ie iPhone, iPad, iPod, etc.), and if you don't have any of those things, NO WORRIES.  Kindle app is also available from Amazon for PC.  Here are links for where you can go on your various devices to get Kindle apps:



Android Kindle App  This will take you to "Getjar" a popular place to get apps both for free or paid (Kindle app is free) for ANDROID devices
Apple Kindle App  This will take you to "The App Store" the place to go for Apple device apps 
Kindle Cloud Reader (PC)  This is where you can get the Kindle reader app for your computer, also free
Google Apps  This one is another spot to find apps, I believe you can get apps here for various devices.  I don't know a lot about this one though.

Once you've downloaded your Kindle app on your preferred device, all you have to do is sign in with the same credentials you use to login to Amazon.  That's it.  Done!  The world is at your fingertips!  Amazon will automatically link to your Kindle app.  So, whenever you want to buy or download a free eBook, right under the purchase button, it will ask you if you want it sent to your (insert device) and you just click and it delivers.  You will think it's pretty cool once you try it!

Hope this helps broaden your horizons!

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