E-Book Readers

The debate is raging on the subject of e-readers and the rights of those that own one. Also on whether the advance in technology signals the beginning of the end for paper books. Not to mention the debate on what to pay author's for the downloading of their book in electronic format.

I don't presume to know all the facts regarding these issues but I can weigh in with my opinion. After all, it is my blog.

I think the growth in technology is amazing. I think the e-readers are the coolest thing I have seen in a long time. That being said, I think we are a society of technology junkies and tend to jump at whatever makes our lives easier....not necessarily better.

We consume and dispose of everything at an alarming rate. I'm afraid that we value nothing any longer as precious or sacred. What do we pass on to the future generations? A world that is increasingly dependent on machines and gadgets to live. Don't get me wrong, I do see the benefit of saving trees by going to a paperless system. I applaud the industries that have changed policies in an effort to become more green. I love that the manuscript submission process is largely electronic until time for publication.

Seeing both sides of this issue is easy. They both have valid points. I only hope that a compromise can be reached so we can be conservative without turning books into a disposable commodity.

That being said, if my job consisted of reading unpublished manuscripts all day then I would most definitely invest in an e-reader to save paper and time. But since it does not....I will hang on to my beloved printed books......enjoying that crisp, intoxicating new book smell....that you never get no matter how hard you sniff at your computer screen.