It seems funny to have a "policy," but I've received enough emails at this point that I may as well lay it out. How do I feel about e-books? If you have written a book that is only available electronically, will I read it?
The answer is... maybe.
1. PDF and Doc/Word-esque files work best for me. I don't own a Kindle, or an iPad, or any other e-reader besides my laptop, so if your book is formatted in a device-specific way, I'm unlikely to seek it out.
2. That's not to say I have anything against e-readers. I wouldn't turn down a Kindle Fire or an iPad, but I'm also a hopeless dino who is broke most of the time, so it's not that high up on the desire list. There's another reason for that...
3. I'm not that good at reading e-books. I don't know if it's the chronic fatigue-related brain fog, or some other way that I am wired, but I have trouble reading text-dense items on a screen. That does not mean I don't want to -- No, I'm just slow about it. For that reason, my Google Reader is often creaking with the weight of unread items. Usually, I wait until I'm better able to concentrate, or I catch up while I'm folding laundry or something. Otherwise, lines blur together and I don't hold onto the information as well. That's unfair to your book.
So if you email me and say, "Hey, I've published this e-book. Will you review it?" more often than not, I'm going to decline. If your book sounds really interesting to me and something I'd love, sure, I'll make the effort. But if it's a matter of, "I might like this," I'm less likely to devote the time than I would if a printed review copy were available.
I don't have [much] prejudice against self-published works -- If your request is professional, then I will treat you as such -- but I prefer a physical book. That way, I can give your book a better read, and therefore, a more through and honest review. Your book deserves that, right?
Still, I understand that when you're in the business of publishing yourself, sometimes you don't have the cash for a printed edition. Believe me, I get it. I edit a magazine that primarily exists online for the same reason. So, it does not hurt to ask me anyway. If you've followed my reviews and feel like your book would be a good fit, say so.
The only thing I ask, when it comes to e-book reviews, is that you be patient. Stalk my "currently reading" status on GoodReads, if you want, but know that my turnaround time is not so swift. Really. I've been working on the same issue of Caketrain since July 2011.
I don't know if I would be better able to read e-books with an actual e-reader, but until I'm able to try one out, this is how it stands: If you have a physical book to send me, I'd rather you did that. And I thank you for even offering. Seriously, it's awesome. You wrote a book! I just want to treat it fairly.
I hope that clears things up a bit. Thanks for reading (and writing).
I don't have anything against e-readers, but I prefer to read a printed book, than an electronic one! Howsoever, I must admit that it's a great little device and we can go everywhere with it. Why not to buy one when it has so many interesting features and it's not that expensive. It's great that we can find many sites with eBooks and they are free as well! We can read both ways, it doesn't really matter as long as we enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteI don't buy one because I enough trouble paying my mortgage, but like I said above, if someone gave me one, I certainly wouldn't complain. I'm sure they can be handy in a lot of ways, but until I have one, people will have to make do with my slow reading on a laptop screen.
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