eBooks, iPads, and The Wise Man's Fear

I already mentioned this on Twitter, which means I said all of 140 characters about it. I got an iPad, and started reading books on it.

I may never go back to paper.

Let me qualify that. I get Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs) from friends and assorted peers all the time. I'll read those on paper, because they're all I've got. I'll still attend local book releases and buy books because I like supporting my friends. But if a book is available electronically, I'll read it on my iPad before I'll deal with paper again.

For the record, I tried out Sandra's Kindle and did not like it one bit. I will concede that ePaper is easier on the eyes for some people and in some environments, and glare-free pretty much everywhere, but that was the only part of the experience I liked. The black/white flicker when the page refreshed was jarring, and I read far too quickly to wait that long for a page turn.

What does this have to do with anything?

Not much. Not yet. Maybe it's an anecdotal data-point supporting the idea that ebooks are going to take over, and that Kindles are training wheels for moving people in that direction, but even that's a stretch. I'm just one guy, after all. Okay, I'm just one guy whose work is currently read exclusively in the electronic domain by better than 95% of the people who read it. I suspect that indicates a weighted sample, undermining any argument you'd care to use my example in support of.

My ebook on the iPad, by the way, was The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss. As device-specific deflowerings go I can't think of a worthier tome. The hardback was too big to carry on the plane, so I bought an electronic copy. Yes, I spent nearly $40 on that book, but I got my money's worth. That's Patrick Rotfuss for you.