More on Reading EBooks

I often have customers ask what effect the movement towards ebooks is having on my business. This is a hard number for me to identify, since Paragraphs is such a new store and our customer base is a little different than many. We are a tourist resort, and many of our customers are looking for the perfect beach read, and generally the idea of taking an expensive e-reader to the beach is not very popular.

But, like everything else, change happens and we will evolve. This year's step forward for us was setting up the online bookstore and creating an affiliate agreement with Audible. So now if you want to continue to support Paragraphs, but are unable to come in to the physical store on South Padre Island, you can order directly from ParagraphsBooks.com. You are also able to connect to Audible through our link, which gives us a commission on your audio book downloads.

But, currently, Paragraphs does not sell ebooks, online or in the store. We are looking at the alternatives and hope to eventually be in a position where if a customer comes in to the store they can visit with us, get a recommendation, and then if they want the book on an e-reader they will be able to buy and download it like any other book we offer.

The ebook model is evolving rapidly and I do not understand it as well as I need to, but I am researching and learning as much as I can. It is important to me to be able to give my customers the best information available about their reading choices -- whether it be which books to read or how to read them.

When you begin shopping for an ereader, as I know many of you will do over this holiday season, look for something that allows you to shop for and buy or download books from a variety of providers. My major complaint with Amazon and the Kindle is the proprietary nature of the device. With the Kindle, you can only buy books from Amazon. If Amazon decides not to provide a digital copy of a certain title, you cannot download it from a different source.

But what are the options? I would suggest you consider any of the following devices either for your phone, computer or as a stand alone ebook reader:

*Android
* BeBook
* BlackBerry
* Bookeen
* COOL-ER Reader
* EZ Reader
* iPhone
* IREX Digital Reader

* Kobo
* Mac
* Mentor

* Nook
* PC
* Pocket PC Device
* Sony Reader