Slashdot Mirror
The eBook Backlash
Hugh Pickens writes "The NY Times reports that people who read ebooks on tablets like the iPad are beginning to realize that while a book in print is straightforward and immersive, a tablet is more like a 21st-century cacophony than a traditional solitary activity offering a menu of distractions that can fragment the reading experience, or stop it in its tracks. 'The tablet is like a temptress,' says James McQuivey. 'It's constantly saying, "You could be on YouTube now." Or it's sending constant alerts that pop up, saying you just got an e-mail. Reading itself is trying to compete.' There are also signs that publishers are cooling on tablets for e-reading. A recent survey by Forrester Research showed that 31 percent of publishers believed iPads and similar tablets were the ideal e-reading platform; one year ago, 46 percent thought so. Then there's Jonathan Franzen, regarded as one of America's greatest living novelists, who says consumers have been conned into thinking they need the latest technology and that e-books can never have the magic of the printed page. 'I think, for serious readers, a sense of permanence has always been part of the experience. Everything else in your life is fluid, but here is this text that doesn't change.'"
This is a load of crap. If a book is good I'll read it for hours on end on my iPad without getting distracted. And before I bought my iPad finding good books and acquiring them was a chore so I hardly read more then 1-2 books a year. Now books are as convenient as plopping down in front of the tube, so I read 30+ year. When I finish one it's easy find another excellent book I haven't already read and be reading it in minutes.
Publishers/authors that have been slow to release their content through kindle/ibooks aren't getting any of my money, but those who aren't trying to fight the future are getting plenty of it.
Can't say I've ever had a problem reading books on my iPad. But then, I don't have the attention span of a Ritalin-addled toddler.
If the book is any good, distractions shouldn't be an issue. People getting distracted from reading your book? Perhaps that's more a reflection on the quality of your writing, rather than any other convenient excuse...