eBooks

My wife Sarah and I are likely moving in a few months. As a result, we are in a hardcore “kick out the junk” phase, and that means finally dealing with the sheer number of books in our attic. So. Many. Books. My back is less than happy about all the carrying and sorting we did today! The thing about books is that they are really hard to give up. Not just emotionally, but literally. No one wants our books. I called three libraries, and the best answer I received was that the library could take books written less than…

My mom is a high school history teacher. Her students start this week, just in time for the Democratic National Convention, and right on the heels of the Republican National Convention this past week. As has been her custom in past elections, her students can earn extra credits by watching and writing about the conventions and the upcoming debates. She went through her lesson plans from four years ago, and realized she needed to change a few things. See, four years ago she told students they could catch speeches and debates live, on their DVR, by taping, or through the…

Publishing is under attack! It’s an economic downturn, and someone is selling books for much cheaper than they used to be! It’s an unsustainable market situation, and books will go down in flames if someone doesn’t do something! I’m not talking about the terror eBooks has placed into the hearts of publishers. I’m talking about … paperbacks. No, publishing wasn’t all too warm on paperbacks when they were first introduced in the 1930’s. According to Mental Floss there was, in fact, quite a bit of skepticism when “pocket books” first appeared to compete with hardcovers: Quantity was key. De Graff…

(for those who don’t get the image, here is the Wikipedia entry) The subject of the future of bookstores is one that always hovers at the edge of the ebook conversation. The demise of Borders bookstore may have cast a long, ominous shadow on physical retailers, but not all bookstores are struggling. While I have discussed the future- and challenges- of independent bookstores here on the site, Forbes has actually profiled a successful indie bookstore. Better still, it is right in the heart of Silicon Valley! From Forbes: You gotta believe. Leigh and two co-investors — husband Khader Abdel-Hafez and Jerry…