As I sat on the bus this morning reading my library copy of Imperial Bedrooms by Brett Easton Ellis, I looked around and saw several Kindles, Nooks and other e-reading devices but not one other print book. I was surprised I was the only person on the bus reading a print book and wondered if it was time to switch to e-books.
My name is Nancy Vitucci, and I’m manager of publications at HIMSS. Among my many roles here is serving as editor of books published by HIMSS. While all of our books are currently available in print format, we recently launched e-book versions of two current titles through HIMSS eLearning Academy, a Web-based, online learning system.
Not a day goes by here where our team isn’t reading about or discussing how digital changes in publishing are impacting the industry. I have several colleagues who are “sold” on their e-reading devices; some even have more than one such device. Others, like me, are still reading print books but recognize that the fast growing e-book market is drastically changing how the publishing world does business.
According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, Amazon sold 180 Kindle books for every 100 hardcover books in last month. The New York Times reports Kindle sales have tripled since Amazon lowered the price of the device in late June.
But, before we bid farewell to print books, it’s worth noting that Amazon also reports its sales of print books continue to increase.
As we work on future titles for publication here at HIMSS, we’re assessing industry trends and evaluating what the role of e-books might be.
Have you made the switch to ebooks or are you still reading print books?
Do you have a particular format preference depending on the type of book you’re reading – for example, fiction versus non-fiction?
Cari McLean
Joyce Lofstrom, MS, APR
Adam Bazer
Carla M Smith, MA, CNM, FHIMSS
Christel Anderson
Dave Roberts
Thomas S. Keefe, MA, FHIMSS
JoAnn W. Klinedinst, CPHIMS, PMP, FHIMSS
Joyce Sensmeier, MS, RN-BC, CPHIMS, FHIMSS, FAAN
Elinore Boeke
Mary Griskewicz MS, FHIMSS
H. Stephen Lieber, CAE
Lisa A. Gallagher, BSEE, CISM, CPHIMS
John Casillas
Juliet A. Santos, MSN, CCRN, FNP-BC
Tom Leary, MALA, FHIMSS
Karen Malone
Nancy Vitucci
Lauren Brown
David Collins, MHA, CPHQ, CPHIMS, FHIMSS
mattschlossberg
Mary Beth Micucci
John. H. Daniels, FHIMSS, FACHE
John P Hoyt FHIMSS FACHE
Jennifer Horowitz
Richard M. Hodge, MBA, MPA
kawagner
Liz Anderson
Ed Larsen
Arnol Simmons
Helen Figge, RPh, PharmD, MBA
Amanda Griffith
James (Jim) St. Clair, CISM, PMP, SSGB
Shelley Price, MS, FHIMSS
jfrenchhimss
Michelle Glenn
Zahid Butt MD, FACG
Amy Thorpe, FHIMSS
Michael A. Gaspar
ftvelasco
gumprx
Edna Boone, MA, CPHIMS Senior Director mHIMSS
I’m curious to see how other people read their publications. I use a Kindle and my laptop to read my subscriptions to the New York Times, New England Journal of Medicine, Journal Watch, and the host of health I.T. e-newsletters. I still buy paper copies of both fiction and non-fiction. Maybe it’s just me but I wonder if I associate reading anything electronically as ‘work’ since I’m in informatics. I still love the ability to read something in paper without worrying about wifi access or powering up. That said, as an author I’d appreciate the option to offer *both* electronic and paper versions of my work. Gee, like, why not?
I would vote for e-books.
But you should start offering at least some books as e-books (they are cheaper to produce, right?) and see where your market is going. If they will be requested more and more as I expect they will, offer more and more.