Read An eBook Week is Back

On my return from my walking holiday in the Lake District I found myself listening to a UK chat show host, Graham Norton, who is probably unknown to most of my readership but is well known and respected in this country.  One of his guests is also probably unknown to  many of my overseas readers, but is virtually an institution over here.

Her name is Judy Finnigan who, for a couple of decades or so, fronted a daytime TV show with her husband Richard Madeley.  They recently gave up the daytime franchise and while Richard, a journalist by profession, continues to broadcast alone Judy has taken to writing.  As she describes in the interview I listened to today, reading is her first love and as part of the Richard and Judy Show for the last ten years or so they featured breaking new books, making the difference for a number of emerging authors.  For the focus and exposure they gave to fiction both Richard and Judy should be honoured.

However, Judy was on Graham's show to plug her first novel Eloise as it is published in paperback format and to be fair, it sounds a good read.  In fact, Judy clearly acknowledges that she was highly exposed as a novelist given that she had been in a position to make or break authors previously.  As the discussion ensued, Judy made it clear that she hadn't used an eReader and expressed a view that came straight from the conventional book industry that eBooks were killing literature.

To his credit, Graham clearly has read eBooks and while he was diplomatic with Judy while she explained that the eBook industry is likely to cost authors a whole host of cash - it will certainly diminish the amount of cash the middle men get but the savvy successful authors might actually make more, in my opinion.  Eventually they both agreed that you can't uninvent the technology.  A good thing too for Judy - if you've taken a peek at the Eloise link above you'll notice that it is available on Amazon as an eBook.  Probably also on Apple and all other good eBook sellers.

Now that eBooks are in the clear from the wrath of Judy, hopefully, then I can reveal that Smashwords are supporting the 'Read An eBook Week' again for the fifth year running.  Although they host the event and let's not be coy, they benefit from any uptick in sales, it isn't their gig and ultimately they'd be happy if every participating author used the week to give away all of their books.  Of course some will, some won't, but all participating authors are expected to discount their books to some degree.  All of mine are discounted by 50%.  I'm not expecting Judy to participate this year, but perhaps if she gets a little more knowledgeable about eBooks she might in future.

Read an eBook week starts on Sunday 3 March through to 9 March, at some undefined time but probably midnight on the West coast - so it's either started or about to, I guess.  I get a little confused these days, bless me.  If you want to stock up on your eBooks in preparation for the coming summer - it's been sunshine all the way the last week on the hills in Cumbria - or you've just been waiting for a reason to dip your toes into eBooks (ahem, Judy) then make your way over to the Smashwords promotional page.

Also, for your friends and colleagues toying with the idea of eBooks, this week might be a good introduction.  Please feel free to pass the information or a link to this blog to your friends.

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