Great gadget by Ann Evans

When I first bought my Kindle about a year ago I wondered whether I'd grow to like it or even get any use out of it. As a big lover of books in their printed form I wondered whether I'd be able to really get into the stories and enjoy them when they were displayed in digital format instead of the normal paper pages.

I'd bought a kindle primarily for viewing my own ebooks. After dragging myself into the 21st century with all its e-publishing capabilities I'd managed to get some of my out of print books up as ebooks, so naturally needed to be able to see how they looked on an ebook reading device.

So to begin with my kindle reading matter was my own books and very little else. But gradually I added to my e-library, and taking a look now I'm surprised at how my book list has grown. What surprises me most is how I've widened my range of reading choices. Often I've bought an ebook on the recommendation of someone else – generally an Author's Electric author. And when Authors Electric ran the great ebook giveaway a few months ago that was a fantastic time to read lots of books that I wouldn't otherwise have gone for. In addition to this I've also added a few classics to my e-shelves which I would never have thought of buying in a bookshop, but being able to buy at a very reasonable price or even free has meant that I can open my mind to the likes of Jerome K Jerome, Herman Melville and others.

Probably the last eight books that I've read (and I'm amazed that I've read eight novels in quite a short space of time) have been on my kindle. However the other night I was reading a normal paperback novel and found myself really missing not being able to adjust the size of the font. There I was, reading in bed as usual and having to adjust the book and my eyes to make out the smallish print. Oh how I wished I could just double the font size with the click of a button.

It occurred to me then, that when I do look to buy a printed book, or getting one from the library, the font size is always something I've considered before making my choice. And there has been many times when I've put the book back on the shelf because I know I'd get eye strain staring at the small print late at night.

Another joy of using a kindle is the way it remembers the page you were on, even on stories you've put down before finishing to start something new – it always remembers. And of course the ease of turning the page. Click - and over we go! 

Most recently I was glad of my kindle device as I was in the process of formatting my latest ebook, Become a Writer – A Step by Step Guide. It's out as a paperback as a print on demand and I was delighted at how the publisher (Greenstream Publishing) had laid the book out, as it wasn't a straightforward novel, but a non-fiction 'how to' book. So there were bullet points and sidebars and the like which I was dreading trying to format correctly. Being able to email my efforts to my own kindle before publishing was really helpful.

So, in the early days I hadn't really expected to get a lot of use from my kindle device, but now I have to say that it's probably the best gadget that I've bought so far. How about you - what's the best (or worst) thing about your ebook reading device?

Become a Writer – A Step by Step Guide by Ann Evans, published by Greenstream Publishing. ISBN 978-1907670244

Amazon link:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Become-Writer-Step-Guide/dp/1907670246/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343919473&sr=1-1

More of my ebooks and published books at: www.annevansbooks.co.uk