Write Space Literary news, views and reviews http://taurangawriters.org.nz

This week's Write Space by Jan Goldie.

The nature of book publishing is changing. Pretty soon eBooks won't be known as electronic books, they'll just be called ‘books'.

But to enjoy the electronic reading revolution and still be able to snuggle up in bed with a good book, you'll need an eReader.

They're not a laptop, they're not a tablet like iPad (although you can read books on both) – they're a device specifically designed for reading eBooks.

Electronic readers are portable, an excellent Christmas gadget gift, and are now readily available in New Zealand.

Able to carry thousands of your favourite books at less than paperback prices, they're convenient for travelling and whipping out during your lunch break.

On top of that, many eReader manufacturers provide free books as an incentive to purchase and eBook sites offer a huge range of classic titles for free so you can catch up on your Charles Dickens in no time.

If you are at the purchasing stage and have thrown away your nostalgia for that new-book smell, there's a multitude of eReader brands to choose from.

Before you buy, consider what type of books you like to read and familiarise yourself with eBook formats.

The open, industry standard format for eBooks is ePub and there are a variety of websites offering ePub books for sale.

Try searching for eBook or ePub on Google or check out these sites: www.kobobooks.com, www.epubbooks.com, www.lulu.com and www.readwithoutpaper.com

Just to make life interesting, one of the world's biggest suppliers of eBooks, Amazon, has produced an eReader that doesn't support the industry standard.

The Kindle range of reading devices has its own format and relies on you buying eBooks from Amazon sites.

Here's a few more things to consider before buying:

How easy is it to operate? Does it have a user-friendly touch screen? Is it easy to turn the page?

How heavy is the device in my hand? Is it King James Bible heavy or chick lit light?

How much memory does it have? How many books can I store?

How does the eReader charge? Through USB cable and/or mains power?

How does the device connect to the internet? Apart from the standard USB connection to your computer, does it have WiFi or 3G?

What size screen do I want and do I want more functionality? (If the answer is yes then maybe you need to consider a tablet which will give you all the extra bells and whistles.)

Try before you buy: If you're interested in having a go at e-reading before you buy a reader, why not download an app to your computer or smartphone. You can try kindle here – free!