Sony produced one of the first viable eReaders and still competes in the market. But the tipping point may have come when Amazon marketed the Kindle, an ebook reader that was not only easy on the eyes and easy to use, it was wireless. Kindle owners could buy books from Amazon without even needing to use a computer. And at the same time, the popularity and expandability of the iPhone meant that applications to make the iPhone and iTouch devices into eReaders exploded in popularity.
Selling books in the
twenty-first century
With the web as a primary marketplace, ebooks don't even require publishers in the traditional sense. Self publishing, either through services such as CreateSpace or Lulu or simply via individual websites, is now cheap and easy to do. In the near future, self-publishing may well become a much more common step on the path to getting published by a traditional publishing house.
Ebooks are taking off! There are already ebook user forums and blogs that help readers find ebooks. Some of them focus on free or low cost books, but others simply talk about ebooks in general.
Sites of interest
TeleRead: blog that covers all aspects of ebooks and includes links to find free ebooks
MobileRead: user forums that offer specific eReader groups, such as for Kindle or for Sony; also lots of info on hardware and software, tips, and advice
Plastic Logic: company that is working on a new, larger screen, space-age eReader
Scribed.com: website where publishers and other post free e-content, including books
Articles
The end of paper, FORTUNE, March 3, 2009
Hearst to launch a wireless e-reader, FORTUNE, February 27, 2009
The Race for a Better Read, TIME, February 5, 2009