Author: Eloy Zepeda

Read more books, improve their general education – this is what many people plan to do in the New Year. But the plan often fails miserably in everyday life. Nine tips from an ex-reading grouch.

No desire, no time. For a long time, those were my murderous arguments when it came to reading books. After all, as a screen worker, I’ve been busy with letters all day, and you’re glad to be able to sit comfortably on the couch after work and let Netflix shower you with it.

But what remained in the back of the mind was the desire for more general education. After more variety beyond the news feed from Facebook and more balance from my job in the fast-moving media industry. I was always plagued by a bad conscience. So I ordered an interesting-sounding book from Amazon and made up my mind to read more immediately – and it failed miserably.

Finally read more books: this is how it works

It took me weeks for the three-hundred-page “100 Dollar Startup” and months for longer novels. Often I didn’t read at all for six months. Again and again I caught myself with the iPhone in my trouser pocket becoming more interesting after a few minutes than the book I was reading. So I didn’t enjoy reading. Due to constant interruptions, I soon fell back into my old habits. In the meantime I know: As with all good intentions, success does not depend solely on will, but also on organization. As with jogging, you have to create an environment that you are happy to return to. Just as preparation for a marathon begins with a light training plan, good shoes and a nice running route, the right conditions for reading must also be created.

1. Kill your smartphone

To be able to read more books at all, we must first get rid of the things that are holding us back. And that includes – believe it or not – especially your smartphone. You probably spend a lot of time every day, bored, scrolling through the news feeds on Facebook and Instagram, responding to Whatsapp messages or watching YouTube videos. Often you will also pick up your smartphone without knowing what you are actually looking for. An enormous time waster. According to a report by Quartz, US citizens spend an average of 608 hours a year on social networks .

608 hours a year – during this time, according to the portal, theoretically over 200 books can be read at normal reading speed. In practice, you should silence your smartphone when you pick up a book. That means: flight mode on and off with it in the farthest corner of the drawer!

2. Read on an e-book reader

Die-hard book fans will surely contradict me on this point. Partly for good reason: The slightly musty smell of paper, the velvety spine of the book, the sound of turning the pages – all of this makes reading a normal book an experience. But e-book readers like the Kindle Paperwhite * or Tolino Shine are also great inventions. Especially since they make it easier for those who don’t like reading to get started. E-book readers offer space for thousands of books, weigh much less than any tome at around 150 grams and one battery charge lasts for weeks. Compared to regular books, e-books arealso cheaper and protected from dirt and water. Thanks to the integrated reading light, e-book readers are perfect for on the go – the most important tip for more reading time.

3. Always take a book with you when you leave the house

Regardless of whether you take the tram to the office in the morning, have a doctor’s appointment or your train is delayed again: Instead of fooling around on your smartphone during this time, you can simply pick up your book. Ten or 20 minutes are enough to complete entire chapters. It is not always easy at first, and you may find it pointless to close a book after a few minutes. But extrapolated to a whole working week, you will quickly notice a great reading progress. So: Carry your e-book reader (or normal book) with you as reliably as your front door key.

4. Schedule fixed reading times

You can also read more books at home without having to forego other nice things like Netflix or computer games. Get up earlier before work so that you can read a book for at least 30 minutes beforehand. Nonfiction books in particular are ideal for this. It’s a great feeling to come to the office in the morning and have already learned something. You can also read in a targeted manner after work. An hour before dinner, for example. Depending on your marital status and other obligations, this can only be certain days of the week.

5. Create the right atmosphere

It’s dark in the apartment, your feet are cold, you don’t have a snack to hand – who wants to read a book in peace? Therefore, before each reading unit at home, create an atmosphere in which you feel comfortable. For example, turn on your heating, put on warm socks and make yourself a hot tea. Make sure that the lighting is pleasant, even if all e-book readers nowadays have a backlight. My tip: one or two candles and a string of lights. You don’t believe how much easier it is to read then.

6. Start with one book a month

It’s like all New Year’s resolutions: Without measurable goals, habits cannot be changed in the long run. So instead of just telling yourself that you want to “read more”, you should define a challenging but realistic annual target. As with jogging, the following applies: first start slowly, then increase steadily.

So how about twelve books in the first year? Maybe that sounds like a lot to you now, but in months, that’s just about a single book. This can be done at the start for every reading grumpy. Especially since it doesn’t have to be a jack of all trades of the caliber Ken Follett. It’s okay to limit yourself to books with 200-300 pages. You will very quickly get your first sense of achievement and notice how you enjoy reading again. With a little discipline, you can even exceed your annual goal. Two years ago, I started just such a one-book-a-month challenge . After twelve books in the first year, there were already 21 books in the second year .

7. Always buy two books at once

I smiled at this tip for a long time. Because I am not only a former grumpy reader, but also a little saver. The sense of spending money on two books at once, when I only read one book anyway, didn’t immediately become apparent to me. However, I’m smarter now.

It can be very beneficial to have two or three more books on hand. First of all, there are no long pauses between new books. The longer you allow yourself to buy a new one after the end of a book, the greater the risk of falling back into old habits. Second, there is the chance to read books of different genres in parallel. There are supposed to be people who prefer to read a non-fiction book in the morning and a fantasy novel in the evening.

8. Don’t torment yourself through bad books

Have you just finished 30 pages and are you already tormenting yourself? Put the book aside! Immediately! Yes, honestly. A bad reading experience is quite normal, and just as there are boring series on Netflix, there are also books that are neither entertaining nor educational to some people. Nevertheless, many people beat their way through the brains of a book to the last page. A mistake, because: If you constantly read against your inner will, you lose the fun and motivation to read more books.

9. Share your book recommendations with others

Many people believe that reading is a lonely hobby. But that’s not true. Just as you can tell friends about a great vacation or a fun event at the office, you can also share your reading experiences with others. This is extremely important so that you keep the most important insights from a non-fiction book in mind. Books are also a great topic for small talk, because only 13 percent of the German population doesn’t read at all . You can also exchange ideas with like-minded people via online communities such as Lovelybooks or Goodreads and take part in joint reading rounds. All of this also promotes reading motivation – and steadily improves your general education.

PS: By my own estimate, I will have read around 25 books by the end of 2019. That’s still ridiculously little compared to real bookworms, but as you can see, I’m steadily improving. And the most important thing: It’s fun and my general knowledge increases noticeably. You can read about the books I read last year in my  One Book a Month Challenge posting on Facebook.

E-Ink, the maker of the market-leading e-ink reader technology, is working on an e-book reader that folds like a book and can be used with a pen to take notes. This should make e-readers much more flexible in the future.

Folding phones already exist. With the new generation, various manufacturers are making the concept suitable for the mass market. We have also seen foldable laptops, although more of an approach with two displays is used. Is the foldable e-reader coming now?

E-Ink is the market leader in e-readers. Most of the e-readers on the market rely on the display technology of the Taiwanese company. The grayscale display of the same name is considered state-of-the-art when it comes to the sharp representation of texts with minimal power consumption. With the new  Kaleido color display  , E-Ink is preparing to make a convincing offer in the field of color display. So far, this area has been dominated by tablets, which however have many other disadvantages compared to e-readers.

E-Ink brings folding readers with pen input

The following video shows a prototype of a new foldable e-reader, which also has a pen input, which was developed in collaboration with Wacom. The work on the concept seems to be carried out with some vehemence. After all, in the video we first see a prototype from June that still looks quite fragile, as well as a newer concept that seems much closer to a marketable product. The video was published by the specialist e-book website Goodereader.com . The prototype is said to have been developed by the e-ink research department in Tokyo, Japan.

The operating concept works with a capacitive 10.3-inch touchscreen, to which a number of operating elements have been added on the right. Functions such as scrolling through the document can be triggered at the push of a button. Pen input appears to be limited to the right-hand area of ​​the screen. It is used to write notes or comments as well as to mark passages. At the top of the device, E-Ink has placed two light strips that are supposed to illuminate the screen evenly in the dark. The display is not backlit.

Is it actually practical or something for retro fans?

As can be seen in the video, the folding process makes a robust impression. E-Ink designed the hinge technology to be relatively stiff in order to avoid excessive folding processes and the resulting display breakages. It is precisely the folding aspect that makes the e-ink concept appealing. After all, in this way the e-reader corresponds in particular to what we have stored in our brain convolutions as typical for a notebook for decades. The prototype still has to prove in later stages whether practicality can follow nostalgia.

In addition to this question, it remains to be seen whether E-Ink will manage to further reduce the screen bezels and the folding area around the oversized hinges. It would also be important to bring the high latency when writing on the e-ink display to a bearable level. At the moment, pen and paper are still clearly ahead, closely followed by pens and tablets.

The Swedish company Nextory is launching its e-book and audio book flat rate of the same name in Germany. This offers access to “tens of thousands of audio books and e-books ” from EUR 13.99 per month .

In Germany there are so far only two large e-book flat rates with Skoobe and Kindle Unlimited and a few smaller competitors such as Readfy or Tolino Select . In the audio book segment, Amazon subsidiaries Audible and Bookbeat stand out. Now, with Nextory, an offer from Sweden is venturing onto the German market that provides e-books and audio books for a monthly subscription price in an app (iOS and Android) * .

Nextory: Tens of thousands of e-books from 600 publishers

Nextory claims to have “tens of thousands of audio books and e-books” on offer. Numerous genres are represented. The digital books and audio books are available in German and English. Nextory should have more than 600 publishers on board, as the industry portal Selfpublisherbibel writes . In contrast to other flat-rate offers on the German market – especially in the e-book area – Nextory should also make bestsellers available for download. Access to the media is unlimited during the term of the subscription.

But that also has its price. Nextory offers five different subscription options. In the cheapest model, known as silver, a user pays 13.99 euros per month – but may only use the account alone. And only e-books that are older than six months are included. If you want full access, you have to pay 16.99 euros. The family offers for two, three or four users cost between 19.99 and 29.99 euros. The subscription can be tested free of charge for 14 days.

Germany is the second market after Sweden where Nextory is launching its range, as Shadi Bitar, CEO and founder of Nextory, says. Bitar sees enormous potential in Germany, one of the world’s largest markets for digital books. According to Nextory, sales of digital audio books and e-books in Germany in 2018 were around 285 million euros. Nextory has identified 21.6 million digitally savvy readers and listeners.

The e-book has to get cheaper. The planned reduction in VAT could provide impetus for this. For many publishers, however, the temptation should not be to lower prices. That would be a fatal mistake.

The Ministry of Finance has published a bill that will reduce the VAT rate for e-books from January 1, 2020 from 19 percent to 7 percent. The template for this was provided by an EU directive on the structuring of VAT. Now one thing is important for the book industry: publishers have to lower their e-book prices so that sales increase and the industry benefits more from digitization. The intermediate trade in the classic book world is reducing the margins of publishers and authors, the digital sales structures are more cost-effective and eliminate the intermediate trade. Everyone benefits from this: readers, publishers and authors and, under certain conditions, the book trade.

How the book trade works

The book trade is a very traditional industry, still organized in clear trade structures: the trade buys in one of the large bar ranges, a kind of wholesaling for the book industry, publishers deliver to the bar range and rarely directly to the trade. While the book trade receives lower discounts for purchases, the publisher sells to the intermediate trade with high discounts. A purchase discount of up to 50 percent is not uncommon in the industry, depending on the sales price. This reduces the margins – one of the reasons why many publishers are now using e-book sales to pour the income into their coffers.

Why publishers don’t want to lower their prices

Nobody will cut prices after a VAT cut. How so? Short answer: because there are so many middlemen in the book industry in the analog world that this reduction in VAT in the digital world will only improve the margin, not the sales price. The temptation is simply too great to view the cut as a stimulus package for publishers.

Publishers that have found a working price point will not voluntarily lower prices. This would be understandable for small publishers and self-publishers. These market participants already set their prices significantly lower than the rest of the publishing world and mostly scratch the subsistence level.

For large publishers, however, the rule of thumb of the 20 percent discount on e-books compared to the print edition often applies. It has to be different now. Prices have to go down in order to make the e-book more attractive. That helps (almost) everyone.

Why the prices have to be lowered

Instead of seeing the VAT cut as an economic stimulus program, publishers should start their own economic stimulus program and lower e-book prices. In the free market economy, price cuts boost sales. So more e-books would be sold and the shares in the market would shift. More digital books mean more income for publishers and authors. (Author’s fees are also set higher for e-books.) An upswing in digital distribution would also reduce middlemen – which in turn benefits authors and publishers.

Since Germany also has a counterweight to Amazon’s self-publishing platform KDP with the Tolino Alliance, the self-publishing market outside of Amazon would also benefit indirectly from a general strengthening of the e-book market.

At first glance, stronger digital sales may have a negative effect on the book trade, but perhaps it would be time for the industry to ensure that the book trade benefits more from digitization. Few small to medium-sized booksellers sell e-books. That has to be different and the interlinking between the stores and the retailers’ online shops has to become more attractive and better.

Ultimately, everyone would benefit. Except for middlemen, but that’s the inevitable fate of middlemen in the digital world of online retail.

Disclosure: The author is also active as a publisher and self-publisher.

Reading in the bathtub, in the sun or in bed in the evening – no problem with an e-book reader. The devices store thousands of books and have other advantages. Ten recommended models.

E-books and e-book readers have not gained as much acceptance in Germany as the traditional book industry initially feared. The digital books and devices have a number of advantages. You can store thousands of e-books on it. The e-ink display used in modern e-book readers enables mirror-free reading in direct sunlight. Thanks to the integrated lighting, which is now mostly available, the e-books can also be read in the evening – with less interference than with the night light lamp.

E-book readers: many advantages, some disadvantages

E-books are also available around the clock from relevant providers and can be made available for reading on the device within minutes. Services such as Onleihe, Kindle Unlimited , Tolino Select or Skoobe offer the option of consuming e-books in a flat-rate model. Older readers appreciate that the font can be enlarged. In addition, the e-ink technology ensures a long battery life of several days to a few weeks compared to tablets or smartphones. Some of the devices have the ability to play MP3 files.

One of the disadvantages is that videos or games can hardly be represented meaningfully due to the display. With exceptions such as playing audio books, the e-book reader is almost exclusively intended for reading. Tech-savvy reading fans therefore have an additional and often not exactly cheap device that they have to take with them. It is also important for the purchase decision that you first have to decide whether you want to tie yourself to the admittedly user-friendly Amazon ecosystem with a Kindle device or whether you want to use the devices of the (more) open competition.

E-book readers: make purchasing decisions easier

In the following we present ten recommended e-book readers with their special features and possible restrictions. There is little you can do wrong with any of these devices. Afterwards you will also find two e-book readers that are only due to hit the market shortly, but can do something that the competition has been missing so far.

10 plus 2 recommended e-book readers at a glance:

• Kindle Oasis 3

In the summer of 2019, Amazon presented the current model of its luxury e-book reader Kindle Oasis 3 . The reader is considered to be one of the best on the market – but it also has its price. For the e-book reader from Amazon you pay 229.99, 259.99 or 319.99 euros, depending on the version. The cheapest device * has eight gigabytes of internal memory and a WLAN connection. The middle price applies to the Oasis model with 32 gigabytes of storage * and WiFi connection. The most expensive Oasis 3 * also has a storage capacity of 32 gigabytes and a 4G radio module. This means that e-books can be downloaded for free, even if you are not in a WLAN.

Compared to its predecessors, the Kindle Oasis has a new, optimized, seven-inch Paperwhite display. It has the option of adjusting the color temperature of the front light – from white to amber. In addition, the new e-ink technology should also enable faster turning of the pages. The Oasis 3 is waterproof (IPX8) and can withstand immersion in fresh water for up to 60 minutes in a water depth of up to two meters. The device offers haptic buttons for turning pages. The battery life should be up to four weeks. The Kindle Oasis 3 also plays Audible audiobooks * . However, Bluetooth headphones or speakers are required for this.

• Tolino epic 2

In autumn 2019, the Tolino Alliance launched a new edition of its upper-class e-book reader with the Epos 2 . In terms of display, the Epos 2 has grown slightly by 0.2 inches to a total of 8 inches. At the same time, however, the device is around 25 percent lighter. As with the Kindle Oasis 3, the Tolino e-book reader has scroll keys. The automatic display rotation ensures – similar to smartphones and tablets – a quick change between reading in portrait and landscape format.

The Epos 2 offers up to eight gigabytes of internal memory for up to 6,000 e-books. A WLAN function is on board. The battery should last for several weeks of reading pleasure. A highlight of the Epos 2 is the integrated reading light called Smartlight. This adapts to the color temperature depending on the time of day. Thanks to water protection, the Epos 2 can be immersed two meters deep in fresh water for up to 60 minutes. The reader costs 299 euros. *

E-book reader with a giant display

• Pocketbook Inkpad X

The Inkpad X from Pocketbook scores with a very large display of 10.3 inches for the e-book reader area. The almost A4 format should make it easier to read newspapers and comics in particular. Like the Epos 2, the Inkpad X also has Smartlight screen lighting that can be adapted to the biorhythm. A special feature of pocketbook devices: the e-book readers have a wide variety of formats and an integrated MP3 player for listening to music or audio books. In addition to Bluetooth, the reader also offers a USB-C audio adapter.

The Inkpad X has a 32 gigabyte memory. According to the Pocketbook, that is enough space for 15,000 e-books in e-pub format. As indicated above, the device can read 19 book formats and four graphic formats, including the comic book formats CBR and CBZ. Text-to-Speech is also supported. The Inkpad X should be comfortable to use for both left and right-handers. The device costs 419 euros in the pocketbook shop . Amazon currently charges around 380 euros for the Inkpad X. *

• Onyx Boox Note 2

The Boox Note 2 from Onyx, which is also equipped with a 10.3-inch screen, supports Android – and thus numerous third-party apps. The octa-core processor with two gigahertz should ensure that this works smoothly. Also interesting: the Boox Note 2 can mirror the desktop screen via WLAN (5 gigahertz) – this turns the e-book reader into a second monitor. In addition, SD cards, keyboards or mice can be connected to the device without a driver. USB-C headphones are also supported.

One advantage of a large e-book reader display is that PDF files can be displayed. The Boox Note 2 also supports this with a range of PDF functions, such as a split screen mode. The Google translator can also be used. Annotations are possible using a stylus pen. A fingerprint scanner can be used to protect documents. The device costs 589 euros on Amazon. *

Digital readers: the middle class

• Tolino Vision 5

The Tolino Alliance gave the Vision series a completely new coat of paint in autumn. The device now has a seven-inch (Vision 4 HD) display instead of the previous six. Another positive feature is the control bar with two haptic buttons on the side, which is reminiscent of Kindle Oasis and Epos 2. This and the built-in position sensor for automatic alignment of the content, for example, also enables a conveniently adjustable left-handed mode.

Like its big brother, Epos 5, the Vision 5 also has Smartlight technology, which means that it can adapt the light color to the ambient light. The e-book reader also has water protection. According to the manufacturer, the battery life is several weeks. The Tolino Cloud, which offers 25 gigabytes of space, can be used. The device has eight gigabytes of storage space on board. After a starting price of 179 euros, the Vision 5 is currently being sold for 149 euros, for example here. *

• Kindle Paperwhite 4

Amazon’s mid-range model Kindle Paperwhite received a major update in autumn 2018 . Since then, the Paperwhite 4 has also been waterproof and has a flat display surface. The display is six inches. Amazon has doubled the storage space on the Paperwhite to eight gigabytes. There is also another version with 32 gigabytes and one with an additional 4G connection option. WiFi is on board with all three models. According to Amazon, a battery charge should last for weeks.

Because Amazon primarily wants to earn money with the content, it offers its e-book readers comparatively cheaply. At the start, Amazon asked for the Kindle Paperwhite 4 from 119.99 euros. The eight-gigabyte version of the device is now available from 79.99 euros * . The 32 gigabyte version costs 109.99 euros * (instead of 149.99 euros previously). Anyone who does not want to see advertising (“with special offers”) pays 20 euros each. Anyone who wants a 4G module in addition to the 32 gigabyte memory pays 189.99 euros * – but is free of advertising from the outset.

• Pocketbook Touch HD 3

The six-inch Touch HD 3 from Pocketbook is a good alternative for the mid-range models from Amazon and the Tolino Alliance – its functions are even more convincing. Because the e-book reader has an integrated MP3 player plus audio adapter (USB to jack). In addition, the device can – as is usual with pocket books – read many different e-book formats (except AZW from Amazon’s Kindle). And: In addition to the touchscreen, there are haptic buttons for operation.

The waterproof e-book reader supports Dropbox as well as the pocketbook cloud. E-books can also be sent to the device using the Send-to-Pocketbook function. Amazon also offers a similar function. A 16 gigabyte memory is available on the Touch HD 3. There is also a position sensor, integrated WLAN and the aforementioned Smartlight. The Touch HD 3 currently costs from 150 euros online.

• Onyx Boox Nova 2

The Boox Nova 2 from Onyx is also an interesting option for those who do not want to venture into one of the large ecosystems. Like its much bigger brother Boox Note 2, the Nova 2 also runs with Android 9.0 and supports – at least theoretically – the Google Play Store. This means that the Kindle app from Amazon can be used – also theoretically. In addition, the e-book reader with the 7.8-inch display is said to be particularly suitable for displaying PDF files. The included stylus can be used to take notes.

An eight-core ARM processor with three gigabytes of RAM works under the hood. Up to 32 gigabytes of flash memory are available for e-books and other media. The Boox Nova 2 should react quickly. Also interesting: According to the manufacturer, the front lighting can be regulated in 32 levels, including a setting option for the light temperature. The Nova 2 is available from competitor Amazon for 319.99 euros. *

Turn the page and you will find two inexpensive entry-level devices and e-book readers with color displays.

Inexpensive entry-level devices

• Kindle (2019)

The cheapest reader in the Amazon universe, the Kindle (2019), is especially suitable for beginners . The e-book reader usually costs from 79.99 euros. Currently (April 2020) the device is available for 54.99 euros * (with advertising). The Kindle now has built-in lighting. The battery should last a few weeks. As with the more expensive Kindle models, Audible audiobooks can also be heard – via Bluetooth connection. Unlike the other Kindle devices, the entry-level reader only needs four gigabytes of storage space. The resolution of the six-inch display is 167 PPI. There are no page turning keys.

• Tolino Page 2

Similar to Amazon’s Kindle, the Tolino Alliance also equipped its entry-level device with an integrated backlight for the new edition in autumn 2019 . The Smartlight technology, known from the more expensive Tolino sibling models, is just as little as water protection. WLAN and the in-house 25 gigabyte cloud are on board for this. The resolution of the six-inch is given as 212 PPI. At Thalia it is currently available for 69 euros * (instead of 89 euros).

Fiverr has now discovered the attractive self-publishing market. The service portal not only provides cover design and illustrations, but also proofreaders, editors and authors.

Fiverr is known to many as an online marketplace for digital services. The design for the business card, the flyer or the web design – all of this can be booked with the Israeli startup, which is now active in 160 countries. And it is precisely the internationality with the different price structures in different countries that makes the portal attractive for German clients (but mostly not for Western European contractors). A business card design, a podcast jingle or intro or a WordPress adaptation for a price of 10 or 20 euros – hardly any local freelancer can keep up. But even at Fiverr, quality and individuality have their price. Sensible works that can be used for more than just household use,

Fiverr conveys: From business e-books to cookbooks

Now the Israeli company has opened a Book & E-Book Store for self-publishers. They can now purchase all book publishing services around the world. Regardless of whether it is editing, illustration and design of the cover or advertising and other services related to publication – Book & E-Book Store * all of this can be found in the . And if necessary, there are also authors who want to help you write – for business e-books for lead generation, cookbooks or literary works.

We can look forward to the first experiences with this platform . Because what usually doesn’t work very well for simple tasks such as the purely technical creation of a business card or the design revision of a PowerPoint presentation does not get better with more intellectually demanding activities. If you take into account that the commission for the contractor is around 20 percent, in many cases there isn’t much money left.

At the beginning of this decade, hardly anything seemed to be able to stop the triumph of e-books. At the end of 2019 it is clear: the revolution largely failed to materialize – there are reasons for that.

For many a pessimistic book fan, a few years ago it still looked as if e-books would soon completely overwhelm printed books and newspapers. Amazon in particular had contributed to this with the introduction of its dedicated e-book reader Kindle and the development of a connected self-publisher market . Market observers are now blaming the technology-savvy young generation – and Apple – for the fact that e-books were largely denied the predicted triumphant advance .

E-books are especially popular with the elderly

In an interview with the US news portalVox explains to Andrew Albanese * , an author of the industry magazine Publishers Weekly, that Generation Z and millennials in particular have surprisingly little interest in e-books. Although they always stuck to their smartphones and loved social media, when it came to reading books, Albanese said they were more likely to go to a printed book. Instead of the younger generation, older people have turned out to be the main buyers of e-books, the so-called boomers. For them, an e-book reader, where you can enlarge the font and not have to rely on the bookstore, is more convenient.

In the US, the pioneer in e-books, sales have leveled off at 20 percent digital and 80 percent printed books, says Albanese. At the beginning of the decade, it was forecast the other way around. According to Albanese, there is at least a second important reason why e-books have not been as successful as initially thought: Apple.

Amazon’s low-price strategy in the sights of publishers

Albanese wrote the book “The Battle of $ 9.99”. In it, he explains how Apple, when it entered the e-book market, tried to destroy Amazon’s low-price strategy together with some of the largest US publishers. Specifically, in the run-up to the presentation of the iPad and the iBookstore in 2010, the group is said to have negotiated with the publishers so that they could determine the e-book prices themselves. That should cripple Amazon’s $ 9.99 strategy. And it worked. Overnight, Albanese said, e-book prices climbed from $ 9.99 to $ 14.99.

Apple and the publishers were eventually held accountable for forming a price cartel . The effects of this deal can still be felt today. Instead of being significantly cheaper, as expected in 2010, e-books are now sometimes more expensive than printed books. The competitive price of $ 9.99 for newly released bestsellers – as was the case initially – has ultimately not become the rule.

Germany: E-books with a low share of sales

However, pricing works differently in the US than in Germany, where fixed book prices set the standard. For comparison: According to Statista , the share of sales of e-books in the public market in Germany was only 5.7 percent. This is likely to be higher for specialist books. Meanwhile, the number of buyers has barely increased in the past five years, they only buy more e-books on average.

Evеr hаd trouble looking fоr a notebook thаt fits уоur exact specifications? Making аnd binding a book mау bе thе answer tо уоur prayers. A personalized notebook аlѕо makes fоr a great gift fоr friends аnd family. Here’s hоw уоu саn make оnе fоr уоurѕеlf:

Materials

* Paper
* Paper cutter
* Scissors
* Straight-edge ruler
* Paintbrush
* Cover board оr binder’s board
* PVA glue оr bookbinding glue
* Bookbinding cloth
* Bookbinding needles
* Head material
* Loose weave cotton
* Awl
* Cover paper fоr book cover design
* Thicker paper fоr end аnd starting pages
* Bone folder (optional)

Procedure

1. Gather уоur paper tоgеthеr. Yоu hаvе thе option оf leaving thеm аѕ thеу аrе оr cutting thеm furthеr tо thе size thаt уоu prefer, thе height thаt уоu want аnd twice thе width.

2. Fold еасh page wіth thе lоng edge іn half, half-hamburger style. Make sure thаt thе edges оf thе paper аrе lined uр accurately.

3. Onсе thе pages аrе folded, collate thеm іntо signatures. A signature іѕ like a smaller book, mаdе uр оf аt lеаѕt seven оr аt mоѕt seven folded papers. Thе number оf pages реr signature depends largely оn thе thickness оf еасh individual paper. Thе optimum thickness оf еасh signature ѕhоuld bе nоt tоо thіn аnd nоt tоо thісk tо bе able tо work wіth properly.

4. Gеt уоur ruler аnd frоm thе tор folded edge оf thе signature, mark thе 1/23 measurement аnd thе 3/43 measurement frоm thе bоttоm folded edge. Mark thе measurements wіth different colored pens.

5. In bеtwееn thеѕе twо measurements, tаkе divide thеm іntо thrее sections аnd mark thеm асrоѕѕ thе spine. Thіѕ wіll bе whеrе уоur binding strips wіll bе. Yоu mау wish tо add mоrе strips іf уоu like, just bе sure thаt thеу аrе divided іn equal increments.

6. Measure thе head material’s width, divide іt bу half аnd mark еасh ѕіdе оf thе frame оr marking.

7. Uѕе scissors tо cut оut small triangles frоm bоth thе head аnd foot marks.

8. Uѕе thе awl tо punch thrоugh thе triangular cuts. Punch thеm оut оf thе spine, nоt thе page.

9. Thread thе bookbinding needle wіth ѕоmе waxed thread.

10. Cut thе bindings tо thе thickness оf thе book оr thе combined signatures, wіth аn additional inch.

11. Sеw thе signature fоr thе fіrѕt end pages. Follow thіѕ wіth thе fіrѕt signature аnd thеn ѕо оn.

12. Inser thе needle іntо thе head, аnd draw mоѕt оf thе thread thrоugh еxсерt fоr thе lаѕt twо inches. Thread оut оf thе fіrѕt punch nearest аnd pull tightly. Gо іn thе nеxt hоlе аgаіn, making sure thаt thе binding соmеѕ bеtwееn thе thread аnd thе spine. Repeat fоr thе оthеr bindings, аnd thеn end bу соmіng оut оf thе foot notch.

13. At thе nеxt signature, start frоm thе opposite, аt thе foot. Repeat fоr thе thіrd, аnd thеn оnсе уоu gеt bасk tо thе bоttоm оf thе thіrd, kettle stitch іt bасk tо thе second. Tаkе thе needle аnd рut іt undеr thе thread thаt runs bеtwееn thе fіrѕt аnd second signatures, аnd thеn рut іt thrоugh thе loop thаt іt forms. Aftеrwаrd, уоu just continuing thе kettle stitch.

14. If уоu run оut оf thread, knot thе tаіl end оn thе inside аnd cut оff thе excess thread.

15. Paint thе PVA glue оntо thе spine using thе paintbrush.

16. Cut a piece оf cloth thаt іѕ a little bigger thаn thе dimensions оf thе spine. Smooth іt оut Make sure thе bindings аrе centered. Let dry

17. Prepare уоur cover material bу covering thе book covers wіth thе patterned paper. Add 1/23 tо аll ѕіdеѕ, аnd glue thе cover board exactly іn thе middle оf thе patterned paper. Smooth оut whеn attaching wіth glue tо gеt rid оf air bubbles.

18. Cut оut thе bookbinding cloth. Measure оut thе dimensions bу multiplying thе аmоunt оf cloth уоu want оn thе cover bу twо аnd adding half аn inch.

19. Center thе cloth tо thе cover аnd spine. Glue thеm dоwn аnd fold thе excess cloth іn. Glue thе binding strips inside thе covers аnd center оn thе spine piece. Attach bookbinders tо kеер іn place

Thе sinking оf thе Titanic wаѕ a horrific ending аnd tragedy tо ѕuсh a fairy tale cruise, wе аll know thе story, but whаt іf іt hаd a happy ending, уеt уоu ѕtіll felt like уоu wеrе there? Whаt іf thе main characters wеrе blended wіth thе historical account оf thаt fateful voyage? Wouldn’t thаt make a great book fоr kids? Wеll, guess whаt, thаt book exists:

“Titanic Crossing – It Wаѕ a Day thе World Wоuld Nеvеr Forget” bу Barbara Williams; Apple Books, a logo оf Scholastic Books; New York, NY, 1995. ISBN: 0-590-94464-9.

Thіѕ іѕ a great book fоr ages 8-10 аnd early teens, іt іѕ thе story оf thе Titanic, whеrе a fictional story оf fictional passengers work tоgеthеr аnd аrе saved. Thе book laces fiction wіth non-fiction, аѕ thе historical accounts іn thіѕ book аrе аll real, thе captain, cruise line, voyage, sinking, аnd crew. Fоr thе tееn whо reads thе book іt іѕ a happy ending fоr thе main characters thаt аrе pulled frоm thе frigid waters.

Thіѕ wоuld аlѕо bе аn excellent book fоr ѕоmеоnе whо іѕ аn adult аnd іѕ learning hоw tо rеаd later іn life. Thе action, drama аnd emotion аrе vеrу wеll dоnе, аnd thе author hаѕ dоnе a superb job. Thеѕе days уоu саnnоt bе tоо careful аѕ tо whаt уоur kids rеаd, but thіѕ book іѕ ѕо wеll dоnе, I’d hаvе tо recommend іt tо аnу parent tо gіvе tо thеіr kids.