Writing

E-books, Demise of the Printed Book?

Stefano Landi — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 20:06:49 +0000

I was recently having coffee with a friend of mine who inquired about electronic books, or e-books as they are known. I offered a brief explanation of what ebooks were and then he asked me the often cited question; “Do ebooks spell the demise of the traditional printed book?”. First off, a quick explanation of ebooks in general. Electronic books are the electronic file version equivalent of a printed book. These can be read either on a computer screen in the form of a PDF document or downloaded in a special format and installed onto dedicated ebook reading devices such as the Kindle, Kobo, Nook or similar ebook readers. Ebook reading applications can also be installed on Android tablets, Android smartphones and of course the ubiquitous iPod, iPhone or iPad.
Now as for ebooks replacing printed books, I really don’t think this will ever happen. Printed books will always have a place, there is really nothing like holding an actual printed book in one’s hand; the smell, the texture and the act of holding a real book adds to the overall experience of reading. With that said, one can not overlook the convenience of ebooks. With one of the aforementioned devices one can carry around literaly an entire library of books. Imagine going on vacation and taking several weeks worth of reading in a small convenient device the size of a hardcover book. If you’re a writer/researcher, imagine having your reference books and resource material at hand at a moment’s notice. Many of the ebook readers can also connect to wireless networks in your home, coffee shops, airports and other locations, allowing one to read e-mail, update their social networking sites or browse the Internet.
The ebook market has also spawned new opportunities for would-be authors, as they can now easily publish their books on the myriad of specialized ebook websites or traditional print self-publishing site that now offer an ebook option. In some cases these latter self-publishers are also affiliated with more established traditional websites such as Amazon, Chapters/Indigo and Barnes & Noble in the USA, ensuring that works can be found by a wide audience through a large number of distribution points. I’ll have more on ebook publishing later in this article.
So how does one go about getting into ebook reading? Well, as so often is the case with anything on the Internet, let’s start with the FREE stuff. There are literally dozens of websites offering FREE ebooks, either in PDF version to be read on your computer or in a variety of different formats depending on the ereader you have or the application you have loaded in your tablet. Here is a brief list of some of the more popular websites where one can find FREE ebooks. Why are ebooks offered for free and is it legal? In many cases the ebooks offered at these websites are classics in the public domain, that is, the author’s original copyright has expired. In other cases, the ebooks offered are done so by the author’s consent, often times for marketing purposes to give some of their works exposure. Below is a list of websites offering free e-books, however keep in mind that many of the on-line bookstores, such as Amazon, Chapters, etc… also offer some free e-books in their catalogs. These are mostly the classics, but may be a good way to get into trying out e-books without spending any money. This list below is by no means complete, many more can be found by searching for e-books on the Internet. Please note that in many cases these websites do require users to sign up for a free membership to download ebooks.

http://www.free-ebooks.net
http://www.gutenberg.org
http://www.manybooks.net
http://www.getfreeebooks.com
http://bookboon.com (mostly educational books)

As for purchasing e-books, these are available at most of the on-line book retailers, such as Amazon, Chapters and Barnes and Noble. Almost all the e-reader devices and the aforementioned e-book reader applications have direct access to the e-book stores making book browsing and shopping very convenient from the comfort of your favourite reading chair from within the e-book reader application itself. Just like browsing in a real bookstore, in many cases these on-line books stores give you free samples of roughly 20-40 pages for selected titles, so one can read a sample from an author before commiting to buying the e-book.

If you’re an aspiring author and would like to submit your own e-book for Internet-wide distribution many of the free e-book websites mentioned earlier allow their members to submit e-books through a simple process. The books can be offered for free or for sale. If selling please keep in mind that you will require an ISBN number for your e-book, which can be obtained by going to http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca. If the book is offered for free an ISBN number is not necessarily required. E-book publishing may be a great inexpensive method for an aspiring author to get their work out into the public’s hands and slowly build a reputation and a following.

E-books may never replace traditional printed books, but they are nevertheless a great convenient alternative when one has to either carry around several books in a small portable format. E-books also offer value-added functionality, as in some cases, the books can contain links to outside resources such as websites and audio/video material to provide additional breadth and width to a work. For those readers who like to share their enthusiasm for reading, e-book readers and their associated applications also offer integrated means of sharing comments, reviews and opinions on e-books via social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Google+ among other websites. Whether you like it or not, visit a few of the free e-book sites mentioned and unravel the mysterious world of e-books.

Crowning Sacrifice

Stefano Landi — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 04:38:48 +0000

You may be out there and then perhaps not, but in you I hold a hope and faith that there are beings who have transgressed from humanity’s failings and reached a blinding enlightenment burning with the glow of a billion galaxies. – Stefano

Alight the night it does
with a ribbon of red.

Surprised, frantic orbs
their vessel plunged.

Falling, flailing and
finally still.

Sinuous smoke dances with flame
Dripping bodies crying in pain.
Tortured travelers far from home.

Morning brings
a radiance of fear.
Uniforms grab at broken flesh.

Solitude and despair
sitting on a metal chair.

Death and cold
lie without a soul.

Object of contempt and curiosity,
sit dumbfounded in obscurity.

Sure to be scorned and ridiculed
and never to be seen by the multitude.

Head bowed and beat,
staring at bound and bruised feet.

Yours was a valiant effort to end
in such a heartless act.

Be proud and strong for you died here,
but brought hope and life from afar.

Astronomy Poem

Stefano Landi — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 03:59:34 +0000

Given breathe by the womb of
an apocalyptic fire, it races
through the time shifted void
to reach the retina of a star-struck
explorer. That is the essence,
the very light upon which is carried
the secrets of existence and the
microcosm which is the Universe.

Paradigm Online Writing Assistant

Stefano Landi — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 02:26:48 +0000

I do a great deal of Internet surfing as part of my freelancing technical writing job, when I do research for my technology consulting clients and also for my many varied hobbies. Every now and then I come across a website that has me do a double-take at the amount of sheer information it presents. Paradigm is this kind of site. It has so many resources for writers, so many tools that it just blew me completely away. At it’s core, and just as it title says, it’s a writer’s assistant, helping with such things as organizing your writing and helping with some of the more finicky points of punctuation. However, it’s so much more than that, giving the writer a abundance of helpful articles on getting started in writing, what subjects to write about , taking care of citations and even how to write thesis. It covers non-fiction, ficition and even scientific and argumentative essays. It’s definitely a great resource and I strongly urge you to check it out for yourself. Word of warning though and take it from me, don’t check it out unless you have lots of time ahead of you as there is so much to read and take in. You can find Paradigm at the following link:

http://www.powa.org

Poem: Hope Grasps

Stefano Landi — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 16:50:26 +0000

Short poem I wrote in answer to a bittersweet dream that I had not too long ago.

Hope Grasps
by Stefano Landi

I am too numb,
my mind too feeble,
my pain too great.

My heart too cold,
Yet, I strive, reaching out
Yelling at the top of my heart.

Choices, Wonders, Walls.
Cloisters of anguish,
Breathless speech,
Incoherent thought
Vexes my will.

Obliged, my wishes defer,
but my dreams resist.
Broken, my future looks,
but my hopes persist.

Looking on, through the mist,
it is you I see.
Looking back from a sense,
it is me I hope you see.

Bow down to the pain as it flows,
the healing is not for today,
the anguish can not show.

One day I will heal,
I can feel it, it is real.

On line Novel writing course

Stefano Landi — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 00:33:49 +0000

Hello everyone, Winter is at our doorstep here in Montreal and it’s around this time every year that my keyboard beckons and I realize that I don’t post as many articles on my blogs as I’d like. At times it’s just a lack of writing enthusiasm while other times it’s simply a lack of time. As that old adage goes, the cobbler often has the worst shoes and as I’m a technical writer by day, I find it rather difficult at the end of the day after having spent quite a bit of time on the keyboard to then sit down and do some creative writing. It’s not because I don’t want to, it’s only that I get frustrated at the blank sheet, or rather the blank screen facing me. I’ve spoken at length of writing software and even reviewed a few books on the subject of writing, but what I seem to be lacking these days is some kind of inspiration. My friend Jacqueline Snider, an accomplished editor, may just have the inspiration that I need to start seriously considering starting my novel project. She has just started a series of on-line videos dedicated to helping would-be writers tackle their first novel. I thought I’d share a link to her Youtube channel here for all my readers in hopes that they can find some inspiration in her words and be able to use her excellent information. I definitely plan on following her video series, so won’t you join me in encouraging her and subscribe to her Youtube channel.

Here is her first video on developing the main character in your novel.

Writing well, a great art

Stefano Landi — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 01:57:06 +0000

In my most recent post I reviewed a book on beating writer’s block. In it the author writes about the importance of writing well. In fact, and perhaps I’m rather biased about this; but I hold the ability to write clear, concise and coherent sentences as one of the highest characteristics of which an individual can be endowed. Too long now have I mourned the slow decay of the English language brought on by e-mail and the ubiquitous cell phone text message. Many of my friends tease me for my proper use of punctuation, capitalization, and thorough spelling of words in my text messages and instant chat sessions; they keep reminding me that I only have 140 words by which to make my point; I also, incidentally, have the same problem with Twitter. Don’t get me wrong, I fully understand the reasons for abbreviating words, and sometimes complete phrases in cell phone text messages due to the lack of space and characters. I would be more than happy to oblige if this literary compression were only relegated to text messages and chat sessions; Unfortunately, it also finds itself in regular e-mail correspondence, and most recently even surfaced in a university exam and thesis paper. Kathy Kleidermacher, the author of The Pocket Idiot’s Guide to Beating Writer’s Block suggests that writers hone their craft by practicing and improving upon their writing whenever possible. She cites e-mails, letters to friends and other correspondence as opportunities to be taken to improve one’s own writing. I applaud her for this suggestion and urge everyone reading this blog to do the same. I realize sometimes that it takes quite a bit of time to craft an ideal e-mail; but, I have found, more often than not, that the recipient often enjoys the e-mail much more and is likely to respond in kind. Let’s put writing back on its pedestal and give it back its rightful place among the three R’s.

Beating Writer’s Block

Stefano Landi — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 01:35:37 +0000

Some time back I wrote a small entry on getting around writer’s block, but never went into it in any depth. This time around I’d like to introduce you to a book I recently took out of the library on getting around writer’s block.
It’s from the Pocket Idiot’s Guide series and is entitled Guide to Beating Writer’s Block. I must admit I’m not all that fond of the title of the series, but in this case I’ll overlook that and state that the author, Kathy Kleidermacher, has done a wonderful job of concisely putting together advice to not only spur on a writer and re-charge their creative juices, but also to inspire would-be writers who are not sure where to start in their writing adventure. The author brings up great points on organizing one’s writing space, but the literal one in front of them and also the figurative one between their ears. Other notable topics covered are: tools required for writing; writing skill exercises; tips for building your confidence and interspersed she presents small snippets of information on famous writers. The book is an easy to read, easy to carry pocket format and has definitely earned a small space on my reference shelf right here by my keyboard. I’m currently reading it straight through, but it is well laid out and lends itself to skimming and also reference look ups. I’m not actually in a writer’s block moment, but this book covers so much more than simply getting over a literary dry spell. In it, the writer will find suggestions for delving into other genres of writing to excite the creative muscles. I would encourage you to check it out either at your local library, used book store or through the link on this article.

Single Sourcing

Stefano Landi — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 19:23:51 +0000

What is Single Sourcing? It is a technical writing philosophy that maintains that content should be ideally written in a non-specific way regardless of where it will eventually be used. One example might be the instructions for using a piece of software. The content of a printed document and the information contained in the online help file will be very similar, but with differences depending on the final output. Single Sourcing helps in that the content writers produce text/images/multi-media that is somewhat generic and then through special software and workflow the information is then specially formatted for its intended use. To get a better grasp on this I have found an excellent Youtube video series. Although it specifically talks about Adobe Framemaker, the principles presented can be applied to workflow using different tools.

Framemaker and DITA for Single Sourcing

Free Technical Writing Online Book

Stefano Landi — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 19:16:50 +0000

I’m currently taking an online course and one of my fellow students sent this to the class discussion forum. It is a link to a Free Technical Writing book.

http://www.faculty.english.vt.edu/Collier/stc/

It seems to be very thorough, although a bit difficult to read as it is a serif font and isn’t formatted to be read online. I suggest you either print it out or copy and paste it into a word processor and change the formatting to make it easier to read.