Comments on Nathan Bransford - Literary Agent: Kindle-riffic

Nathan,I only found your comments on the Kindle wh...

2008-08-21T07:24:00.000-07:00

Nathan,

I only found your comments on the Kindle while Googling after-market covers for them. I enjoyed your comments and agreed with most of them. The page-blink issue is somewhat of an annoyance and I was aware of it before I purchased my Kindle. It was one of those things I just decided to learn to live with. The strangest sensation I've noticed since getting my Kindle is the need to try and turn pages, as if it were a paper book. I also agree with various comments about not being able to flip back and forth through a book at different times. I do like to do that with a paper book. One thing I did notice is that Kindle is definitely not good for books with photographs. Too small and difficult to see. I wonder if this will be addressed in later versions. The bottom line, though, is that I am very happy with my Kindle and haven't been into a B&N or Borders since I got it!

To navigate in a paper book you can use visual-spa...

2008-07-16T13:41:00.000-07:00

To navigate in a paper book you can use visual-spatial perception. In an electronic book you can only use the part of the brain you're reading with. It's more tiring to bookmark, go back to check another page etc.

Ahhhh... just in time! New Kindles on the Horizon...

2008-07-16T10:12:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh... just in time! New Kindles on the Horizon.

Don't you just hate Moore's Law sometimes?

http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/16/two-new-kindle-...

2008-07-16T07:59:00.000-07:00

http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/16/two-new-kindle-models-on-the-horizon/

Interesting post. I've been reading books on my a...

2008-07-16T07:48:00.000-07:00

Interesting post. I've been reading books on my antique Handspring Visor for awhile, using various software such as TomeRaider. I agree--it takes some getting used to. I started reading books and stories with it since I could get free downloads on the classics. Not the same feeling reading Dickens on a modern device, but the price was right. Besides, with a backlight I could read at night in bed. I've only purchased one ebook and doubt I'd purchase more.

This is a wonderful review. I learned more about h...

2008-07-15T15:22:00.000-07:00

This is a wonderful review. I learned more about how the Kindle works by reading this than anything else. Thanks for sharing!

I think they'll come up with the next generation w...

2008-07-15T07:28:00.000-07:00

I think they'll come up with the next generation within the next 18 months. It's like Microsoft XP and now Vista. The new one comes out or they refine and remove glitches of the last generation. That's technology.

From over the sea, I read about Kindles, and wonde...

2008-07-15T07:07:00.000-07:00

From over the sea, I read about Kindles, and wonder when they'll make the voyage to Australia. So many comments here are about should I/should I not: here in Oz, the choice isn't available. One bookshop chain sells the iLiad (at $700, and our dollar's pretty close to parity with $US, so doesn't that make the Kindle look cheaper?). The first gen iPhone didn't even make it here, only the one launched last week, and TiVo is about to be launched for the first time (I've been reading bloggers who mention TiVo as part of life for what seems like forever).

Meanwhile, just keep ironing out those buglets, so when the Kindle eventually arrives, we'll have the version you've improved for us...!

Hi Nathan. I didn't ever say it was ugly. I just s...

2008-07-15T05:18:00.000-07:00

Hi Nathan. I didn't ever say it was ugly. I just said I wanted it to be sexy! Is that so wrong? And you agree that it does look like a Gen 1 device, which was really my point. But thanks for the link.

BTW, people have been googling "kindle skins" which suggests to me they might be working on my idea. Which would be deeply pleasing. After all, as an agent and a reader, don't you think cover art matters? I think of a Kindle skin as being like cover art.

I seriously just want the whole thing to go well, and I hope that's clear.

Nathan, have you tried commenting on a ms, then re...

2008-07-15T03:26:00.000-07:00

Nathan, have you tried commenting on a ms, then reloading the ms into the computer? My agent had a very difficult time getting his comments to move with the ms and ended up having to redo them all. Wondering if that's a typical problem.

Nathan,My question isn't about the Kindle specific...

2008-07-15T02:21:00.000-07:00

Nathan,

My question isn't about the Kindle specifically but ereaders in general. Are you at all concerned about that they could bring about the Napsterization of the publishing industry?

Thanks for the review. Very helpful.

2008-07-14T23:34:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the review. Very helpful.

anon@9:21-I actually think THE BOOK THIEF was a be...

2008-07-14T22:13:00.000-07:00

anon@9:21-

I actually think THE BOOK THIEF was a better candidate for Kindle assessment than I even initially realized when I bought it. The sporadic nature of the text and the random insertions by death worked pretty well on the Kindle, as did the illustrations, but these occasional blips also seemed to slow down the Kindle somewhat, contributing to the irregularity of the speed of page turn. When I'm reading partials the speed of the page turn tends to be more uniform.

I haven't seen the print text so I don't know how it compares, but I'm completely absorbed in the text. I don't think I lost anything by reading it this way, even if the actual mode of reading has taken some getting used to.

the book thief is not a really good example to cit...

2008-07-14T21:21:00.000-07:00

the book thief is not a really good example to cite. as I recall, the text is sporadic (vs. a dense War & Peace or Rememberance of Things Past.) would you agree/disagree that the epigramic nature of TBThief lent itself to kindlefication?

only a true bookie would give such a precise descr...

2008-07-14T21:19:00.000-07:00

only a true bookie would give such a precise description of the "blink" element ... sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. that said, having observed a reader in a local cafe w/his kindle, leaning forward with such, uh, earnestness, always makes me think he's holding the book of mormon (the tablet element.) then, seeing it up close at the BEA, it left me with an "eh" feeling. the difficulty of location oneself in the narrative is, for me, a MAJOR drawback. I like to know where I "am" in a book. paper does that better, hands down. lastly I'm over the constant refrain from technies about the suppposed energy saving advantage of the internet. the fact is, the internet is supported by giant -- ENERGY CONSUMING -- server farms (a recent piece in Harpers detailed Google's aggressive practice in establising them in Oregon w/environmental detriments.) much like GalleyCat's nerdy / boarder line obsession with detailing a publishing industry it seems both fascinated by and intent on destroying.

I miss not being able to flip back to previous pag...

2008-07-14T20:40:00.000-07:00

I miss not being able to flip back to previous pages to re-read a section very easily!
This is the major reason I don't want to buy one (although the page turning lag would be a major problem too)

A book is a 3D random access device and humans are spatially oriented.

I've always thought that any good book replacement would need an interface which shows the "thickness of the book" and your relationship to that. You should then be able to "flip" back and forwards several pages, or roughly guess a "wad of pages" to skip back to (1/2 the book, 1/3 of the book, or some random "thickness").

Humans are adept at knowing the relationship between a book and "when" something happened in the narrative (or non-fiction). I also personally like to scan ahead to see when the next chapter or scene break will occur, so I know I've only got a few pages before a natural break, or whether I should give up and just. put. the. book down. now.

The DVD interface has it right to some degree. The ability to easily choose chapters, and to fast forward or rewind from any given point.

Sounds like they've made a good start in moving e-books into the mainstream. Thanks for the review, Nathan.

Tys.

Excellent review Nathan.

2008-07-14T20:10:00.000-07:00

Excellent review Nathan.

Thank you very much. This is the best review of t...

2008-07-14T19:31:00.000-07:00

Thank you very much. This is the best review of the Kindle I've ever read, because it gives me EXACTLY the sort of information I'd want for myself.

See, now you make me want to buy one. I look throu...

2008-07-14T19:30:00.000-07:00

See, now you make me want to buy one. I look through the Kindle store and see books I desperately want to read, but also want to keep, and there's just no room at the inn for all of them.

I wanted to wait for the second gen device, OR wait for the Astak Mentor (probably the Litebook, since I like Mobi format) which will be much cheaper, or just suck it up and buy a Kindle.

Decisions...meanwhile I have plenty of dead tree books to read.

As a teenager who has yet to really own a function...

2008-07-14T19:29:00.000-07:00

As a teenager who has yet to really own a functioning iPod, I'm still scratching my head at the thought of an e-reader. What about BOOKS?

I've been cataloging childrens' books for a school library, and I'm amazed at how much I remember of the physical love I had reading Cam Jansen for the first time. The sight of a good, thick middle-grade novel-- and the feel of it-- is... well... good.

Perhaps our children will feel the same way about the Kindle (as they have moved on to Kindle 10.0? or not.

^Unlike my laptop which (aside from going all 'blu...

2008-07-14T19:00:00.000-07:00

^Unlike my laptop which (aside from going all 'blue corrupted screen' on me) needs to be plugged in constantly.

E-ink...hmmm. Why can't computers run on this? Wouldn't my far from 20/20 eyes thank me for it.

kylie-It's nothing like a cell phone screen, and i...

2008-07-14T18:12:00.000-07:00

kylie-

It's nothing like a cell phone screen, and it's not bakclit. It's e-ink, which is much clearer and literally looks like paper on ink.

book blogger-

I haven't had to recharge yet and I'm still at about half power, although I've been turning the wireless on and off as needed. I believe I read that if you have the wireless on constantly you'd need to charge every other day, if you don't use the wireless you could go a couple of weeks without recharging. That's another benefit that I forgot to mention -- it really goes a long time without needing to be plugged in.

How long does it stay powered before needing recha...

2008-07-14T18:04:00.000-07:00

How long does it stay powered before needing recharged? (PS: This could be a great way don't you think, of navigating the slush pile and getting an agent - send him/her your partial already loaded on a Kindle... OK,it's just a fun idea, and you've got one already...)

Question 1: Does the screen get a glare on it? I k...

2008-07-14T17:27:00.000-07:00

Question 1: Does the screen get a glare on it? I know a lot of those screens, like the one on a cell phone and even the television, can get glares on them.

Question 2: Is it backlit?

But I do! Regular blog readers know I'm extremely ...

2008-07-14T16:39:00.000-07:00

But I do! Regular blog readers know I'm extremely unsentimental when it comes to paper books. I don't really care about the smell, the feel in my hands, putting it on the bookshelf... none of that. All that matters to me are the words. Bring on the future. Er. Or so I thought. Chalk this one up to not knowing what you have 'til it's gone.

Yup. But you don't print off partial's do you Nathan? Don't you just read 'em off of your computer? No love lost in that case I suppose. I still prefer having the hard book in my hands. I think because you're an agent - and not the writer - you of course are focused on the words. It wouldn't really matter what medium is displaying them for your perspective. I totally get that.