Read an eBook Week

March 3-9 is READ AN eBOOK WEEK! It's time to celebrate the eBook and all the wonderful authors who write them.

When I first started publishing a lot of folks looked down on eBooks and the people who wrote them, saying they weren't real books. It was difficult to get any respect as a writer. Sad to say, many print authors looked down on ebook writers, which is ironic considering their publishers now release their books in ebook. It's also been a major boon to authors who have extensive backlists that are now becoming available to readers who might have missed them the first time around. A print book has a shelf-life in a store, while an ebook can be made available indefinitely.

Yes, things have certainly changed in the past eight years. When all the major publishers realized that the independent ePublishers were making money, they jumped on the bandwagon and started to release ebooks. The rise of the Kindle, Nook, Sony and Kobo have given readers quite a variety of readers to choose from. Then there are the apps that allow you to access all these various options from your tablet or computer.

Yes, things have changed, but what hasn't changed is the readers love of books.

Like a lot of readers, I buy ebooks as well as paperbacks. I love being able to download a book from home or take as many books as I want on holidays without having to lug along pounds and pounds of paperbacks. But some series that I've been collecting for years I still buy in paperback. There is room for both kinds of books in the industry.

But this is Read An eBook Week, so be sure to download a book, or two, from your favorite author and enjoy!