source: Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
If you follow me on Facebook (and who doesn’t?!), you know I link to ebook freebies a lot. This year is unofficially The Year of the Book for me. I don’t know how it happened but I am in a constant state of reading lately. Last week I read THREE books. THREE. In ONE WEEK!
Erin tweeted me and said, “How in the world do you read three books in one week?” Well, the whole Sabbath-ing thing helps. As does my stripped down phone. But really, my Kindle helps. With a digital book, I can quickly flip pages, read it anywhere, in any position and on any device. I never thought I’d pick ebooks over a real good-smelling paperback or hardback, but I sincerely love reading digital!
Not only do I like novels on my kindle, I’m also in love with the self-published ebooks of my favorite bloggers. I’m actually a little bit of an blogger ebook junkie and tend to snatch them up when I see them.
Anyway, a few of my friends (not naming any names, illJay…) don’t get the whole ebook thing. I’ve had people ask, “How do you read ebooks? I’m not technical. I don’t want to read a book on my computer. What if I don’t have an iPad? Why can’t I just read their blog?” And since I’m clearly like a happy puppy when it comes to bloggers’ ebooks, I thought I’d share my vast knowledge with you.
Ready? Here we go…
1. What the heck is an eBook anyway?!
Really and truly? It’s basically just a big old PDF document. There’s not really anything especially technical about it. You write a book in Word and save it to a PDF.
Of course, if you wanna make a big splash, you hire a fabu designer and make a snazzy ebook. Like, I dunno…
But it’s not format that makes an ebook…
What makes an ebook from a blogger so special is that you get a highly-concentrated version of their blog and passion in one handy dandy document. Have you ever discovered a new blog and then said, “Man, I wish I could read more about how she…” That’s what an ebook gives you! All their bloggy wisdom boiled down into one streamlined work.
2. How to Buy & Download eBooks
There’s nothing to it. Just click the big BUY IT NOW button and follow the prompts on the screen. You’ll usually have to pay via PayPal and even if you have to set up an account, it’s easy peasy. You can use Paypal even if you don’t have a credit card.
Nine times out of ten, your ebook will download automatically. Or you will be brought to a landing page that says DOWNLOAD HERE. When it starts downloading, you’ll see your fancy new ebook pop up somewhere on your computer and BOOM, it’s ready to read.
You can see an example complete with screenshots on my Truth in the Tinsel site.
3. How To Read eBooks
I read ebooks on several different devices: my Kindle, my computer, my husband’s iPad and even my phone.
I sort my ebooks according to how I like to read them or where I might be reading them:
Most of my Bible study type books are on my phone because I like to have my phone with me in the mornings (it’s less distracting than my laptop). It’s easy to open and look at that day’s Scripture and questions.
I like to put cookbooks and other food-related ebooks on my husband’s iPad. It’s easy to move an iPad around the kitchen and the screen is big enough to look at without having to pick it up.
Resource type books (stuff I’d use for homeschooling, crafting or will only read chapters as needed as opposed to in one sitting), I keep on my computer (or more often than not, my external hard drive) so I can quickly search for them and use them as my own handy dandy encyclopedia.
4. How To Keep Track of eBooks
I don’t want to forget I bought them, so I try to move them quickly to an ebook folder. This helps if I need to easily move them off my computer onto the external hard drive.
5. Where to Find eBooks
Chances are your favorite blogger has an ebook or two—check their sidebar or look around for an ebook button! There are also all kinds of “bundles” where you can get a boatload of ebooks for a super discounted price. The next time one comes around, check back here and I’ll point you to it!
So, are you an ebook fiend like me? Or are you new to ebooks?
affiliate links included
hand and ereader photo by jblyberg. text by me.
I love ebooks! Actually, I have so many I have a hard time remembering which ones I have! An ebook folder on the computer really helps, though.
I’ll definitely be checking in next week! In the picture here, I see four ebooks that are on my to-buy list and one that I already own. I’m excited about the chance to get them (and more)!
Seriously, there are TONS of great books in the bundle. And wait till you see the freebies that come with it!
a
Hello!
I too, love reading ebooks and have found a wonderful resource to pass along to you. They list all the current books that are free and then those that have a minimal cost. The cool thing about the site is that they are all CHRISTIAN! If you visit their site and sign up they will send emails to you as more books come available. The website is: http://www.inspiredreads.com
I hope you find this helpful! I have only purchased 1 book thru Amazon, for money, since there have been so many free books floating around. I will tell you that if you come across any free books that sound good- get them since the next day-they might be full price!
I follow Inspired Reads on Facebook! Love them! And Gospel ebooks has good selections, too!
Thanks so much. 🙂
a
So…how’s this for backwards?
I have quite a few ebooks, but the only ones I’ve read are the ones I’ve printed (yes…as in 100+ pages of computer printing) and put in binders. I’ve read those. 🙂
But this helps as far as the organizing and keeping track of ebooks…someday when I actually decide to use our ipad or get a kindle…I’m going to have a HUGE surprise-gift of ebooks waiting for me at wherever Amazon Whispernet sends your books to once you click download 🙂
Am Soooo Interested in Christian Items! Keep me in the Loop!