From Steve Jordan:As we begin the twenty-first century, we see many digital products appearing, developing and maturing, and taking their respective markets by storm.
Most importantly the public, largely ignorant of e-books in the twentieth century, now see fellow commuters reading e-books on laptops around campus... on handheld computers at the coffee shop... on cellphones during their commute. They see new technology being introduced, making it easier and more comfortable to read on an electronic screen, and offering the promise of e-paper sometime soon. And they can find more of the kind of literature they want to read, from best-sellers by established authors, to cutting-edge material by daring new authors, and everything in-between. 2008 is at the head of the e-book revolution. Someday, "Read an E-book Week" will seem as quaint as "Read a Book Week." But today, you're at the beginning, you're hearing the last notes of the bugle echoing over the hills, signaling the onward march into the new century. And you are in a position to help rally our forces, to make our march bigger, to show how many of us are ready to help usher in a new age of literature. Let's all work together to make Read an E-book Week 2008 an historic occasion. Okay... are you charged up now? I know I am. Let's go get 'em! -Steve Jordan, author 
Previous Press Releases2006Fresh Voices - Fresh Choices For Readers Each year Read An E-Book Week celebrates the fresh voices and fresh choices of electronic literature. There remains no doubt that e-books have gone from oddity to mainstream when the top 10 bestselling list for 2005 includes the Bible, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary and Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. Book lovers world wide have used their mouse buttons to send e-book sales soaring. Steve Potash, CEO of OverDrive, Inc. and director of International Digital Publishing Forum, the trade and standards association for the digital publishing industry, stated: "eBooks represent the fastest growing segment of the publishing industry." Read An E-Book Week (March 5-11th, 2006) was created four years ago to educate readers about the advantages of electronic books and to promote the fledgling industry. In 2002 publishers were struggling with low sales and libraries reluctant to consider their books. Today many libraries carry e-books and even provide e-book readers to their patrons. E-book topics now range from dance instruction to science fiction, and from repair manuals to romance novels. A new advent in e-books is the short story. Indie publishers like Echelon Press began publishing single novellas and collections of three or four short stories. And e-book distributors like Fictionwise and MemoWare have begun selling individual short stories alongside novels. In the past e-book sales were hampered by unpopular reading devices. Sony has recently introduced their electronic ink reading device which closely replicates the experience of reading a paper book. Competing digital publishing platforms have also hampered sales. On February 7th and 8th the International Digital Publishing Forum will meet in New York to develop a standard for content that would allow publishers to produce only one format for entry into their distribution channels. E-book sales continue to rise each year by 25%-30% which gives e-book authors and publishers reason to celebrate. Help celebrate e-books during Read An E-Book Week this year by having a sale, setting up a display, or approaching your local media to promote electronic literature. Rita Y. Toews
2005Bytes Alive! It's Read an eBook Week 2005! The invention of the printing press in the 15th Century brought reading to the masses. The invention of the ebook in the 20th Century promised to revolutionize not just reading, but publishing for the masses. Suddenly, anyone could be published without having to wait years to find agents and publishers. The process of getting a book into the hands of the reading public shrunk from months to a few days. Royalties on ebooks were oft times unheard of amounts ranging from 50 to 70 percent. Readers would pay a fraction of what it cost for a hardcover book, and they would be able to download anything they wanted without having to leave their homes. Dedicated ebook readers were hot items for those in the know about cutting edge reading platforms. Stephen King himself jumped on the bandwagon with a free book accompanied by a free e-reader. Things were looking good for trees and anyone who wanted to publish that novel collecting dust in the closet. Then, the dream began grinding down. For some reason, ebooks weren't the hot sellers everybody had predicted. Some blamed it on the tactile love for paper books you could hold in your hands. Some said the dedicated ebook readers were too expensive, too difficult to use, and too cumbersome. Some said: "I can't take my computer into the bathtub with me." There were disputes over digital rights and copyrights. There were complaints about proprietary technologies. There were concerns about sloppy editing. Stephen King left a serialized ebook novel dangling in cyberspace, half-finished. Abandoned. Things were looking grim for trees and the ebook industry. But now, the future of ebooks is looking bright again. Digital natives, who grew up reading on screens, are reading ebooks. They're loading dozens of them into their PDAs and cell phones. Libraries are beginning to stock ebooks on CDs and even loaning out the dedicated e-readers. Project Gutenberg, a vast online repository of free e-reading, is growing by leaps and bounds. Major publishers are beaming out electronic versions of their bestsellers…while they're still bestsellers. Some independent publishers are testing a book's marketability by publishing electronically first and then, if sales are good, in print format. Even bookstores are selling ebooks. The resurgence of interest in ebooks promises major impacts on what we read and the way we read it. Said reader Peggy Loyer: "I love to travel and I do it frequently. I used to take an extra suitcase on vacation just to hold all the books I was planning to read. Now, I take only two paper books with me because I've got at least another ten in my palm pilot." "Teens regularly download and pay online," said e-novelist M.D. Benoit. "They find reading the latest novel on their PDA or laptop as normal as breathing." In the last year, e-publishing has prompted a renewed interest in the short story. Indie publishers like Echelon Press and ShortStuff Books began publishing single novellas and collections of three or four short stories. eBook distributors like Fictionwise have begun selling individual short stories alongside novels. Said reader Brad Parks: "Can you imagine going into a bookstore and buying a single short story, bound as a print book? Maybe in Dickens' time." According to some, the greatest potential in ebooks is the creation of a whole world of new voices. According to Deron Douglas of Double Dragon Publishing: "The discovery of the ebook by the reading public has created a vast new industry that's given voice to a very large group of talented writers that would otherwise not have been heard due to the inherent inequities and practices of the established publishing industry." Others go still further. "I see the democratic potential inherent in this publishing form," said political essayist Glenn Brigaldino. "eBooks can offer views, enable independent debate, and present uncensored political critique from a multitude of political perspectives from around the globe." Much to the joy of both e-publishers and e-authors, sales of ebooks have been increasing steadily. "Double Dragon has seen an increase in ebook revenues between 25 and 30 percent in the last three years. "We'll continue to concentrate on this emerging technology," said Mr. Douglas. This closely parallels the US ebook industry's growth of 25 percent for the third quarter of 2004, according to the Open eBook Forum, a trade and standards organization dedicated to the promotion of e-publishing. "There's much to be celebrated," said e-author Rita Toews. "As an author, I find it exhilarating to be on the ground floor of a new movement in reading." It was Ms. Toews who approached Chases several years ago to have the second week of March declared Read an eBook Week. "They accepted it," she said. "The response in the first year wasn't great, but it was much better the second year." "The idea is for ebook publishers and authors to hold special events during the week," said Ms. Toews. "By uniting in a mass promotion beginning March 6th, I am confident we can bring ebooks to the attention of the media and the public." In honor of the week, members of the ebook industry are encouraged approach local libraries, reading clubs, and the media to plan special events and bring them to the attention of the media. "Authors can hold readings at libraries," said Ms. Toews. "Publishers can offer special discounts, contests, and other promotions in honor of the event." "I think anybody who owns a PDA should download a free book from Memoware.com and try an ebook during Read an eBook Week," said reader John Heinstein. Biff Mitchell, Spokesperson for Read an eBook Week (2005)
2004E-BOOKS - fresh voices, fresh choices. The environmentally friendly alternative to paper books. Recent studies indicate e-books are gaining ground. Sales of the electronic media have risen steadily over the last two years, and retail outlets for e-books continue to set up shop on the internet. E-books are heading mainstream! Read an E-Book Week was registered with Chase's Calendar of Events in 2003. This means that Read An E-Book Week is officially set aside to educate people about the many excellent advantages to reading e-books and other electronically produced material. By having the week officially recognized, e-book promoters acquire a legitimacy they didn't have before. I would like to challenge e-book authors and promoters everywhere to take advantage of this week. It opens doors that were previously closed. By working as a united front we will be able to reach people who have never heard of e-books. Plan on approaching your local media outlets well before March to set up an appearance to promote your own e-books and e-books in general. Perhaps your city has a morning television talk show, or radio show that you could appear on as a guest. Ask your local library if you an set up a display for e-books. Each contact we make is a potential convert to electronic literature. Rita Y. Toews
2003As e-book proponents, we are familiar with the struggle this industry continues to undergo in order to get recognized as legitimate book publishers. I feel that with a united effort, we will make a greater impact on the reading public than would be achieved by individual voices.
Two years ago, I was fortunate enough to have the second full week of March
officially declared Read an E-Book Week by Chases Calendar of Events. As an e-book promoter, may I suggest you plan an event during that week—perhaps a sale, or even a prominent blurb on your website. If you know of media places that would accept a press release from your publishing house, please feel free to promote Read an E-Book Week with them. This is a week that is set aside for YOU—I invite you to make use of it. Please plan an event for Read An E-Book Week, no matter how small. Rita Y. Toews |