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5 Things to Consider When Choosing an E-Reader

5 Things to Consider When Choosing an E-Reader

Raleigh, NC - [April 3, 2012] Millions of people today read their books via an e-reader. Such devices have been extremely popular, with authors increasingly offering their work in e-book format. In fact, authors published over 115,000 e-book titles through Lulu.com just during 2011. People love their e-readers, but each one of them faced a tough decision when they decided which one they would like to own. Many struggle with deciding which one they should purchase.

“There is no doubt that people enjoy the benefits that an e-reader can provide for them,” explains Sarah Gilbert, director of sales at Lulu.com (www.lulu.com), a self-publishing company. “Many people have bought one, but there are many others who are still on the fence, trying to decide which one is the right one for them.”

Those who use e-readers often cite such benefits as being able to have so many books at their disposal as one of the selling points. For example, those traveling on a flight may only be able to comfortably carry a book or two with them. By contrast, those with an e-reader can easily take thousands on a single, light-weight device. Those books in electronic form can also quickly be scanned for keywords, highlighted and have notes inserted.

Here are five things to consider when trying to choose which e-reader to purchase:

1. Cost. This is, of course, going to be a factor. Everyone needs to have a realistic budget in mind for what they can afford, and to keep it in mind as they shop around and make comparisons.
2. Functions. Consumers will need to determine whether they simply want something they will read books on, or if they want to be able to surf the web, take photos, and carry out a variety of other functions.
3. Screen type. This makes a big difference, especially if someone likes to read outdoors. E Ink, for example, is going to be easier to see when sitting outside at the beach, yet LCD is going to provide people with the color option.
4. Battery life. Some devices may only have a day’s worth of battery life, while others can potentially last up to a month. Much of this is determined by what the device is capable of doing and how much it is put to use. But the battery life needs to be taken into consideration.
5. Book availability. Since the e-reader is being purchased for reading, it is important to make sure, whichever one people buy, that they have plenty of book options to choose from. Lulu.com has the most e-books in distribution across e-reader platforms, with over 60,000 titles in premier channels.

“What we have found is that, while people love their e-reader, they also still love holding traditional books, so they end up using both,” adds Gilbert. “Our eBook sales seem to drive our print sales. We have found that authors who publish their books in both print and eBook formats tend to be the most successful.”

Lulu.com, a self-publishing company that was founded in 2002, provides complete services to authors. Authors have the ability to publish their books, of any genre, using their simple online tools. Lulu.com’s self-publishing service is provided free, and authors retain all rights, as well as 80 percent of all profit from sales. To learn more about using Lulu’s publishing tools, log onto www.lulu.com.

About Lulu:

Lulu.com, founded in 2002, is a one-stop shop where, with a few clicks of a button, anyone can publish anything as a print book or eBook for free and sell it to customers all over the world.  Lulu has helped over 1 million creators publish in over 200 countries and territories.  Creators set their own price and keep full creative and copyright control over their works.  With over 1.2 million titles in their catalogue, Lulu is the clear leader in self-publishing solutions.

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