Guest Blog: Tale of a Kindle Convert

Guest Post written by: Libby Mercer

I never thought I’d do it. About a year and a half ago, I remember being on the tube with some friends of mine. We were on our way home after a birthday drinks ‘do, and my friend, Samir, was showing me his e-reader. I can’t remember which model it was – or even which brand – but I do remember my reaction.

I wrinkled my nose and started spouting off about how I stare at my laptop screen all day, and the last thing I wanted to do was to forsake my beloved paperbacks for yet another electronic screen. Surely those little screens couldn’t be good for the eyes. All my life, I’d relished the ritual of getting into bed with a good old-fashioned printed, paper book. I couldn’t imagine getting into bed with a silly electronic reader. The very idea!

Fast-forward about a year and my debut novel, Fashioning a Romance, had been contracted and published… in the digital format only. I still felt that paper books were best, but I knew I had to get with the times. I bought a Kindle – the most basic kind I could find – and let me tell you something shocking, folks: I haven’t purchased a printed book since.

I know, huh? I never could have predicted that I would end up opting for the digital books over the printed books, but that’s exactly what happened. And I love my Kindle. No longer do the covers of my paperbacks get bent and scratched up from being tossed around inside my backpack. No longer do I have to lug around the extra weight of books in my suitcase when I travel. No longer am I making my cramped apartment even less hospitable by adding to the piles of books cluttering my front hall.

And as shocking as it is, these days I even prefer reading the Kindle in bed. You see: I’ve got this new system for when I’m really tired. I position the Kindle cover so that it forms a triangle and set it up on the bed. I don’t even have to hold it as I read. Of course, since I started doing this, I’ve fallen asleep with the Kindle on – and with the light on – more than a few times, but that’s okay.

All in all, I’m so glad I opened my mind to the world of e-readers. And I must also give a nod to the fabulous instant gratification aspect of ordering an e-book and being able to read it right away. In my case, the gratification is not quite instant. Because my Kindle is such a basic model, it’s only got Wi-Fi, so if I’m at home and have just ordered a book that I’d like to read right away, I have to go stand in front of the Starbucks down the street from me to pick up their signal. I know many of the more tech-savvy readers out there will shake their heads in disbelief, wondering how I can be so behind the times? I say: baby steps, my friends. I’ve only just arrived in the world of digital reading, so I’ll stick with the basic model for now. So far, it’s serving me just fine.

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About the Author:

Born and raised in the Midwest, Libby Mercer’s adventurous spirit kicked in after graduating from high school, and she’s since lived in Boston, NYC and London. San Francisco is the city she currently calls home. For several years, Libby worked in fashion – first as a journalist and then as a shopkeeper. She also dabbled in design for a while. Even through the crazy fashion years, Libby never let go of her dream of being a published author, and has since developed her signature writing style, crafting quirky chick lit/romance hybrids. Fashioning a Romance was her first published novel, and Unmasking Maya will be her second. Libby has a third novel, The Karmic Connection, scheduled for release in 2013.

Links:

Blog: http://libby-mercer.blogspot.com
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16147861-unmasking-maya
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LibbyMercer1
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Libby-Mercer-Author/184901528274900
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Unmasking-Maya-ebook/dp/B00AN7CCV0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1355471953&sr=8-1&keywords=unmasking+maya