Let’s get the BIG news out first.
The winner of super-duper Commando CUBE Surf bag, courtesy of Commando Surfcasting is…John B, xmako@verizon.net
John, you have 5 days to contact us with your shipping address at info@surfcastersjournal.com.
Congratulation.
EBooks..I been thinking about this a lot lately. I can’t believe how quickly is world changing around us. Borders is gone and today Barnes and Noble announced that they are looking to spin off the Nook into a separate company I guess…before they go belly up too. Amazon is killing them all. And now that sales of eBooks are eclipsing the sales of paper book, I don’t think we will ever go back to the way we were. Even those of you who don’t have IPAD,Nook or Kindle can get eBooks for less and in an instant. For example, you can click on this link and download the free Kindle reader to your PC, MAC, Droid phone, Crackberry, you name it, it’s there and Free Kindle Apps.Then you can buy any eBook on Amazon.com with a click or two. I absolutely love reading the darn things on the IPad. What I find fascinating is that I could search a word “darter’ and it will spit out every place where the darter is mentioned. The highlight and copy stuff is awesome too. I think I bought more books in last week than in the last 5 years! I am sorry ,
I been toying with the idea of another book. In fact, it’s about 90 percent done but I am not sure how well received the book of “stories” would be. It’s a book that would best be described ,”shit that only happens to me” or “if Z can catch fish, so can you”. I don’t know, it’s been sitting and gathering dust for a long time now. Maybe one day I will put it together , right now I am trying to get a project completed that consists of articles that have been published over the years.
Anyway, I want to hear your thought on this eBook stuff, like it, don’t care or indifferent.
For those of you that can’t get enough, we created new category in our online store last night where you can download directly Kindle, Nook or Ipad eBooks, The Hunt for Big Stripers, The Art of Surfcasting and new John Skinner book, Fishing the Bucktail. Just click on this picture of books
Have a great weekend everyone and Congratulation to John B on winning an awesome bag.
Don’t forget the LI Show on tap this weekend
Congratulations John! Z, I am in my late 20’s and pretty much use my iPhone and computer more than anything else and love ebooks. It is just easier! Sometimes I do like to get a real book in my hand but I think in this day and age less is more. I hate having to carry my textbooks to and from home to school or around campus. I just carry my laptop, have all my books, internet, and notes all in one space. And when time is limited the “find” feature is the most valuable thing. Well that’s just what I think.
↓I really have no use for E Books. I prefer paper in my hand. Hopefully enough people think likewise to keep real books available. I understand the convienance of the digital format , but I think a paper version is easier to access and way more durable. I still have books I enjoyed as a kid ,and my children enjoyed also. Think the E version will be around 40 years, to enjoy again and again?
↓Mohamed ..you know what the problem is with going all digital right?…spilling a coffee on your laptop…lol
↓Nycsteve..I hear you..for the longest time I thought ipad was the most useless invention of all time. But I changed my tune recently. Will they be around in 40 years? I believe yes, but I don’t think the paper books will. The cost of publishing books is high…and our post office does a great job of inflating the cost, making it a very unattractive proposition. Who knows what the future will bring? When you are talking about regular books, the ones on times bestseller list, where are you going to buy them In few years? Only on amazon it seems. I hate when world chamges this fast…but then again, surfcasters as a group are not on the forefront of technology ..generaly speaking. I still can’t believe that someone would question of why get a legend or cts over some other rods that were great at the time but feel “aged” now. To each its own but I don’t think no one should dismiss the new rods, reels, technology or whatever without trying it first
↓Not to get on a soap box but as a father of a son with autism the iPad has been an absolutley INCREDIBLE piece of equipment i am extremely grateful for. His speech is finally happening after years of struggling,he is potty trained as a 4 year old i am convinced because of a specific app. Spend 5 minutes on youtube looking that up but i warn you it becomes a bit of a tear fest.
We pay about a Zeebaas worth of therapy out of pocket every other week but after the ipad his progress has skyrocketed. No joke. Ask me if i like technology…
↓Matt..that is fantastic ..mh wife is a special ed teacher and she has been telling me about that too…they are very excited with same thing you are talking about in classroom
↓Z, man you need to put out that, if Z can catch fish anyone can ebook! Everyone loves a laugh, and Id like to hear you shoot from the hip more often.
↓All my life from classroom to recently brought “The Art of Surfcasting” I did all my reading in paper back books. I have an Ipad and read some books in it. I do agree with Z that it cool. But old habits die hard. More over I like to make notes and highlight stuff while reading. My take on Ebooks Vs Paper Books is that paper books will be around for some time but the new generation would exclusively go on ebooks.
↓I stroughly prefer ebooks to eliminate clutter. Its one less thing to store and to find. I can take my books everywhere…
I don’t buy paper if I can avoid it.
↓Zeno,
Brilliant!! Now I can read about my favorite subject when on a 14 hour flight and not have to lug the books with me… More ebooks please but will still enjoy the paperback with all the appropriate notes hand written on them,when at home.So that is a double cost benefit.. The Ultimate Surf Fishing Guide should be the next one..
↓Coolio now i can read skinheads book on my schnook! Lol no wonder your wife can deal w u kahuna , special ed l
↓What should I do with my bookshelf?
↓Bought this program in November and love it; I look forward to adding each trip! 🙂
-Kevin
↓congrats to john on winning the cube bag and thanks to s.j. for giving us a shot at winning such a cool item .
zeno , i think that alot of people would love to read your ” fishing stories ” . i read both your books and thought they were great . the stories about fishing with your grandfather bring back memories of fishing with my grandfather . good luck with finishing it and hope to read it soon .
↓Thanks Z, Tom, and everyone else at Surfcaster’s Journal, and everyone at Commando bags. This is awesome. 🙂
E-mail will be forthcoming…
Regarding e-books, with how fast my wife can read a book, my house was about to burst at the seams with all the books she was going through. Buying her a Nook at the end of 2009 was the best thing I ever did. Ironically, with access to her Nook, plus Nook and Kindle apps on my smartphone, I still prefer a paper book…
↓Congratulations John…… Was glad to be part of what SJ does. Can’t thank Zeno and Tommy C. enough for all the support.
↓I have yet to read an official ebook, but they are the future. As much as I enjoy sitting down with an actual book, it is often much simpler to have the book in an Eversion. In college I would chop text books and scan them onto my computer. Some text books are so boring I don’t know how people read them, but I found a way to get the computer to read to me. Heck I can ever speed up the WPM and listen at chipmunk speed and just repeat sections that are valuable.
But I will say that for many books the price is not that different and I would prefer to have a hard copy over an e version for the extra $2-3.
↓I also think that word of mouth authors are going to do much better with an ebook. yes they will likely have to contract out the conversions/formatting. Yes many will have to have a web designer set up a store (maybe only once) and maximize search engine hits. But after that, there is no need to use a distributer, such as Amazon.
By the way Amazon alone could probably resolve the California budget if they were required to pay any taxes.
↓Hi Z, Another thing about Kindle; Mine was stolen two weeks ago by a dumb-ass fellow worker. I contacted Kindle deregistered my unit and Kindle blocked it from ever being used again!!! Wow! I didn’t know that could be done but each unit has it’s own ID which is how Amazon knows who gets what books over the ethernet. Plus they restored my 40 plus library in my new Kindle at no charge! P.S. after a couple of days dumb-ass returned my Kindle to management with a b.s. explanation for how it got mixed in with his stuff.
↓I for one would love the option of having an eBook version of The Journal issues, the books, anything and everything.
I would also love a book on stories. The “how-to’s” just don’t resonate like a book on experiences.
↓Im with brendan, i love my nook but i find it difficult to read off the computer as it pertains to full length books. I would hate to see print disappear but I physically enjoy holding the nook better than a giant hardcover book, plus having all my books in one place is great too.
And Z I think story type fishing books are well recieved. Technical books are great but ,even great books like Skinners Bucktail book or Doc’s dont make me feel like I’m out there fishing, the books like Skinner’s Season on the Edge really doOr Frank Daignault’s books. so fire it up. you have a nice easy writing style a lot of us enjoy.
↓I have read every issue off of my phone and I hardly use my pc anymore. I own a kindle and I do like it but I don’t purchase any ebooks. I like paper and the ability to give my friends or my father a book I have finished to read. If I want them to read a download I would have to give him my kindle, or have an account on his pc so I can download there. Id rather have a real book to do with as I please. I would love to read some of your stories Zeno, when your not fishing the next best thing is to read about someone fishing.
↓And thank you for the shot at the bag, I appreciate it.
↓Z,
Just got a Kindle as a present, having a little trouble adjusting and learning at this point but hoping time will make it easier. I am kinda anti technology old school. Some fantastic benefits for sure but also alot of drawbacks ( like internet experts and tough guys ). Publish your new book, love to read them all. Thanks to Tom @ commando and all you guys @ SJ for the chance at a beautiful bag. It’s the # one giveaway I was dying to be the winner of.Congrats to John B.
↓After your article yesterday on the Skinner book being available as an eBook I downloaded it to my Kindle. As I am in the middle of the Atlantic I would not have been able to purchase the book if not for eBooks. As to anything you write in any format sign me up. Big fan of Surfcasting with Lures and of course the Journal.
↓ah great – I just bought my wife a nook. THanks Z for letting me know that it will soon be obsolete. Damn…
anyhow, I like both books and e-books. Something about getting a book you can touch and feel, especially those that are signed and you treasure for life. For those books that I read and “discard”, well, I like e-books. I struggled with Sinner’s book on bucktails. Whether to get it on e-books or hard copy. I chose hardcopy as I feel it will be a keeper and I (hopefully) will have it signed by John someday.
↓Bruce
↓The BN is looking to spin off Nook into a separate company to capitalize on one damned thing they are actually doing well (although still loosing money on it)
I don’t think its going anywhere for awhile…although my money is on Amazon and Apple