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support > e-books and books: pros and cons

(Or, how to keep up with the times)

I. Reading styles

As an aspiring research scholar, I remember poring over books in the library of my college late in the evenings. Mosquitoes were a big nuisance, and often distracted concentration. How I wished, then, that I could carry all the books that I needed home, and read them in the comfort of my bed, a hot cup of cocoa waiting for me on the nearby table.

Cut fast forward about twenty years. My wishes have come true. The only change is a graying at the temples and a pair of specs sitting on the bridge of my nose. For the books, I have the computer hooked to the always-on broadband connection, and I can flip through the ebooks — paid as well as free — to my heart's content; not only at my home, but also while waiting in the airport lounge or while getting my car serviced.

That is technology for you.

II. So, how do e-books differ from ordinary books?

E-book — or electronic or digital book — is to put it simply, just the electronic version of any ordinary book. Instead of turning the cellulose pages by the fingers, you click on the "NEXT" and "PREVIOUS" arrow-buttons. Publishers of E-books have quite a few options these days to bundle their output — ranging from plain text files to XML to PDF to eReader.

An ordinary book does not require any power source, and one can curl up in the armchair below the shade of a tree in a hot afternoon sun with that favorite novel. With an ebook, you need power supply — if not from the regular electricity source, then from the inbuilt batteries. An ordinary book also can be read with minimal eye strain — I remember reading my theses books for hours without let. In case of ebooks, if the screen is not of the right technology, or the font sizes cannot be sufficiently increased, then watering of eyes can be an issue.

On the other hand, searching for a particular word or phrase is an obvious advantage in ebook. Space is another big plus. Tomes upon tomes of printed matter that required entire shelf space can now fit into one single CD. Not to mention the continuous exposure to termites and white ants that ate into the cellulose; this is totally eliminated. E-books can be instantly copied and distributed at negligible costs — and requires none of the infrastructure demanded by the traditional books. Updates and errata can be quickly uploaded and moved to the readers — users need not wait for the next year to see newer versions of what they are reading. Similarly, cross-references and URLs can take the reader to relevant content across the web, enriching the reading experience.

III. Chrysanth NETime Author & E-books

The best thing about Chrysanth NETime Author is that it is a great way to generate your ebooks. As a writer or author, you have to keep pace with the changing world that is moving away from the printed word and moving towards the digital word with every passing month. Chrysanth NETime Author allows you to get going with your core work with minimum investment and gestation period.

Where the ebook self-publishing software peaks as your assistant — your man Friday, I would say — towards the road to instant nirvana is its facility to generate PDFs out of your book. PDFs, as you must be aware, are the de facto standard in which books are submitted these days. A button-click is all that you require for creating a PDF out of your existing files. That is all there to ebook creation, really!

As a writer or author, it is sometimes difficult to follow through with the ideas that are flowing in the mind, and simultaneously organize them in proper fashion such that they are easily accessible later. This great ebook publishing software handles all the organizing nitty-gritty for you, so that you can concentrate on your core skill: writing.

These days, reader tastes have evolved to an extent that color, graphics, audio (in the form of music, taped interviews, voice-overs) and video (perhaps "on-site/ on-the-scene" reportage or video footing) as part of an ebook are now being taken for granted. Through ebook self-publishing software's panel features, you can organize them for every page and section/ chapter separately. 

For both wannabe and veteran writers, Chrysanth NETime Author is a great boon. Not for nothing is the software proving popular amongst the writing community!

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