With the coming of modern technology, the whole meaning of writing a book is changing. Due to the increasing availability of the internet and the improvements that have been made to the devices we connect to it with, there are other ways to publish a book other than the traditional “hardcopy” method. The “up and coming” method of producing books in an eBook format is trying to take over. I know that the whole eBook thing is sort of new to some of us, but it seems to be the direction that things are headed toward, so I’ve “jumped in”, so to speak, and that is one method by which I make my books available now.
The particular publisher and sales distribution network that I have chosen is that of Amazon Kindle eBooks. In the beginning, in order to read a Kindle eBook, you needed one of Amazon’s Kindle reading devices, called an Amazon Kindle E-Reader. They are available in several models at various costs, and allow you to read any eBook you have purchased from the Amazon Kindle Book Store. But now, that has all changed, and Amazon has made available, free of charge, a couple of different methods by which you can turn your home computer, notebook computer, or even your smartphone, into a “Kindle Reader”. You still, of course, have to purchase the eBook from Kindle, but then you can view it without the investment in another device.
The first way to do that that I discovered, is to download a piece of software from Amazon called a Kindle Reading App. It is available from Amazon’s web site for free. Once it is installed on your computer device, you’ve got everything you need to start reading any eBook that you have purchased (or borrowed). They have several programs you can choose from when you sign up to receive an eBook. Some of which even include a huge selection of eBooks for free. The second way to read a Kindle eBook from your computer device is through a software program that doesn’t download to your device, but operates over the internet as a “cloud” type program. I use this one on one of my computers that has very limited disk space, and I didn’t have room for the first method to be downloaded comfortably. It, also, is available for free from Amazon’s web site.
The big advantage of the eBook method of publishing to the consumer, is not only the “portability” of the book but also the price of the book. Instead of paying around $35.00 for a hardcopy of the book, the eBook version is only $9.95. However, there is a lot to be said for having a hardcopy of the book. You can place the book right on the fender of the cart you are working on so as to see it better, you can make notes in it, etc. Some people just don’t like the eBook format much and that is why I still now make Electric Golf Cart Repair 101 (and a half) available in hardcopy format. Just click the following link to go directly to the Amazon location where it is available: Book: Ronald L Staley: 9780578560557: Amazon.com: Books
For information about books written by Ron Staley about both electric and gas driven golf carts and their repair, visit the following links.
Electric Golf Cart Repair, both as an eBook and in Hardcopy:
Book: Ronald L Staley: 9780578560557: Amazon.com: Books
Gas Golf Cart Repair, both as an eBook and in Hardcopy:
Gas Golf Cart Repair Book: Ron Staley: 9798987911303: Amazon.com: Books