Step 6: eReader books; Books available for eBook Readers, where to buy it, how much does it cost?

By Jack Burden

Many books are now being released in an eBook format. At Amazon any book that has an electronic edition edition available has a link to purchase it directly from that book's page. There are also thousands of classics available for free.

It may surprise you to learn just how old the idea of electronic books really is. In 1971 Michael S. Hart began Progect Gutenberg, an effort to digitize and archive cultural works. Most of the works in the project are available for free in widely used formats such as plain text and HTML (the markup language used in many websites). As of December 2009 there were over 33,000 works in the project.

Many books are now released in eBook format alongside their regular soft or hard cover release and more older works are converted to eBook format every day. Typically eBooks will be siginificantly less expensive than the physical version, for hardcover works it can be more than 50% less and with out of copyright classics "free" is of course a very significant savings. eReaders are a fantastic way to catch up on the classics of literature.

Many newspapers and magazines are also available in electronic format and can be downloaded upon publication to internet or 3G connected eReader devices. Major papers such as the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post and USA Today all have electronic formats available.

eReaders are also useful for reading other large documents besides books if they are available in a format your eReader can display. Operation manuals, white papers and more can be found in pdf and other formats and transferred to an ereader for convenient reading away from your computer screen.

Public libraries are also starting to lend out eBooks and eReaders like the Nook from Barnes & Noble can use this format to let you check out electronic books and read them on your eReader device.

11 Step Guide to Buying an eReader

• Step 1: What is an eReader or ebook reader? How eReader Technology works - Differences with laptops
• Step 2: Why buy an eReader or eBook reader? Will it save me money and time?
• Step 3: eInk vs. LCD/LED Screen; Which is better? Do I need color on my eReader?
• Step 4: What eBook Readers and ereaders are currently available in the marketplace? What's coming?
• Step 5: eReader Reviews; eBook reader ratings from our editors based on Quality, Features, Value
• Step 6: eReader books; Books available for eBook Readers, where to buy it, how much does it cost?
• Step 7: eReader Pros and Cons; Why buy an eReader? What are the advantages of eBook Readers?
• Step 8: eReaders and eBook reader retailers - Where to buy, which are best?
• Step 9: Best eReader; Top 5 eReaders and eBook Readers by Editors Ratings
• Step 10: eReader Cases & Maintenance; How to care for your eBook reader after purchase
• Step 11: eReader Extended Warranty; Should you buy it? Where to buy eBook reader warranties