EBook versus Paper Book

I love the feel of a book in my hands. The touch of paper that has turned soft through so many flicks conjures images of slow weekends spent lost in a novel’s story. Yet, for my first book, I have decided to publish it only as an eBook. This decision may sound counter-intuitive, an assault on my inner passion for books. But this dilemma is exactly why I wanted to share my rational.

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Price:
I felt that most travellers, like me, would rather spend their hard-earned cash on their actual travels rather than trip planning. So, I have priced Dust in My Pack at only a few dollars to keep it accessible to anyone interested in reading its stories. The lower costs of producing an eBook compared to a traditional print book make this low price point possible. After all, my primary goal is to share my ‘best of” experiences with everyone intrigued by an adventure traveller’s tales.

Environment:
Dust in My Pack is written for travellers or those people interested in the diverse regions of our planet. As such, I want to keep these special places special, it’s the environmentalist inside me. While exploring our globe, its hard to avoid at least some travel on emission spewing airplanes. So, my little contribution to counter this effect is to deliver my book electronically. eBooks cut out the emissions derived from shipping, save a tree otherwise used for its paper and eliminate wasted shipping packaging.

Weight:
I recall hauling eight Lonely Planet books in the bottom of my backpack during a five-month around-the-world trip in the year 2000. Ugh. Those books were really heavy. Not only was it a pain to carry, but the weight pushed my pack to the upper limits allowed by airlines. An eBook eliminates the weight factor.

Interactive:
It is easy to connect to websites, hotels, tour providers, etc through a digital platform. By presenting Dust in My Pack electronically, readers can more easily access references and plan their own next adventure.

These four points convinced me that an eBook was the way to go for my book. Kaleeg Hainsworth, the owner of my book designer’s company, Bright Wings provides a passionate perspective along a similar vein. This was part of the reason why I was drawn to work together. If you are interested in reading Kaleeg’s view, click the button below:

Click for Bright Wings article