iphone-screenshot_Vook_Woman's DayEnhanced e-books are digital downloads of books featuring extras similar to the extras on a DVD.  Some e-books include video trailers, author’s bios, links to author’s sites, links to locations mentioned in the book, etc.

I’m not a big fan of video trailers in fiction e-books because  I’ve already purchased the book and I’m not interested in a visual interpretation of what I’m about to read.  I want to create my own images from the author’s words.  However, the use of video in non-fiction works not only enhances the purchase it’s a bargain you won’t get in the hardcover version. The digital extras now being included in many children’s books, cookbooks, fitness books and how to books make you want to jump right out of your reading chair and do a happy dance.

For example the digital version of Return to Beauty by Narine Nikogosian with video by filmmaker Chris Chambers  includes 16 videos and 83 pages making this digital experience and purchase more extraordinary than receiving double coupons from your local supermarket.  With a price tag of only 6.99 versus the hardcover price of 25.00 what’s not to love?  The hardcover at almost three times the price doesn’t offer the “how to videos” seen in the digital version.  Below, the author demonstrates how to mix up her honey, oatmeal and egg yolk facial to remove fine lines and wrinkles. Hmmm…sounds delicious.

This book is one of the many offerings from Simon & Schuster available on the Vook.  But if you don’t have a Vook you can download the application to your iPhone for 3.99 – still a bargain.  For those of you who have yet to purchase an e-reader, your iPhone can pull double duty very easily.  Simply download the Stanza , the B&N reader or the Kindle apps for free onto your iPhone and you’ll be reading with the ease of a thumb swipe in seconds.  I’ve done, and I love it.

If you have children, The Disney Digital Book site has very interesting features that will enhance your child’s learning experience and love for reading and storytelling.

While ebooks now offer us many extras, I’m afraid the ereader as a separate reading device may soon be a thing of the past with the release of the tablet.  The tablet promises to be an all-in-one must have device.  But I caution you, it won’t be cheap to consolidate your gaming, book reading and movie watching . Personally, I have  never been an early adopter of any new gadget, I usually wait for them to work out the bugs and offer the next version that is invariably more powerful  and adorned with more bells and whistles.  For the moment, I’ll stick with what I have and wait for the next version of the tablet with hopefully a lower price tag.

Whether you choose an ereader or a tablet, it appears video will be an integral part of any digital download – yet another venue for production work.  What types of videos can you envision for this market?

Enhanced e-books are more than a bargain.

Enhanced e-books are digital downloads of books that feature extras, similar to the extras on a DVD.

Some e-books include video trailers, author’s bios, links to author’s sites, links to locations

mentioned in the book, etc.

I’m not a big fan of video trailers in fiction e-books because  I’ve already purchased the book and

I’m not interested in someone else’s visual interpretation of what I’m about to read.  I want to

create my own images from the author’s words.  However, the use of video in non-fiction works not only

enhances the purchase it’s a bargain you won’t get in the hardcover version.

The digital extras now being included in many children’s books, cookbooks, fitness books and how to

books make you want to jump right out of your reading chair and do a happy dance.

For example the digital version of Return to Beauty by Narine Nikogosian with video by filmmaker Chris

Chambers  includes 16 videos and 83 pages making this digital experience and purchase more

extraordinary than receiving double coupons from your local supermarket.  With a price tag of only

6.99 versus the hardcover price of 25.00 what’s not to love.  The hardcover at almost three times the

price doesn’t offer the how to videos seen in the digital version.  Below, the author demonstrates how

to mix up her honey, oatmeal and yogurt facial to remove fine lines and wrinkles.  It’s delicious.

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This book is one of the many offerings from Simon & Schuster available on the Vook.  But if you don’t

have a Vook you can download the application to your iPhone for 3.99 – still a bargain.  For those of

you who have yet to purchase an e-reader, your iPhone can pull double duty very easily.  Simply

download the Stanza http://www.lexcycle.com/download, the B&N reader

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ebooks/download-reader.asp or the Kindle

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=kcp_pc_mkt_lnd?docId=1000426311 apps for free onto your

iPhone and you’ll be reading with the ease of a thumb swipe in seconds.  I’ve done, and I love it.

If you have children, The Disney Digital Book
http://disneydigitalbooks.go.com/?cmp=ddb_hp_redirect_extl site has very interesting features that

will enhance your child’s learning experience and love for reading and storytelling.

While ebooks now offer us many extras, I’m afraid the ereader as a separate reading device may soon be

a thing of the past with the release of the tablet.  But that may be a slow transition.  While the

tablet promises to be an all in one device it will probably be too costly at the outset for most

people to afford. Besides, I’ve never been an early adopter, I usually wait for them to work out the

bugs and offer the next version that is invariably more powerful and has more bells and whistles.  For

the moment, I’ll stick with what I have and wait for the price to within the realm of reach.