<span class="SFPTagline">
From SCIFIPEDIA
</span>
e-Books are electronic versions of books. The term encompasses both formal versions, which may include graphics, and e-texts, which are typically just text files. The books may be offered for a fee (including by some publishers of paper books) or may be free versions. Free versions are often public domain works made available by nonprofit organizations.
Some works are created specifically to be e-Books. This can enable a fledgling author to get to the public, circumventing the traditional publishers. However, major authors and publishers have also gone the e-Book route.
Other works are converted, or "digitized." There are two main methods for this: simply re-typing the book, or using a scanner with OCR (Optical Character Recognition) software. Both methods may entail consider labor: while the latter is a faster method, it is less reliable, and requires more clean-up and proof-reading.
Given the combination of dedication to a task and high-tech, it should not be surprising that many sci fi works have been digitized, with more on the way.
Websites
Free Downloads
Project Gutenberg is the gold standard in e-Book publishers. A non-profit operation, it has nearly 20,000 total books. Books are available for free as e-texts, and in several languages. Authors include: Edgar Rice Burroughs; Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; and L. Frank Baum. The majority of the books are fiction, but paranormal works are represented as well.
The non-profit organization began digitizing public domain paranormal books in 2006
Fee Downloads
A subsidiary of Amazon, it offers a wide variety of books (including special sections for sci fi, fantasy, Star Trek, and so on) for fees that can range up to the equivalent for paper works
Readers
2008, SCI FI. All rights reserved.
