Dr. Gary S. Goodman and I have been connected on LinkedIn for some time now. His comments on my various blog posts have always been insightful and on point. Recently he sent me a link to an article he had written regarding e-Books and I thought it shed some new light on the question of to e-Book or not to e-Book? I enjoyed his perspective so much that I asked his permission to republish it on this blog.  –Bill Ruesch

Best-Selling Author Asks: How Do You Autograph An E-Book?

Author: Dr. Gary S. Goodman

At one of my most memorable book signings, I had just finished speaking to a group of 450 managers. Each had been provided a copy of one of my books, and it took me a good half-hour to inscribe autographs to those that patiently stood in line.

That happy scene came to mind I was just reflecting on some advice I gave to an aspiring author.

I suggested she start the journey into print and prestige by publishing an e-book. Build a track record with one of those, and then pitch a bricks-mortar-and-paper publisher on transforming the piece into something tangible.

Separately, I mentioned she should tell publishers that she performs before “live” audiences, which would make avid book buyers in the foyers of various venues.

Then it hit me. You can’t AUTOGRAPH an e-book, can you?

This is one of the medium’s major drawbacks. As an author of hard-copy volumes, some of which have reached best-seller status, I can tell you much of the allure of purchasing a speaker’s tome is that it is a memento.

You can pull it off a shelf, or even display it in a neat tabletop bracket, so your friends and colleagues can be impressed that you got up close and personal with someone at least moderately prominent.

There’s the signature to prove it, and the personal dedication, to YOU!

You can pass that volume down to your grandkids, and beyond, and it may gain significance and even extrinsic value with the passing decades.

An e-book will in all likelihood never be prized as a “first edition.” Nor can it really become a “rare” book, either, as long as it can be preserved in electronic storage systems, which become ever cheaper.

We can’t tout an e-book as being in “excellent condition,” either. Indeed, most of the characteristics that lend books an aura or prestige and uniqueness tend to vanish when they become digital, only.

E-books will be with us for a long time to come. Yet, will they ever serve as reminders of special events or meaningful encounters the way conventional books do?

Authors aren’t the only people to inscribe dedications in books. We do the same thing for friends and loved ones when we give them as gifts.

The fact that we cannot autograph e-books doesn’t necessarily consign them to failure. It just makes conventional volumes that much more valuable and admirable, by comparison.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ebooks-articles/bestselling-author-asks-how-do-you-autograph-an-ebook-2090439.html

About the Author

Dr. Gary S. Goodman is a top-ranked sales speaker, negotiation speaker, and customer service speaker at Google, and a distinguished, sought-after telemarketing speaker, motivational speaker, and attorney. President of Customersatisfaction.com, he is a frequent TV and radio commentator and the best-selling author of 12 books and more than 1,700 articles that appear in 25,000 publications. President of Customersatisfaction.com, Gary conducts seminars and speaks at convention programs around the world. His new audio program is Nightingale-Conant’s “Crystal Clear Communication: How to Explain Anything Clearly in Speech & Writing,” which you can try for only one dollar at: http://www.nightingale.com/prod_detail.aspx?product=Crystal_Clear_Communication&promo=INTAF416. Professional speaking, seminar, and consulting invitations can be addressed to:gary@customersatisfaction.com.