Since I was a child I have enjoyed snuggling up in my bed, opening my book to the latest chapter and wondering off into a world far far away from my own. Flicking through the pages, folding over the edges to remind me where I am is all part of the reading experience, but is broadband is set to change all this? Harper Collins have put Neil Gaiman's American Gods novel online for people to read for free.
Whilst this seems like a good idea in theory, and probable would be if it was downloadable, the online book only allows people to read it whilst at the computer. I can’t imagine many people wanting to stare at their computer screens at their desks when they could be snug under the covers. The publisher seems to be missing a trick here, as online books would be a great idea if the user could download the content and print it off.
For the moment I think I’ll stick to my world under the covers but I would be very interested to see how publishers develop this idea further.
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