Don’t fear the Reader

Garbhan Downey's new novel The American Envoy will be the first from a Northern Ireland press, Guildhall Press, to be sold as an e-book as well as in printed form.

The Derry author is convinced that the e-reading revolution will bring huge opportunities for readers, writers and publishers alike.

I love books. Our house is coming down with them. Every time we build a new bookcase, we instantly fill it from the pre-existing spill-over.Like many people I know, I have a greater sentimental attachment to books than any other (non-breathing) possessions. Revisiting the shelves has all the charm of revisiting old friends, without the attendant need to explain yourself. You remember the stories, where you were when you first saw them, the time you spent with them and when you fell in love with them.

I own signed copies of books that I wouldn’t even mention to people in passing conversation, for fear someone might want to see them – or worse again borrow them.

Last summer, however, was the first time I was ever able to go off on holiday with 125 books in my jacket pocket, courtesy of the Sony Reader my mother-in-law had given me at Easter.

The Reader gives you 7000 page turns without needing a re-charge, which, is roughly the equivalent of 15 to 20 books. And it allows you to purchase and read the books you want immediately, from the comfort of your PC – and you never have to settle for second best.