Last updated on June 19, 2012
So we all love our e-readers, regardless if they are dedicated devices, or software piggy-backing on our tablets or smartphones. You can carry your favorite books with you anytime, all the time, and never a gram of added weight.
However, this does have the unfortunate side-effect of killing one of those visceral delights book-lovers seem to universally have: getting a cherished book signed by the author. It’s not like they can sign the screen on your Kindle or Kobo; well, I suppose they -could- but it would limit it’s usefulness somewhat.
At Steamcon last year, one author panel on electronic publishing talked about this. Some ideas were cover-art postcards, book plates, or even double-sized business cards featuring a QR code-block on them to help your fan get connected to your social media. Great ideas, but … somehow they all feel “markety” or at least not as visceral as getting the thing you are reading signed.
So what to do? I think part of it is the generation of book-lovers; we “grew up” collecting signatures of our favorite authors in the books that -made- them our favorite authors. Maybe our sons and daughters will consider collecting those signatures on cover-art postcards the “new normal”.
My personal favorite replacement for “signed books” in Kindle-space is an online service called Kindlegraph. The service touts itself as delivering “Personalized digital inscriptions for over fifteen thousand books from 3500 authors“.
Essentially, you find your favorite author and book, and then you send them a signature request electronically. You get a signature page delivered to your Kindle, including a message from the author. You keep it with your other electronic media on your Kindle, and it’s yours.
If you’re a “Sauder Diaries” reader on Kindle, you can get your copy signed at http://www.kindlegraph.com/authors/MichelV69 . I personally think this is a cool bridge towards solving the issue of wanting our books and our author signatures together. Take a look, throw some requests to your favorite authors and tell your friends about it.
Leave a comment here and tell me what you think about “the problem” and Kindlegraph’s solution. I’d love to hear from you.
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