LA Festival of Books - Best eBook Reader and iPad Writing Apps - UCLA Writers Festival of Books

The LA Festival of Books weekend is a highlight on the literary calender. In 2010 the writers festival saw fans and writers embrace technology with eReaders. The iPad was featured with iPad writers apps at the Festival of Books. The annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books is hailed as North America's biggest literary event and is held over a full Saturday and Sunday with writers workshops, book signings and interviews featured. In 2010 there was a  new twist the authors came to meet the fans and spoke of ebook integration.

Apple’s latest e-Book technology the iPad was highlighted with content capabilities and reading attributes. The UCLA Festival of Books hosted some of our biggest writers with book signings, panel discussions and one on one conversations. There were more than 130,000 people in attendance. Aspiring writers and fans alike were able to meet more than 400 authors. In the past few years publishing and the distribution of books has changed dramatically with Kindle and iBooks, iPad and comics on iPad to the point ebook sales outstrip traditional book sales. It was fitting that writers embraced this new technology with iPad at the Festival of Books.

Buy New eReaders Online -  iPad, Nook, Sony and Nook  

There was a number of fascinating one on one conversation of some of the biggest current literary names to choose from. Herman Wouk who wrote 'The Caine Mutiny’ and is now 94-years-old and controversial Bret Easton Ellis who wrote ‘American Psycho.’

There were best sellers like James Elroy, 82-year-old Mary Higgins Clark and Meg Cabot and celebrity comic Sarah Silverman to spice the show up a bit.  Here are some snippets of the topics, moderators and panels.

Saturday

• Mary & Carol Higgins Clark in Conversation with Connie Martinson
• Carolyn See & Lisa See in Conversation with Barbara Isenberg
• Carol Burnett in Conversation with Mary McNamara
• Dave Eggers in Conversation with David L. Ulin
• Yann Martel in Conversation with Michael Silverblatt
• James Ellroy in Conversation with Joseph Wambaugh

Sunday

• Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman in Conversation with Karen Grigsby Bates
• Bret Easton Ellis in Conversation with Erik Himmelsbach
• Sebastian Junger in Conversation with Henry Weinstein
• John Green & David Levithan in Conversation with Denise Hamilton
• Father Gregory Boyle in Conversation with Warren Olney
• Bill McKibben in Conversation with Susan Salter Reynolds
• Herman Wouk in Conversation with Tim Rutten
• TC Boyle with an Introduction by Brighde Mullins

There were a number of fascinating panels to choose from, here are some snippets of the topics, moderators and panels.

Saturday

Mystery: The Pageturners

• Moderator: Ms. Mary McNamara
• Panel: Mr. David Ellis, Mr. Andrew Gross, Mr. Gregg Hurwitz, and Ms. Karin Slaughter

Fact vs. Fiction: Storytelling in Young Adult Nonfiction

• Moderator: Mr. Jonathan Hunt
• Panel: Ms. Deborah Heiligman, Ms. Elizabeth Partridge,

Memoir: All the Single Ladies

• Moderator: Ms. Amy Alkon
• Panel: Ms. Julie Klausner, Ms. Giulia Melucci, and Ms. Sascha Rothchild

Sunday

The Art of the Critic

• Moderator: Mr. David L. Ulin
• Panel Ms. Elif Batuman, Mr. John Freeman, Ms. Laura Miller, Mr. Albert Mobilio

Does the American Economy Have a Future?

• Moderator: Mr. Jon Wiener

• Panel: Ms. Joyce Appleby, Mr. Roger Farmer, Mr. Steven Hill, and Mr. Matt Miller

The Middle East: Facing the Realities

• Moderator: Mr. Bruce Wallace
• Panel: Mr. Reza Aslan, Mr. Ilan Berman, and Ms. Roxana Saberi

China: The Next Super Power?

• Moderator: Mr. Scott Kraft

• Panel: Mr. Richard Baum, Mr. Zachary Karabell, 
Mr. Jeffrey Wasserstrom

Comic Books: Indie and Beyond

• Moderator: Mr. Geoff Boucher
• Panel: Mr. Ed Brubaker, Mr. Mike Mignola, and Mr. Simon Oliver

Hot Off the Press: Writing About Sex

• Moderator: Ms. Rachel Resnick
• Panel: Ms. Susie Bright, Ms. Rachel Kramer Bussel, and Mr. Stephen Elliott. Mr. John Freeman

There has been much comment about e-Books and how they will affect the book market and reading itself. I think Herman Wouk says it very eloquently. He told Reuters, 'The craft of storytelling is eternal in its appeal to human nature,' and 'The forms change; the hunger for stories doesn't.'

Another thing that Wouk said which is a huge plus is that the increased market that technology brings to reading and writing. I think this is why you see writers embrace technology with iPad at the Festival of Books.

Wouk when talking about his latest book on faith and science said 'Still, as author I'd want 'The Language God Talks' to be available in any form accessible and agreeable to readers,' he said.

To stay in the moment this year as writers embrace technology with iPad at the Festival of Books there was a mobile scavenger hunt with the grand prize being an iPad from Apple. 'This event is a celebration of literacy and we like to stay ahead of the curve,' said Anna Magzanyan, vice president of Times marketing. 'Since the iPad is a hot topic and a great tool, we were excited to give someone an iPad.'

Mary Higgins Clark who at 82 years of age is still amongst the biggest sellers seems to be an iPad fan. Higgins Clark said 'I think iPads could be very helpful in the long run.' A huge plus, which I agree with given my iTunes habits, is that readers have easier accessibility to the books. Rather than dress up to go to Barnes and Noble you can simply download a book on impulse after reading an article, watching TV series or being referred by a friend for example.

Higgins Clark has written as written over 42 big-selling mystery and crime novels. This has not her first rodeo and has seen technology change throughout her long career. Higgins Clark told Reuters. 'I remember when they predicted that paperbacks would ruin the industry'

Today we see authors beginning to self-publish on Writer content sites like HubPages and personal blogs. In today’s world of minute attention span you even have authors twittering novels in what has been called micro-blogging. A tweet a day keeps the writer’s blues away.

Having researched the impact of iPad on Comics and graphic novels I agree with Cecil Castellucci who told Reuters 'Any time there's a new media, it's exciting because it offers new ways to tell the story and brings new people to writing'. Castellucci at only 40 is what you would call relevant being an indie musician and popular young adult novelist.

It should be remembered that e-Books are only new to the book space and account or only around $313 million of the overall $24 billion U.S. book market. Whilst this is still only a small percentage it is a large numbers of titles, which is promising for authors and booksellers alike. Like the iPhone and iPad entrance to the comic book market digital tiles have taken off. In 2009 e-book sales were up a massive 177 percent, while overall book sales fell 1.8 percent from 2008. A much healthier divergence than the Music industries much highlighted sales issues.

Projections are that the eBook share will rise to around 25 percent to 50 percent of all books sold. The question is of course is this of a declining or stagnant to rising book market? These are exciting times for readers and writers alike as writers embrace technology with iPad at the Festival of Books. Lets keep our eye (and iPad) on any future developments