Author Autographs for eBooks

At many large publishers, eBooks account for less than 10 percent of the company's total sales. It doesn't seem like a lot overall, but eBook sales have surged in the past year. Given our desire for instant access to books, eBook sales are likely to continue in that upward trend. Publishers are working hard to create digital products that readers will love, including "enhanced eBooks" with additional material, such as author interviews, hyperlinks to relevant websites, and other fun and games.

Now eBook readers can get digital autographs from authors too, if they care to do so. Admittedly, it's not the same as meeting an author in person and getting his or her John Hancock on the title page of a printed book, but it's a nice technology that "virtually" connects authors and readers.

Autography, a company based out of St. Petersburg, Florida, is offering this technology across eReader platforms. The author has to have an iPad to create the signature and/or personal message for you, but if that requirement is met, the digital autograph can be sent either through your eReader's Wi-Fi (regardless of platform--this works with Kindle, Nook, etc.) or by e-mail.