When Chris Morphew started writing stories about
dinosaurs and time machines as a kid, he never imagined he would become a
best-selling author. Several years and countless books later, the 26-yearold
Australian is still wondering about the future. It seems anything is possible
for young authors like Morphew in today’s digital age, where electronic books
can be purchased and downloaded with only one click. Morphew,
who has published two kids’ adventure series, says e-books can attract readers
because most retailers allow a sneak preview before buying. "It’s a great way to
introduce potential readers to a novel, and hopefully get them hooked enough to
pay for the rest," Morphew said. The e-book phenomenon is
taking off among consumers. The global e-book market grew by more than 200
percent last year, according to a new report from Futuresource Consulting. The
market is boosted by a rising number of e-book services, e-reading devices and
tablets like the iPad. But in a world of such easily
downloadable material, Morphew says piracy and copyright issues are concerning.
"As an author who pours months of his life into each book he creates, it’s
discouraging to think that people might be willing to take what I’ve created
without giving any thought to the effort that went into producing those projects
in the first place," he said. It’s no secret that the Internet
is filled with unlicensed, free digital copies of books on file-sharing
websites. This has led some successful authors to worry about dwindling
profits. "If readers lose the habit of paying me for my work, I can’t
work. Writing is how I make my living," British novelist Chris Cleave told the
Guardian. William Kostakis, a 21-year-old Australian author who
is currently completing his second novel, isn’t so concerned. He says book
digitization can actually make it easier for young writers to support their
careers. "Competitive pricing and self-publishing through Amazon means that
authors can get their works out to the world, and start making money," Kostakis
said. Kostakis says freelancing is another great way to help
pay the bills. He is currently writing for the online Australian news site
Ninemsn. com. "Freelancing is the key to making money until you’re established,
with most authors turning to journalism after publication to support themselves
financially," Kostakis said. So is there hope for young authors
out there It appears so. Life in the technological fast lane has them charging
full speed ahead. The underlined word "dwindling" in Paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to
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