All Hail Google...Paper

So I’m on the desktop today. Um, desktop computer—get your minds out of the gutter, folks, this post isn’t about what my characters all find so fascinating. Thing is, I run Firefox on my laptop, with that nifty little Save Session add-on, and I’ve always got my Google home page open, complete with a preview of my inbox. All of which is by way of explaining that I don’t often see the Gmail sign-in page.

Today, though, I was using the desktop, and decided I wanted to check something in my e-mail. So I wandered over to mail.google.com...and saw an announcement for Gmail Paper.
Yes, folks, Google will now print out any message(s) you desire, and mail them to you. For free.

My response? Oh, thank you!

You see, I’m one of those people who really does live a paperless life. (No, that’s not a typo: I don’t do paper, so Google Paper makes me happy.) Okay, almost paperless; there are a few exceptions. I still read hardcopy books, even prefer them sometimes (lounging on the beach, for instance—my Dana by Alphasmart’s allergic to sand). I still choose to receive bills in paper, mostly because the pile of them serves as a reminder to pay the blasted things. But I don’t deal much with paper beyond that; I’m a telecommuter whenever I can be, I write using the Dana or a computer... Hell, I don’t even own a printer any more. When the last one died, I just sort of put off buying a replacement. For going on three years now. It’s not like I need to print all that much; the occasional contract or invoice, that’s about it. And not all of them, as some states allow digital signatures. I think the last time I really needed a printer was back in December!

So why am I excited about this Google Paper thing? A couple of reasons: Because every now and then, I want a paper copy of something. And when I do, it’s usually something pretty disposable. A book I’d like to edit at the beach, for instance (curse that sand allergy!), that I just can’t see printing out in all its two-hundred-plus-page glory. Sure, it’s easy enough to get the edits back onto the computer, but then what do you do with all those hardcopy pages? I’m a child of the Reduce-Reuse-Recycle era; the thought of all that waste stops me in my tracks.

I can’t see using Google Paper for that, either, honestly, however much I like the thought—postal mail uses fuel resources—but they are using recycled soy paper, an item my compost pile adores. What really makes me smile is the idea of ordering my next contract that way. Hey, the last one cost me $12.00 to print, with all its tome-length garrulity! I have no problem proclaiming myself a starving writer (garret does NOT equal luxury penthouse!), and I have no qualms about the idea of sending a contract with ads printed on the back of every page. If folks who want to hire me electronically to work on a computer don’t understand the idea of a digital sig, they can just deal with giant red ads on the unused parts of the paper.

Actually, I think it’ll be a great statement—and I can’t wait to hear the response! Okay, folks, someone hire me, quick! I want to do this. I do.

But there’s one major, giant, shout-hallelujiah reason that Google Paper gets me so excited, the reason that prompted this post: Readers without e-readers.

You see, I write largely for the electronic market. You can find a couple of my pieces in print, but mostly, they’re e-books. (Available at Amazon.com and Fictionwise! /hint) I know of at least a few people who’ve bought my books and read them sitting at their desktop computers, because they have no electronic reading devices. And, to my sorrow, I know some people who choose not to buy e-books at all—even mine! —because they associate them with that uncomfortable posture. Other people print PDFs, but that adds expense and inconvenience to what should be a wholly pleasurable experience.

Now there’s another option: buy your e-book, have it delivered to your Inbox, and get Google to print it—at no cost to you. You have the file, so you can read on-screen while you wait the two to four business days for your printed pages to arrive. And you’ll have a print copy to share and re-read and read in the bath, or on the beach, or to mark up for future reference...

Oh, yeah. Definitely something to tell the readers. Ooh, and the e-Garret subscribers! I’ve been uploading PDFs until now, but I think I’ll offer to e-mail them to folks, so they can take advantage of this free printing thing.

A new way for readers to enjoy my work. Oh, hosannah and alleliu! And other people's work, too, of course. Hmm. Surely there’s a book in my Inbox suitable for beachside reading? Think I’ll go check.

Happy reading, all, and...

print some x-rated joy!

pxj