Buondì.
The people behind OnlineItalianClub.com (mostly me, Lucia and a whole bunch of talented freelancers) also sell ebooks for learning Italian and other languages.
You probably heard.
But what exactly are ebooks, anyway?
And why might you want to study with them?
Let’s open that up a little…
Our ebooks are .pdf format computer files. We use this format because it’s universal and designed to open on just about everything: computers, tablets, smartphones, the works.
We DON’T sell books made of paper, which brings me to the first advantage.
With ebooks, I can send them out via email, so you should get yours today, or certainly within 24 hours.
Whereas posting a packet from Italy to Australia, or America, or wherever you are, is going to take days or weeks.
So, if you need something in Italian to study, read or listen to, and you need that something without delay, ebooks are the way to go.
Pick study-materials out from the catalog page of our shop, then download the free sample chapters to test them out and see how they work.
If happy, add selected materials to your cart, complete your order, and bingo – you’ll have your .pdf file or files within a few hours.
Or if it’s night in Italy when you make your order, the next morning, Italian time.
But OK, it’s a computer file, not an object made of dead trees and toxic dyes.
So how exactly to study with it?
You can’t, after all, annotate it with a pencil, or use a neon green highlighter on the words you don’t know.
Well actually, there ARE ways you can annotate/highlight .pdf files. But I personally don’t know how to do that, and I wouldn’t go into them here if I did.
Why not?
Because you might open your ebook on a computer, a tablet, a phone or even (the least likely option) an ebook reader, such as Amazon’s Kindle.
It’s impossible to predict.
Each type of device runs different software for reading .pdf files, and so each offers different possibilities, and perhaps differrent limitations.
Your .pdf ebook is openable on just about everything, but how you use it will depend on the device you choose and the software that you opt to use on that device. With apps, no one’s smartphone or tablet is going to work in exactly the same way.
That said, it IS worth thinking about which device to use.
Our easy readers, for example, have a link to online audio. So it’s better to study them on a device that connects to the internet and can play audio as you read.
The Kindle, Amazon’s ebook reader, won’t be able to do that.
You can certainly transfer your .pdf ebooks to it (find out how with a Google search) but it seems a shame not to use them on something with audio…
Use your ebooks on a computer, invece, and besides the audio, you could, for example copy and paste sections into word-processing files, to annotate as you please. I keep a spreadsheet that I paste new words into…
Or, if you don’t enjoy studying on a screen, you could print some or all of the ebook (please consider the environment before you do this.)
For club members who don’t have a printer, any copy shop will print a .pdf file for you, usually at a modest cost. You could even get it printed in colour, or on parchment…
Which brings me to the third advantage of ebooks.
Besides being almost instantly available, and much more environmentally-friendly than paper, they don’t take up space in your home.
And because they have no physical dimensions, you can take your study materials wherever you go.
Who needs baggage when you have a tablet, computer or smart phone packed with Italian to listen to or read?
A bikini stuffed into your handbag, plus a bunch of ebooks on your smartphone, and you’re all set!
One final point about ebooks: OURS are written by Italian teachers, and specifically for learners of Italian like you.
They’re intended to supplement your Italian course or self-study program, and to ‘potenziare’, as Italians might say, (boost?) your progress, by adding some variety and so keep you motivated.
We have around a hundred titles at different levels, so there’s lots to choose from.
You won’t have to trek to a bookshop or wait for Amazon to deliver.
Pick something right now, and have it in your inbox, ready to download and use, within just a few hours!
And with the free sample chapters (linked to from the catalog page), you can check out the level and format of the material BEFORE you buy it.
Bene, those are all the ebook advantages I can think of right now.
But don’t forget – with this week’s Summer Sale, you’ll save 20% on everything in our online shop!
Choose from online Italian lessons with a club teacher, our Italian Workout! series of self-study workbooks, easy Italian readers (including the ‘Day in the life of..‘ and the Classic Italian Movies series), and/or the 19 Italian-English parallel texts at different levels.
As mentioned on Monday, and yesterday, the coupon code you need to get your discount is:
2018-Summer-Sale-20%-Off
Make your selections from our online shop.
Then go to your shopping cart and paste in the coupon code ( 2018-Summer-Sale-20%-Off ), where it says ‘Apply coupon’.
Hit the ‘Apply coupon’ button and check that the 20% discount has been applied, by scrolling down the page to where it says ‘Cart Total’.
Proceed to the payment stage and Bob’s your uncle!
Your ebook and/or online lesson credits will be winging their way over the Internet to you very soon.
Buono studio!
And should there be any problems, just email.
The address is on every page of the club website. Or reply to any email you receive from me.
- The coupon code 2018-Summer-Sale-20%-Off will get you 20% off everything
- This sale ends at midnight on Sunday July 8th
- No minimum or maxium spend
- Use the coupon as often as you want, while the offer lasts
- The coupon code works on items which are already discounted, such as ebook multipacks…
- …but can’t be used together with other coupons
- Pick from a range of payment options (Amazon, Paypal or bank transfer)
A domani!