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E-novels and books are popping up everywhere. But how do consumers get their hands on them?

Handheld e-readers include the Palm, Rocket eBook, Softbook (recently bought by Gemstar, the product will be broken up into two versions called RCA REB 1100 and RCA REB 1200), Franklin Ebookman, and GoReader. The Rocket eBook is a revolutionary handheld reader that provides an easy and portable way to access e-books. It's easy to maneuver and stores thousands of pages of text. But dedicated e-book readers aren't the only way to read electronically.

Palm handhelds, which use software such as Express Reader, iSilo, J-Doc, and Peanut Reader, also provide an easy-to-use and familiar format.

Microsoft Reader is one of the leading software applications that allows you to read e-books directly from your PC or handheld. Three levels of encryption ensure that copyrights are protected. Although the quality is exceptional, don't expect it to work on Palm devices. Reader works only with handhelds running the Pocket Windows OS.

Another alternative is Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free downloadable application that lets users read books in the portable document format. But if technology fails you, there's also the traditional method--printing a hard copy.