Thanks for your timely questions, the short answers to which are no, you don't need a special reader, and yes, a hard copy of Topless Vegas is imminent (it's at the printer as we type and should be back and shipping very soon).
However, you actually open up a much larger and timely subject, which we're happy to elaborate on.
All you need in order to be able to read any of our e-Books is Acrobat Reader, which you can download for free from ShopLVA.com if you don't already have it on your computer. There's a link on every e-Book product page in our store, but if you click this link, you'll also find an instructional introduction to e-Books and the merits and demerits thereof.
On the plus side of the equation: Instant gratification (as soon as you buy, you can download and read your book -- no need to wait on the mail); save money (we're able to offer significant discounts on e-Books, since a number of production costs are eliminated in this format, as is shipping); be "green" (if you simply want to use your e-Book as an online reference guide, you're not using up any paper or ink); be choosy (if you just want some specific information from the book for your next trip -- like the map in the download version of Topless Vegas, for instance -- you can simply print that one page and not have to carry a whole book around with you.)
That's just the beginning, however. While some subjects -- histories, biographies, gambling math -- are pretty timeless, guide books have the inherent flaw of being out-of-date the moment they go to press, especially when it comes to a city as fast moving as Las Vegas and an area as dynamic as nightlife. Topless Vegas first came out at the end of May and and is already in its second incarnation (with minor updates in-between), on account of how rapidly things change.
For example, since Topless Vegas v.1, Penthouse re-branded and remodeled as Crazy Horse III, the cast of Peepshow changed, and Sin City Kitties closed, likewise the Sapphire Pool at the Rio, while a new topless show, Scarlett & Her Seductive Ladies of Magic, opened at the Sahara. Tommy Rocker's ended its experiment as a topless club, while Encore debuted its new European-style pool.
Those are some of the major changes since the first edition; there are also frequent updates in terms of hours, cover charges, specialty nights, and offers, for example, that all need to be incorporated to keep a guide book like Topless Vegas up to date. Hence, our decision to introduce it as an e-Book, which is much cheaper to update than a printed version. We understand that some people aren't comfortable reading online and prefer having a hard copy, however, which we've endeavored to produce as economically as possible, since we know its shelf-life is limited.
We're still in the process of formulating something akin to a subscription/membership plan, which will entitle buyers of either format to one or more future download updates and it's a program that we'll probably extend across all of our guidebooks. Stay tuned.
