eBook vs Print

SixKi113r

SixKi113r

SixKi113r

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Joined
30 Nov 2012
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29
Location
London
Hi All,

how does everyone feel about ebooks, do you read them, or do you have to feel the weight of the book, and smell the paper.

I was always a book man, but recently my Father published a couple of sci-fi ebooks through Amazon and Smashwords, so I've been reading them on the iPad, and I'm changing my opinion. I think they encourage people to read things they wouldn't usually, and are so convienient.

Got the wife a kindle of Christmas, and have been having a cheeky play with that too.
 
I do miss the feel and smell of books, especially as a lot of the stuff I like to read is old so I'd buy a lot of second hand books, but I am totally in love with my Kindle which I've had for coming up to a year.

For me really it's the stories that matter, and this way I can have more, easier.

It's a shame, but it's the way things are going and it's the content that's important, not the 'thing'.
 
I can't get on with any ebooks, I read quite a bit and like the feel of a book, the artwork and often as I read military accounts flicking back and fourth to photos and maps etc
 
Books generally have to be the real deal for me as I generally buy reference type books so it just isn't the same when you can't just flick through or browse back and forth.
I did get the original Kindle and have a couple of fiction books and some VMWare ref books but I just don't use it that much compared to the physical books.

On the other hand virtually every magazine I buy now is a digital version so I can biew it on my iPad or PC. As I likeo to keep the mags it saves a heap of paper storage too.
 
The freedom people have now to publish their own work and get it read is also amazing I think. Previously publishers and agents would just dismiss things. I was like an old boys club. Also if you move about, books really way you down.

Technical books, I can understand it maybe easier to have them in print, but try reading one on the tube!
 
I was always hesitant at getting an ebook but received one at Christmas as a present and never looked back. Last proper book to read was a tome of a thing, I doubt I could go back to holding something like that again.

I miss the texture and presence of a book but I far prefer the convenience and ease of reading on a kindle (could never get quite the right posture while reading in bed).
 
I too was adiment I wasn't going to ever like ebooks but I was getting tight on space and never liked heafting a ton of books around when away so took the plunge and got an ereader and I love them :) Now I have a ton of new books that haven't taken up a ton of space!! Also what are the names of the books your father has published as I am always wanting to read more new sci fi?
 
eBooks are great for certain purposes I've no doubt and they do mean that pretty much anyone can publish their works but I've got an element of sympathy for Flannery O'Connor when he said "Everywhere I go I'm asked if I think university stifles writers. My opinion is that they don't stifle enough of them.". Equally I think there's some merit to Frank Lloyd Wright's statement "I'm all in favour of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Lets start with typewriters.". The point to both quotes being that while it may be easier than ever to publish that can just mean that it's much easier to get dross out there which would have been filtered out previously or put into tiny print runs at the authors own expense - when you've got to use your own cash on a vanity project that requires rather more commitment.

I do have to admit though that I've never used an eBook reader for any length of time, I've been offered one and it just doesn't appeal. I prefer the feel of a book and the knowledge that if I lose it or it gets damaged then I've lost a few pounds at most rather than £50+. There's also the tangenital benefit in that after I've purchased a physical book it's mine to do whatever I want with - I can lend it to friends and vice versa, as far as I'm aware you can't really do that with eBooks and that's a big omission because as far as I'm concerned one of the great points of a book that you've enjoyed is to let others read it on your recommendation.
 
You can send your recommendation to friends, only now they have to buy it, or they can borrow it from the amazon library. I'm not exactly sure how it works, by that if I mean if you pay a monthly subscription, but it is possible to borrow books on your readers too.
 
I have issues with ebooks pricing and DRM, also I bought a Kindle ages ago and just didn't like the way it worked through Amazon at all (Privacy Concerns) so the Kindle ended up filled with pirated versions of books I already own in Hardback/Paperback form, I much prefer a physical copy to read anyway and the novelty of the Kindle wore off very quickly, it's one of those things you think will be a great idea to have and use but actually isn't.
 
semi-pro waster said:
[..]
I do have to admit though that I've never used an eBook reader for any length of time, I've been offered one and it just doesn't appeal. I prefer the feel of a book and the knowledge that if I lose it or it gets damaged then I've lost a few pounds at most rather than £50+. There's also the tangenital benefit in that after I've purchased a physical book it's mine to do whatever I want with - I can lend it to friends and vice versa, as far as I'm aware you can't really do that with eBooks and that's a big omission because as far as I'm concerned one of the great points of a book that you've enjoyed is to let others read it on your recommendation.
Click to expand...

That's how it is for me too. I also make very heavy use of my local library, which is only possible with printed books. That goes both ways - I give the library all the books I've bought and read and won't re-read. Libraries are treasure chests to me and have been since I was a little boy. I've bought no end of books as a result of browsing in libraries, especially since the web made it so easy to find other books by an author.
 
Not really sure yet...

I'll have a kindle at Christmas so I guess I'll find out then. Hopefully I won't mind it too much.
 
I buy both.

I want to have a personal library when I'm older for home use, however ebooks are just so convenient, especially for long journeys or holidays.

I'm a voracious reader as well, so if I didn't have ebooks I'd be spending a lot more time at bookshops than I can afford :D
 
I buy both. Novels are eBook unless my wife is also going to read it. I have a few non-fiction books that are electronic for travel but these usually do not have illustrations or maps. My wife can't stand eBooks and will never go to the format. She also uses libraries a great deal more than I do.

I will continue to buy coffee table and the vast majority of non-fiction in print and I can't see myself ever wanting to change that.
 
I couldn't go without my Kindle now, I've read countless amounts of books on it and it's still brilliant, I haven't bought a book since I got it and it has been outstanding for carrying around series of books which I'd never even think about carrying around with me. (Malazan, Wheel of Time, Hyperion Cantos, Horus Heresy to name a few).

Also have used the Whispersync loads - can't beat reading a book on Kindle at home, reading a few chapters on my phone while at work and then picking up where I left off when I get home again. I'm almost tempted to get a 2nd Kindle just so I can have one in the bedroom and one in the living room, lazy++++ :D (I have already justified it by saying a Paperwhite is better for reading in bed lol)

Kindle for me has been what the iPod was to people who listen to music all the time. With the free books on Amazon Prime as well it's been awesome :D

Only books I buy now tend to be hardcover sets or illustrated books like recipe books/coffee table books. Novels are just made to be Kindle-ised.
 
For me too, reading on the ipad has been fantastic. We also have access to classic's for free too.

I'm tempted to get myself a kindle, as they're a little lighter and good for reading while the wife's sleeping.
 
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