The other day I woke up dreaming about the ebook v. paperback debate. It’s something authors do. Something readers probably understand.
I am a give-me-a-physical-book-I-can-hold kind of reader.
You see, while I’m an author I adore books!
It’s not unusual for me to inhale two or three a week while managing the rest of my life including homeschooling, lecturing, and writing. I read like I breath. But one thing I have learned, if the book is an ebook, no matter how good my intentions, unless I’m traveling, I probably won’t get the book read. I just won’t.
For me, a book in the phone is a book I can’t see. A book I can’t see gets forgotten in the daily tug and busyness of life. I’ll grab the book (or two or three) that I can see every single time rather than my phone or iPad. I just do.
So I did a quick survey on my Facebook author page… you cna participate it in, too…
Create your own user feedback survey
What I’ve learned so far is that many readers have the same preference I do. While they might have an ereader that they love for traveling, on a day to day basis, they have a strong preference for physical books. I think there are several reasons for this.
First, if you are a true book lover, you love being surrounded by your paper friends. You want to see them and hold them long after you close the cover. You simply can’t do that with an ebook. While you can scroll through your library and refresh your mind on what the cover looks like, you can’t easily flip to a passage you adored. You just can’t.
Second, if you adore books, you love sharing them with your friends. That isn’t easy or straight-forward to do with ebooks. Now I know, there is a function for sharing, but if I share it, I might not ever get the right to read it back. At least, I haven’t figured out how to do that yet. But with a paper book, you have the reminder to return it, just like I have the reminder to read it. It’s a beautiful thing.
Third, by reading and sharing the book, I can also collect those by my favorite authors and be reminded of all the wonderful stories I’ve read. Now I know this isn’t a practical reason for many of us. When my family moved last year, I gave away BOXES of books. I’ve filled several church libraries with donations. Yet I still keep my favorite books and authors to turn to over and over again.
I can admit there are advantages to ebooks. I can take a hundred books with me on a trip without worrying about paying extra in baggage fees. I can try a new-to-me author at an often lower cost than with a paper book. And my bookshelves won’t sag under stacks of books I simply can’t part with.
At the end of the day though, give me a book I can hold, smell, turn the pages on, and carry with me in my purse, and I am one happy gal. How about you? Which do you prefer?
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It is true that I love a physical book to hold and read, but I’ve almost completely converted to reading ebooks. We have multiple devices that I can read an ebook on. I am not a buyer of books, but when I do, this saves space. I love overdrive & hoopla. I can check an ebook out from the library no matter where I am and regardless of whether the library is open. Also, where a regular book falls closed if you put it down, an ebook stays open. I read while I fold clothes, wash dishes and any other number of mundane tasks. Lastly, I don’t have much money to spend on books, so when I do want to buy one, this costs less. I never thought I’d love ebooks, but I do!
Sounds like you really do love ebooks! That’s great, Karen!
I am still a paper book lover and reader for many of the same reasons you mention. Books make me happy! 🙂
They make me so happy, too, Elizabeth.
I am with you give me a book. I have a kindle and a nook but prefer a book over both of them.
I do all my ebook reading on my iPad. I just don’t want another device to cart around.
I have always loved the feel of a book in my hands, because I love to read. However I can honestly say since owning 3 e-readers the past 5 years, I read about 10 ebooks to every one paperback. The reasons vary as you’ve stated, free offerings by new authors, less storage space required, availability of ebooks by review sites and sometimes lower cost on ebooks. I’m reading more than ever before because of ebooks.
Lending books on Amazon is easy, they transfer for 2 weeks and then revert back to the original owner automatically.
I’ll still read by either method and have plenty of my favorites on bookshelves, but I know I read way more ebooks when I find myself pressing the corner of a paperback to get the page to turn, LOL.
Sounds like ebooks really work for you!
I definitely prefer paper. I review EVERY book I read and it’s harder to refer back to an ebook for names or quotes I want to use. And I donate my books to my church library after I read them. If I didn’t donate my husband wouldn’t let me keep getting new ones.
I am definitely a “hold-in-my -hand” kind of reader. I have gotten used to reading digital books, and so many advance reads come that way . . . . . . . but my attention is so much more focused and I write better reviews when I have the actual book.
Me too!
See, I forget about books I’m supposed to read for endorsement if they are ebooks. I just forget they exist in the neverworld.
“At the end of the day though, give me a book I can hold, smell, turn the pages on, and carry with me in my purse, and I am one happy gal.” This echoes my stance exactly. I still love print books best!
I knew we were kindred spirits, Becky!
I refuse to buy an e-reader of any kind and generally won’t read a book if it’s only available in e-book form. I want to hold and highlight and underline and write in margins. Last week I read an e-pub version of a book on my phone so I could review it for the author and while the book was spectacular, the experience confirmed to me that e-readers are NOT FOR ME. Give me a book I can hold {and sniff. I love the smell of books}
For non-fiction, I have to have a paperback so I can mark it up.
You have nailed it on the head! Give me a physical book any day over the ebooks. Unless I’m traveling.
Another reason I don’t like the ebooks, at least with the Kindle I have, is that once I start reading it, I never see the cover. In fact, even on the first opening, it usually opens to the endorsements or the preview. I miss that connections with picking up the book and seeing the cover, title, and author’s name every time.
And once I’ve finished an electronic book and filed it under the Books Read, I’ve never gone back and reread one. It might as well be completely gone.
Unless I’m on a trip, give me the real thing! And this Dr Pepper girl doesn’t mean Coke! 🙂
Linda! Love me some Dr Pepper 🙂 So do many of my characters LOL
I prefer the real book. Though I too have read on an e-reader, there’s nothing
like the real book. When I think of my grandchildren I realize just how much
they would miss reading on an e-reader and not being able to experience the
beautiful illustrations in a book format. They’re still reading the real thing and carrying around their most beloved books. They will never go out of style.
I love that my kids prefer paper books. They just like the feel of them.
Well said!
Thanks, Jen!
Definitely print copies for me, though I now prefer my library copies to be ebooks (saves on fines and extra trips to the library). I find that I frequently forget about ebooks, and several times I have purchased a physical copy of a book that was already on my e-reader.
I need to try ebooks from the library again. It hasn’t worked well for me, but I know it works great for others.
I’m a print reader as opposed to an e-reader. I usually have at least 10 books checked out from the public library. I have downloaded books to read, but I forget about them. I need to have the book physically in my hands to read. It’s a sense of enjoyment when I finish reading a great “book”.
I am so the same way, Betty. If I don’t have it physically, I end up forgetting all about it.
Would choose a paperback over an e-book any day.
I love the feel of a paper-and-ink book, but I have to spend so much time in doctors’ offices and such that I really find my ereader handy.