Poll: E-Book vs Paperback

[Aariana]

Paper all the way. I have an app on my phone to read ebooks, and it's handy if I don't have my backpack with me so I can't take a book. But man, oh man...the smell of books, the satisfying sound the pages make when you turn them, the sexy heft of them when you're reading. Good stuff right there.

E-readers, well, I've never used one, personally. I've only used the one on my phone, like I mentioned. It just doesn't seem as fun to me. You can't strike up a conversation with the person next to you who happens to be reading the same thing as you, for instance (I mean, you can, but you'd have to be reading over their shoulder instead of just looking at the cover of the book). Also, I like having the book. I remember reading a while back about people who got their permissions for their e-books revoked for whatever reason. I would be sad if that happened.

Thirdly, if you saw my old room, you would understand the obsession. I'm not a collector, but I am a bit of a hoarder. Piles upon piles of neatly organized, categorized books (I'm a bit obsessive over it). It just looks spiffy when you have a large library. I dunno, maybe I'm crazy.

 

[MetalMagpie]

I've been trying to get into e-books for their convenience but I just can't fathom starring at a screen full of text for an hour or two, it hurts my eyes.

Same. That's why I got a kindle. Eye-strain be gone!

I like having a physical object for special books that I really treasure (hard to treasure a file), but the convenience of ebooks means I don't buy many paperbacks any more. My kindle fits in my handbag alongside my tablet. A paperback does not. A paperback needs shelf-space (which is at a premium in my tiny flat). An ebook does not.

Besides, it feels a bit wasteful to buy paper copies of books that I'll probably only read once. I tend to buy my music as mp3s these days for the same reason. All that plastic for something that I'm going to rip and load onto my phone anyway seems a bit unfair on the planet. I would buy all my games as downloads as well, but new/newish releases are often a lot cheaper on Amazon.

Before anyone asks, yes I'm also the sort of person who is religious about taking reusable bags when I go shopping.

 

[StBishop]

None of your options cater to me.

Hardcover. It's the superior method of literary delivery.

 

[Ascarus]

ebooks all the way. fast, convenient, same content, easier and less weight to carry on a plane (FUCK HARD BACK BOOKS!) ... hands down, ebooks win in my "book".

 

[wulfy42]

I have both....and there are advantages to both. Until I got an IPAD though I much prefered paper back books. I still do in some situations (reading while taking a bath for instance).

Before I got an Ipad...I used my Playstation portable 3000...as my e-reader (you take pictures of all the pages and go from one image to another....works fairly well). It was good in a pinch, especially if there was a rare book I couldn't find in paperback anymore. Many e-books are free...even the newest ones...if you use online libraries. Yes...you can get free books at physical libraries as well, but waiting lists can make that inconvinent, and your local library doesn't always have them. The Glen Cook Metaline series for instance (similar to the Dresden series) is a good example. My physical library had only 3 of the books....but I found them online for free in like 10 minutes.

I got into reading ebooks originally because I donated about 1000 books to the Alameda library system before moving, only to find out that Alameda CA is not part of the Alameda library system (heh). I had decades worth of sci fi/fantasy books and I figured I'd just get them back from the library when needed....but nope, didn't mean to give em away and never be able to read them again!!

Anyway with an Ipad, you can read books in much the same way as a paperback, you turn pages by swiping across (just like turning a paper back book, and it's easier to read in various amounts of light. It also does not tire out your eyes/burn them out like staring at a monitor. I use Calibre to convert Lit files etc to Epub files and poof...i'm done. Also if I buy, or get an Ebook, me AND my wife can both read it at the same time with one purchase which is really nice.


Now adays I do the following:

Keep my eye out for new authors to try at my local library and get paper back/hard back books from there if they are available.

Keep my eye out for great e-book deals or free ebooks online.

I have both a paper/hardback book I am reading, and an ebook I am reading (different series obviously) at the same time...all the time now. I'm always reading two books because of my preference for one kind or the other. I rarely buy books new anymore (I got the newest Dresden book recently but thats it for the last 3 or 4 months). I do like supporting my favorite authors....but not much has come out recently. E-books and the library let me try new authors and see if I like them.

I do think the price for new e-books should be lowered though. I've bought a few for my wife.....and it's basically the same as the hardback book price. It has to be at least SOMEWHAT cheaper when selling an e-book then a hardback book (no need for a store to sell it, no need for the book to actually be bound etc)...but there does not seem to be any price reduction at all. I do find that dissapointing..and negative to going with Ebooks for now (unless from an online library).

 

[game-lover]

For a long time, I was all about the paperback/hardcover books. Stubbornly. I was annoyed at everyone pushing me to switch to ebooks and blah, blah, blah.

Nowadays, I have a fondness of ebooks because it can be easier to get stuff in a more convenient manner.

But then, recently I've discovered audio books and those are better than ebooks to me.


So I guess my order is: Paperback/hardcover, audio and then ebook. As far as preference goes.

I'll gladly go with the latter choice if any of the former is not available.

 

[MammothBlade]

Well, I had a new ereader for christmas and I'm enjoying it thus far with my selection of ebooks. No real complaints other than being so addictive and making me read until 8 am in the morning. I find it harder to decide that I've read enough. That said, I prefer the smell and feel of physical copies. Hardback even more so. I will probably be using the ereader more for trying out newer authors and referencing PDFs that I don't want to print. Or simply out of convenience when I want to read something that's not at my local Waterstones or takes too long on Amazon.

 

[Suave Charlie]

Greenshirt's look of absolute smug self satisfaction convinces me. Paperback all the way!

Actually, I prefer hardcover to paperback. Not sure why.

Airplane Mode.

Plus.. who reads during the actual take off sequence?