Poll: E-Book vs Paperback

[Owyn_Merrilin]

For years, I thought I'd always have room in my life for hard copy books, and that e-books wouldn't really have a place for me. Then I got an android smart phone and loaded up Moon+ reader (an e-reader app that reads basically every format and is insanely customizable), and long story short, I haven't read a real book since. Eye strain just isn't an issue, since not only is the backlight fully adjustable, but you can change the theme to various combinations of background color/texture and text color, effectively giving you the perfect level of visibility for any conceivable lighting situation. Add that to the fact that I basically always have my phone in my pocket -- and therefore a library of books -- and I've gotten more reading done in the last year than I had in the previous five. It's that big of a difference.

 

[pezwitch]

I prefer ebooks for my books, comics and magazines because I don't have to worry about all the physical paper that used to fill up my house, and it's much easier to search my library now than it was when I had all the books. I had a room filled with bookcases with books stacked two and three deep on the shelves, so it was hard to find anything. I have my kindle organized into folders by topic and then inside the folders by author, so it's very easy to find any book I need.

 

[lacktheknack]

Hardcovers all day every day.

For a gamer and internet denizen, I have a hard time staring at screen-words for hours. A couple hours on the forums every now and again is all I can take.

 

[Ljs1121]

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

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

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Paperback will always trump e-books for me. I like reading something physical and not worrying about battery life.

 

[Kontarek]

Paperback if it's a book I like; eBook if it's just some crap I have to read for school.

 

[Vault101]

ive never read anything in digital format...in fact I havt read a book for a long time

I couldnt imagine reading comics in digital form though

 

[AngelOfBlueRoses]

Hey Guys,
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. With paperbacks, there's a sense of satisfaction in owning a physical object rather than an electronic file that can be easily deleted or blocked by Digital Rights Management.

What do you strikingly handsome people think? Do you prefer the accessibility of e-books or do the pros of paperbacks outweigh the cons of e-books? Or is the method used to deliver the content pointless as long as you can read the story?

My Kindle 3G, which is, imo, the best e-reader you can get, has absolutely no DRM whatsoever. Honestly, I was of the same fold as you once before, all into the physical object and that nothing was more satisfying than, for instance, the smell of a brand new book freshly bought.

But then I started to really use my Kindle and haven't picked up a paperback book in over two years. There's simply too much convenience in them and I don't even know if paperbacks have any pros over e-books at this point.

 

[Daniel Ferguson]

Paper books are nice and regal and all that, but, I'm running out of room for them all, and it's also a pain to find the right angle to read them on and also I dislike having to use both hands. Ereaders don't have that problem, and I can attach a light to it on the side and this is easier than getting one to work on a physical copy. With a physical copy, I have to attach the light to my shirt - I've found this works best. I like the concept of ereaders... although I haven't got a good one, so I've gone back to paper.

Of course, paper doesn't run out of battery life. But there's pros and cons to each.

 

[davidmc1158_v1legacy]

As an avowed luddite and fearer of change (being an old fart and all that), I will state my love of the physical book. Plus, most forms of electronics hurt my eyes after a while and I personally HATE reading long blocks of text off of a screen.

However, I fully realize that the problems I have with reading electronic-based material is being overcome with newer e-readers and that the simple cost of printing/shipping/storing physical books means that more and more pressure will be put towards the electronic side of things.

I fear the time will come that I get some sort of electronic reader, but I will hold out for as long as possible (just out of obstinate stubbornness if nothing else)

 

[AdmiralMemo]

My huge library of books are almost all signed by the author. The author can't sign and personalize an e-book.

 

[Angie7F]

Although I enjoy paperbacks, I prefer e-books because paperbacks take up too much space.
The only short coming of a e-book is it is too risky to read in the bath, and needs to be re-charged.

 

[mechashiva77]

Paperback. It's what I've been using all my life and it feels WEIRD using an eReader.

 

[Gidiel167]

e-books now because i can use the kindle app on my phone to read anywhere.

 

[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.