Thursday, April 5, 2012

Evolution of Ebooks

Kobo Vox
The controversy of "real" books versus ebooks is an ever popular discussion.  There are proponents on both sides with strong voices and reasonable explanations of their beliefs.  I for one stand somewhere in the middle.  


Nook
Why do I still like paper books?  The main reason, I would say is the attractive coveres!  I am so drawn to book covers, and publishing companies do not disappoint!  The "feel" of a book in your hand is just so much different than an ereader.  You can easily see how far you have made it in a traditional book, whereas it may not be that easy to see in an ebook.  And, sometimes my eyes do not get as tired reading a paper copy of a book.


Why do I like ebooks?  I love the convenience of having numerous books at my fingertips at any time, without the bulk of having the traditional books.  My bookshelves are not as overflowing.  Often times, ebooks are offered for free or are less expensive than traditional paper books. I also have the ability to change font size in an ereader, so when the print is too small, or my eyes are tired, I just enlarge the font.  I like the fact that new authors can self-publish and get their books out there easier with the onset of ebooks.  And, there is an ereader for everyone.  We don't all have to use a Kindle or a Nook.  I do own each of these, but I also own an iPad that allows me to access books in both of these formats.  


What are your thoughts?  Do you prefer traditional books or do you prefer ebooks?  


8 comments:

  1. I love both ways of reading... it really doesn't matter for me as long as I'm enjoying them. What is great regarding eBooks... it's that we can find so many free or paid sites with hundreds of good titles.
    Personally, I got mine from All you can books... a site told by a good friend and I'm happy, because I downloaded quite many interesting titles.

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  2. Thank you for the site. You are right, there are so many freebies out there. Sometimes you find a treasure in some of those freebies.

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  3. I'm beginning to prefer ebooks more and more. But...at the end of the day, I don't care what format a good book is in as long as I can read it. :)

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  4. funny, i was having just this discussion the other day. I am a kindle owner - i love being able to cart loads of 'books' around with me as i read very quickly. However, i fail to understand why e-books are so expensive relative to the physical copy. if the price differential is negligible i prefer to buy the paper or hardback and have that to hold and to smell.

    nice post - made me think!

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  5. I have a Kindle and like to read on it but prefer reading print books to ebooks. I think they can coexist and serve needs for all readers.

    Nice to meet you and I hope you're enjoying the Challenge!

    KarenG
    A to Z Challenge Host

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  6. I've recently started reading more ebooks (mostly through NetGalley), so I think I have more fully-formed opinions now. I like ebooks in some ways, but there are several things that make me really prefer paperbacks. The main one is that I forget things! I like to be able to flip back a few pages just to check something real quick. I like to be able to flip to the beginning where there's a list of characters and then flip right back.

    And I know this one isn't a problem when you actually buy books, but so many of the NetGalley books are PDFs, and reading a PDF on an ereader is truly a horrible experience.

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  7. Death to e-books! I hate them. Loath them. It's print books or nothing for me. Fascinating post and happy A-Z blogging.

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  8. I prefer print books but I've been reading more ebooks. I don't have a dedicated reader but I'm amazed at how easy it is to read them on my android phone. I use the kindle app or overdrive. I get almost all my books (print and electronic) from the public library - the best source for free books. Great choice for the letter E!

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