6
Apr

E is for Ebooks

   Posted by: Faith   in Rye Thoughts

This past Christmas, I received one of these –> 

NOOKClassic

I’d resisted reading digital books for a long, long time… I just couldn’t see myself giving up paper books in favor of digital copies. I love my books! I love seeing them and holding them and smelling them and organizing them, and…

…but then I realized that I wouldn’t have to give up paper books.

Rather, I could just read more books with an eReader. So many new and exciting options would open up! Small press publications! Journals! Free classics! E-Galleys! Library books that I don’t have to physically return (I’m notorious for racking up library fines)!!!

So now I’m actually collecting more books: Ones that I don’t know if I want to purchase but still really want to read (I <3 you NetGalley), or ones that I might not have otherwise picked up if it wasn’t free to download (Kobo.com has a great selection of free books!).

And honestly? I think my first-quarter purchases of physical books in 2011 still surpassed the previous few years.

It seems to me that medium isn’t as important as the message. It’s just a matter of preferred delivery—which for me, changes according to what I want to read.

How about you? Gone digital, or are you still holding out?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 6th, 2011 at 12:31 pm and is filed under Rye Thoughts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

11 comments so far

 1 

I read more books on my Kindle than I do other types of books. I was a bit resistant at first, but my friends were epublishing, I was epublishing, so I wanted to be able to read their work. I like the convenience of having a lot of books in one small place. Plus, my bookshelves are going crazy with all the books on them. I still buy print books, but you are completely right. It’s not print vs. ebooks. It’s an ability to read anything, whether it is in print, electronic format, or both.

April 7th, 2011 at 1:26 pm
 2 

I haven’t gone digital yet. I’ve been reviewing the systems out there but haven’t made the purchase yet. Thanks for this post, I’m now a step closer to buying one, I think. :D

April 7th, 2011 at 1:38 pm
 3 

I thought I would NEVER read on an ereader, but when I got an iPad for Christmas, my husband had pre-loaded the Kindle app. I tried a single at first just out of curiosity, but then an amazing thing happened.

We were sharing a condo with another family this ski season, and we had to share a room with the kids. That’s when I realized that I could dim the lighting on the Kindle app and READ with the lights off while the rest of the family was asleep. I got used to reading on it, and because the iPad comes with me almost everywhere, I now always have one print book and one ebook going. So I am both reading more and buying more books.

We are going to Italy for the summer, and I suspect I’ll bring a handful of paperback books but load a whole battalion on my iPad. I still prefer the experience of reading print books, but I’m a total convert to the advantages of both.

The only problem is, eventually book light manufacturers might go out of business. ;-)

April 7th, 2011 at 1:47 pm
 4 

More books are more books, no matter what format they’re in. I got a Kindle last year, and I really love reading on it. I still have a stack of paper books to read, so now I try to read two books at once.

April 7th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
 5 

I’ll freely admit it, I’ve gone to the dark side. Er, the ebook side.

It’s to the point where if I can’t get it on my nook, I don’t read it. I’m so excited to read the new Jean M. Auel book this weekend. Without breaking my wrists. ;)

April 7th, 2011 at 3:21 pm
 6 

I got a nook as a gift, and I admit I probably wouldn’t have bought one on my own, but I do love it. I love buying books on release day without leaving the house. I love free books on Fridays. I love the B&N cafe coupons exclusive to the nook.

I still love physical books, and have many many shelves full. But I’m with you – the STORY is more important to me than what I hold in my hands.

- allison writes

April 7th, 2011 at 6:18 pm
 7 

I love my Kindle. Not only can I just carry it instead of hardcovers, I can even put manuscripts on it and make notes and highlight stuff. So I’m never without something to read and I can sneak in some revision between all sorts of other stuff.

But in bed every night, I still read a real book.

April 7th, 2011 at 6:24 pm
 8 

I held out until this afternoon – finally went to download kindle for my mac, only to discover that my comp is too old. boo!!!
I really wanted to get hold of Roland. D Yeoman’s book
Lx

April 7th, 2011 at 9:21 pm
 9 

I went digital, but I still have a lot of print books yet to read.

April 7th, 2011 at 9:55 pm
 10 

I also resisted the digital reader. Then my husband bought me a Nook Color for Christmas. It’s amazing how many stories you can download for free instantly! I’ll never give up paperbacks, but the ereader has some definite advantages. I’m stopping by from the “A to Z” challenge and I look forward to reading more from you.

April 8th, 2011 at 3:53 am
 11 

Still holding out, but simply because of the exorbitant cost of buying a reader in South Africa.

:-)

April 8th, 2011 at 8:49 pm

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