94 replies to this topic

[Jibrille]

Ebooks for stuff I don't really care about, will read once, pulpy holiday rubbish etc.

Real books for the things I love.

This. I love the smell of a new book in my hands, but I don't NEED to read everything in paper. However, I'm thinking about reading a song of ice and fire with kindle because it's heavy to carry those books around 

[talbs]

I think the future will be electronic books for sure. I am not a fan though. I prefer a tangible item that I can hold and turn the pages and sit on my bookshelf when I am done reading it. Doesn't have to have a backlit display, doesn't have to be charged, you can't go wrong with a good old fashioned book.

[tmack1337]

I love books, I like holding them, feeling them, and reading them. However, they're expensive and take up a ton of space.

 

I would love to switch to ebooks only for most of my reading, but many times EBOOKS are the more expensive ones! This is blatantly obvious with textbooks...a publishing company saves so much by not having to print or ship physical books, there is no reason for an etextbook to still cost $100 or even more! I certainly don't endorse pirating things to get out of paying for them, but companies can't pull this crap and wonder why people try to get out of buying books!

[Halcyon]

Tangible.

I love the smell of books and cardboard boxes, so....

& occasionally reading with candlelight is always nice.

[trizzle]

I'm a kindle convert and I only got my paperwhite last week.

 

It's light, good touch response, has a great battery life AND as the old saying goes '...you can torrent a .mobi file but you can't torrent paper'

[Ali]

AND as the old saying goes '...you can torrent a .mobi file but you can't torrent paper'

Ah, yes *nods wisely* THAT ancient proverb.

[trizzle]

Ah, yes *nods wisely* THAT ancient proverb.

 

Exactly

Passed down by word of mouth from generation to generation

[Aries]

I really hope actual books don't go anywhere any time soon. I love them!
However, eBooks are nice to have on the go, for instance on a plane, long wait at an appointment, or my favorite, pool side

[Stitches]

I'm starting a career in book publishing, and this debate is all over the place. For now, sales of ebooks vs. physical copies has mostly leveled out. 

 

I don't think physical books are going to disappear. A lot of people thing ebooks should be waaaay cheaper than a physical book, but unless they're on the inside of the industry, the average person has no idea what the actual costs are in making a book. The cost between making a physical book and an ebook are very close, believe it or not. All the costs that go into the physical book (author royalties, editorial, design, production, sales, marketing, etc) also go into making an ebook. We do save a chunk on print, paper, and bind, but the profit margin on books is so low that it's not a huge difference. 

 

The biggest threat to book publishers right now is Amazon, and that's because they're able to buy and sell books at a loss. Amazon loses money every time they sell a book, they make profit on everything else. So the actual dollar value of a book has been deflated because of their ability to manipulate prices, and publishers literally cannot afford to produce and sell books at that rate, and the people that end up losing money are the authors. There's this huge misconception that publishers are hoarding money and taking it away from authors, but they're really not. Self-publishing has its advantages, but publishers offer a lot as well, all of which costs money. The book market doesn't work the same way as the typical consumer good and that's widely misunderstood. 

 

I can get into this more if anyone is interested. It's pretty interesting. 

[Clutch]

To answer your original question, I think they'll stay around. I hate ebooks with a passion, because they suck compared to actually holding a book and reading it. That's just me.

[Karyx]

Spoiler

I tend to be a little more sentimental when it comes to books I love. It never really feels the same when you flip through that final page and close the book, rather than hitting the home screen to look up another book. But I was raised in a family of book lovers There's literally bookshelves all over our house, and more stacks of books where there are no shelves.

And I just don't see 1000+ page instructional books with diagrams and photos being as enjoyable on a tablet.

But for convenience I do own an eReader, because I travel a lot I can't always have all the books I want with me. And there are also book recommendations I like to check out, but not necessarily buy unless they're worth it, like a couple of supernatural mystery series that don't turn out quite as good as you want them too, I wouldn't want to own a Book #1 of something, and not have the rest of the set! That's where eReaders come in handy. I wouldn't quite say eBooks are the devil's incarnate. As a book lover, it's a good tool to have around but will never replace real books.

[Kaddict]

I read a torrented version of Fahrenheit 451, which is ironic in and of itself. Anyway, I feel that although our future is headed towards having fewer books (for a dif reason than the book suggests) people still like having them. Having books for some people is important, bc it hurts to read books on kindles. But like people have said, the tangible book is important. Even if none of that matters, it is an important piece of furniture for a sophisticated person (having many books, leatherbound or otherwise)

[WhiteMage]

I prefer tangible books because I love the texture and smell. I can also highlight some sentences and write down some notes if needed and if I get tired of some tangible books I own, I can just give them away easily

[DrSeuss]

I'm not much of a reader, so I don't have a problem with ebooks, and prefer them over physical copies because of space/price/availability. I actually prefer audiobooks, even though they are more expensive, because you can do other things while listening. Lying down and reading for 2 hours makes me feel incredibly lazy

Edited by DrSeuss, 25 July 2014 - 06:26 PM.

[Padme]

I love physical books. I have worn out 2 sets of HP books and 3 sets of LotR. As mentioned previously I find that e-readers can bother and tire out my eyes. I like physically flipping pages also.

 

I have the kindle app on my ipad and I use my families actual kindles from time to time. They are extremely convenient and great for travel. I see the benefits but if someone offered me the same book on a kindle or a physical copy, I'll go with the latter. However, I've read some massive books on my kindle app solely because my hands are too small to hold the book properly. Embarrassing.

 

A lot of my classes now have e-book options and I purchase that because it is waaaaaay cheaper textbook wise. 

 

One day I want a library in my home, with shelves filled with books. Ya'll can have your end table with a kindle chilling on it. 

[Adam]

While we're on the subject -- Does anyone have a preference on a certain e-book reader? I can read reviews all day online, but Codex and it's members are usually my go-to source for information. I've been reading a lot lately, and I am not a big fan of traditional books, so I've decided I want to buy an e-book reader. My only requirements are: removeable storage, ability to listen to audio-books, no glare screen, and wifi is preferred but not mandatory. Does anyone have a suggestion, and why?

[Kaddict]

Do you want it to double as a tablet, or just primarily as a reader?

[Adam]

I want it mainly as a reader, but if I were able to wireless download book to it from...wherever...that would be nice.

[Sweeney]

I can't imagine any reason not to get a classic Kindle. Amazon is always going to have the best options.

[Kaddict]

Do you want apps? And the newest kindles support apps right? But the old ones don't? Maybe I am no help. ha.