Dec 9 2007
If You Love Reading, You’ll Love Ebooks
Source: Ann Aguirre’s Grimspace on my iPhone
Last week, I wrote about my frustrations with ebooks and current ebook technology. Jayne, my blogging partner, commented that if she had read the article before I had converted her to ebooks, she would never have wanted to try them out.
I felt like I needed to write a post about why I love ebooks and why I firmly believe that ebooks represent a positive for the reading community. I love to read. I am sure that the source of my love for reading is my mother. My brother and I are voracious readers. As children and teens, we traded books back and forth and read everything from the paperback westerns by Louis L’amour; short stories of O Henry; didactic tomes of Ayn Rand; opium fueled imagination of Edgar Allen Poe; and, of course, romance. While we didn’t have money for alot of extras, our thirst for the written word was never denied.
I’ve never been without a book. I’ve always carried a novel in my purse, backpack or carry on. My dorm room, apartment and house was always been home to a massive number of books. I even had Ned build me a wall to wall bookcase that housed over 2,000 books, some triple stacked. Even then it seemed that there was never enough space. When I had the tot and lost a room in the house, I decided to engage in a book purge. I began working through the piles of the never ending to-be-read books and the cast-of-thousands keeper shelf. ( I have a hard time getting rid of any book. Who knows when I might want to read it again?) Ultimately, I weeded my collection out of its plastic bins and piles on the floor, and I carted off to the half price bookstore enough books, it seemed, to start my own used bookstore.
Then one day, I read a book and realized I would like to read the previous stories again that related to this book only to find that I had foolishly sold those books in my Great Book Purge. I started buying ebooks in earnest at that point, recognizing that I could have my cake and eat it to. I could have all the books I wanted and a clean, orderly house. I could carry with me every book that I had ever purchased no matter where I was. I wouldn’t have to pay the extra luggage fee that I so often incurred because my books weighed my suitcase down. I could pull up a story, even one originally released years ago, in seconds.
I feel I found ebooks just in time. The discovery was just in time to save me from going out and buying new paper copies of the books I had once discarded. Just in time to save my family from being buried under a morass of paper. Just in time for me to start being environmentally conscious.
Jonathan Franzen, a serious literary writer, hates ebooks:
“Am I fetishizing ink and paper? Sure, and I’m fetishizing truth and integrity too.”
Franzen obviously has alot of fetishes. Franzen misses the point when he says that Kafka needs to be unerasable. The beauty of the digital copy, is the ease of delivery and the ease of storage. Wouldn’t it be great if To Kill a Mockingbird was read by every literate person in the world? With the low cost of publication, doesn’t the ebook economics actually help the future Kafka’s of the world?
Ebooks put paid to the out of print concept. It preserves ideas, thoughts and even creativity for future generations. Paper is more susceptible to destruction than is bytes and bits. My fetishes, at least the ones I am willing to cop to on the blog, include the words that comprise the stories rather than the paper on which they are printed and the increased knowledge gained from being a reader.
If you love reading, then you’ll love ebooks. It will help reclaim your space, allow you to never be without a story to read, and spread the love of the written word. Ebooks are a boon to those who love to read, not a bane.
Send to Kindle
Dec 09, 2007 @ 05:23:48
I too could learn to love e-books if I could just decide which e-book reader to purchase. There doesn’t seem to be any one reader that meets my specifications. Every time I think that I will purchase a certain reader, I read the caveats and say forget it! I will continue to wander the morass of readers until I find one that I think that I can live with.
Dec 09, 2007 @ 06:54:56
I have had an e-reading device since 2004. Always a Pocket PC (because I like the lit format) that cost about a 100€ bought used. It’s not the ultimate solution, the reading quality is not the best so far, but on the other hand I don’t see why I am supposed to pay 300 to 400$ for something that again consists of lots of faults and compromises. I seriously considered buying the Ebookwise, especially after hearing Rosario really liking it. However, for me, it’s too big and especially too heavy, and then there’s the problem with converting the voltage and so forth … so no, not the answer to my prayers either. I am always avidly reading your blog posts here but so far, sigh, the solution to our problems hasn’t appeared yet.
Dec 09, 2007 @ 07:59:27
This is just an opinion from another vantage point.
The problem is in the eyes. As I age, the eyesight, which wasn’t great in the first place, has gotten considerably worse (and not helped by staring at the computer all hours and night the last few years, I’m sure), and reading from a small I-Pod style gadget irritates them. I remember looking up a website from my friend’s blueberry and trying to read a message board, and getting an awful headache after about half an hour. Yes, I realize that fonts are probably adjustable, just like in my own computer, where the fonts are set to Ginormous, but I can’t see myself reading three words and having to scroll down for the rest of the sentence!
That said, I’m very excited about the capacity to buy backlists and older books in electronic format to save space. It’s definitely for people who have great memory. I, for one, can’t remember titles, or even authors sometimes–just a particular story or scene–and I would know where that book is on which shelf, and approximately at which page. I can’t see myself taking out my e-reader and hunting for that scene like I do when I “play with my books,” as I call the game.
Lastly, and this is just me ;-)…I like the ability to start reading a book from the back when I’m in the mood. I know, I know, it’s weird and horrifying to people who don’t understand the need to know how a story ends. With an e-book, the physical ability to “flit” from scene to scene is possible but time consuming.
Hope I’m making sense.
Dec 09, 2007 @ 08:10:29
I was pretty stoked about buying one of these devices until I started reading here. LOL!!
I’m just thoroughly confused at this point.
Dec 09, 2007 @ 08:31:14
The publication cost of ebooks might be low, but without a pc or reader, (not low cost) there’s no way of accessing the books (unless there’s another way I don’t know about). If you really want to talk low cost, check out your local used book store.
Dec 09, 2007 @ 09:18:27
Gennita, the cool thing about a good ebook reader, something like the Sony with the eInk, I’d imagine, you won’t have the glare issues you get from a computer. Everything I’ve read says it really is comparable to reading a print book… plus, I think these devices come with something that lets you enlarge the font.
;)
Except the number of used print books are finite. Eventually, unless the books are reprinted, the stock that is out there will deplenish.
As time goes by, ebook readers, PC, laptops will become more and more affordable and I imagine the Kindle’s “Whispernet” idea will get picked up by places like Sony. Being able to buy ebooks without a PC connection… man, what a wonderful idea. I just wish Amazon had thought their idea through better and not tried to gouge the buyer for every last penny. What really kills the Kindle, IMO, besides it’s appearance, is the fact that the 1000+ebooks I have in my library can’t be read it on the device without work on my end. And with 1000+… that’s a lot of work. And I’m getting off track. ;)
Admittedly, I love the fact that ebooks are gaining more acceptance. ;) The sales from my ebooks are still a huge part of my income and what makes them more accessible to the general public is a thing of beauty… or well, maybe not beauty, cuz that Kindle is ugly. But it’s a cool thing for me to see…
Dec 09, 2007 @ 11:19:47
I do love reading, but I can’t ever see me being converted to ebooks.
I’m not saying that ebooks arent a good thing for a lot of people especially those who are gadget philes and must rush out and buy the new and shiny. But I – like Franzen – almost get a sensual kick out of the feel and the smell of paper books. Opening a new book – especially from an author I haven’t read before is something akin to new love.
Plus there’s storage. i don’t want to store my books in a digital format – i love the book of books, I love the space they take up, I love decorating my house in their spines and having them in untidy profusion in the reading spaces in my home.
Accesibility too – as another commenter says – I have the text on my PC turned up to LARGE and squinting over a screen is not good for the eyesight.
Cost? I can get just about paper book from amazon or second hand book shops and online stories. Most books I get are 2nd hand and can cost as little as one penny.
Maybe it’s an age thing, I’m in my 40′s and will never be someone who must have the latest gadget, I don’t know. The only time I read them is from necessity when I’m reviewing a book and its more convenient for the author to mail me a copy.
I can’t do anything with an ebook that i can’t do with a paper book. I don’t need anything more than a hand and eye to read them – and a paper book will never run out of power when I get to an exciting place or mind if i drop it in the bath or off a balcony.
But more power to those that enjoy them, but “love reading=love ebooks” doesn’t work for me.
Dec 09, 2007 @ 11:33:07
Did I write BLUEberry in my first post?! Sigh. I was eating a blueberry cupcake. I meant BLACKberry. It’s Sunday. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.
Dec 09, 2007 @ 11:41:05
I’m with Gennita – my main concern is my eyes. I spend so much time at the computer already that the letters sometimes start breaking apart on me! I get to tell myself, then, that reading a novel is actually proactively “therapeutic.” ;)
That’s encouraging, but I’m still hesitant because I know that lot of people (all of whom I envy!) just don’t have sensitive eyes.
I guess I’d like to see some reviews of the e-reading experience from people who have experienced real eye strain when using flat-screen computer monitors. If a chorus agrees that e-readers spare the eyes, I may just jump on board.
Dec 09, 2007 @ 12:08:40
I like eBook for their accessibility for their potentials like allowing people who have seeing problems to listen to them with a audio reader and for the wild and crazy eBook authors and eBook Publishers out their who continue to make my reading and online experiences so much fun.
I love you guys.
BUT! They have issues like the DRM’s used by the traditional publishers the lack of a single universal eBook format and the lack of a really good eBook Reader that pleases everyone.
Ebooks take a little work and study to really love but once you do there is no going back.
Dec 09, 2007 @ 12:13:05
I have to admit that I love print books. I love the feel of the paper, hold it in my hands, flipping pages while I read. Love it.
BUT…
There are some books that either only come out in ebook or you have to wait for the ebook to come out in print. I’m not that patient. So I head over and purchase the book, load it up to my ebookwise(love my ebookwise) and read away. The good thing about the ebookwise, if I can’t sleep and the hubby is sleeping, I can just turn it on and start reading rather than turn on the light effectively waking him as I sometimes do when I read a print book.
So, in essence, I love both.
Dec 09, 2007 @ 12:31:54
What Ms. Walker said about eInk. I caved and got the Sony PRS-505 last month and I’m loving it! It’s little wide for my hands, but it’s lightweight and thin and much less eyestrain than reading on my computer or cell phone. The lack of back light doesn’t really bother me because physical books don’t come with a back light either. Besides, I like reading using the table lamps in my bedroom. It creates a very nice ambiance.
And it’s not just some serious literary writers who hate ebooks; it seems to be a number of NY pubbed authors. For instance, I don’t know if I read too much into Linda Howard’s KILLING TIME, but there seemed to be very anti-digital format message within the pages. I still read her but only from the library.
Dec 09, 2007 @ 12:50:30
Oh, and Kafka had an absurdist (yes, I know this is not a real word) bent to his writing that I think would flourish in the electronic world if he were alive today. In fact, I think I’ll go track down an electronic copy of THE METAMORPHOSIS now.
Dec 09, 2007 @ 12:50:59
I am buying a lot more ebooks through Fictionwise and the publisher websites these days. Why? Well the price for print books is just too high. I live in Canada where a paperback can be up to $5-10 more than US prices. Yes it’ll take time for publishers to change prices and some stores are charging readers the US prices but not that many.
However I can purchase the same book in electronic format for a fraction of the price. Which means I can buy more than one book for the price I would have purchased a print copy. To me it’s more economical to purchase ebooks at this time.
As for devises I’ve been using a Palm 100. Yep it’s old but it still works. I have looked at other devices but I get confused as to what I truly want if I were to buy something new. So for now I’ll stick to my small Palm.
Dec 09, 2007 @ 13:21:58
I don’t know if I’ve ever read a book straight from front to back either, Gennita,, preferring instead to flip back and forth, skim around, all the while reading linearly at the same time. And I can tell you that once you get used to the ebook format, it’s not all that time-consuming to do it there, either. But at first it is an adjustment.
Like Franzen, I fetishize ink and paper (I’m not sure what fetishizing truth and integrity have to do with ebooks, but I share those fetishes, as well). I collect old books, new books, and in-between books. I have manuscripts in my house from the 18th and 19th centuries, and I am beyond happy simply possessing those old tomes. I have no idea how many thousands of books I have (but I know the number is in that range), and two years ago would have resisted the idea of preferring ebooks, but now, when it comes to MM and trade paperbacks of non-academic, just for fun fiction, I have a strong preference for ebooks.
Some of it is the convenience of having a book while I wait at the chiropractor’s office or for my oil to be changed, while some of it is the space-saving, and some of it is the idea of being able to carry around literally hundreds of books at a time if I want to. Love it. Still don’t buy academic volumes in ebook, and I don’t buy a lot of the non-fiction titles I use for work and for my own research (I still need that physical sensation of underlining and taking margin notes), but for genre fiction, I now go for the ebook first and am disappointed when I have to buy paper.
Dec 09, 2007 @ 13:33:29
Well, as one of those readers Teddy mentioned, I love ebooks because I can listen to them or upload them on my own little ereading gadget. I live in a postage-stamp sized apartment which I share with other people, and believe me, nobody wants the back strain of carrying huge boxes containing hard copy Braille into the apartment. Plus, with ebooks, I can theoretically buy them all on release date if I want to.
Of course, the DRM problems are there and they are annoying and it annoys me that the NY pubishers are completely losing their blind customers by not providing us with some kind of accessible format for reading. I shouldn’t have to pay $25 a year to join a site like Bookshare so that I can legitimately read books other people have had to buy and then scan.
And now I will crawl off my soapbox. But yeah, ebooks are flawed but ultimately wonderful!
Dec 09, 2007 @ 13:51:21
If I never bought another book I would have more than enough for decorating purposes– but I also collect first editions of certain authors which I will continue to buy, caress and gloat over.
However, a lot of books are just to be read and then shelved (or worse yet boxed) and maybe donated to the library sale later or maybe just forgotten about. In this case I think an ebook reader is going to make my life a lot simpler, not to mention the lives of anyone who has to deal with my book fetish. And when someone comes out with a color eInk device I will be right there in line to get it.
Dec 09, 2007 @ 14:40:17
I love ebooks — for a long time I would read them, or not, but lately I find myself haunting ebook sites and disappointed by the lack of variety in brick-and-mortar stories, or the fact that they don’t release on publication dates, etc. I wish all books were available in eformats. In fact, I went to the bookstore yesterday and was disappointed. I’d already bought all the interesting new releases in eformats and enjoyed many of them and the books that I still wanted to find, unavailable in ebook formats, weren’t in stock.
That said, I don’t have a dedicated ebook reader, and don’t anticipate getting one. I have an old PDA that I read on sometimes, but my preference is to read on my computer itself. It’s more flexible for me, and I don’t have to worry about a battery running out or an insanely small screen.
Being able to store backlist favorites is one of the reasons I enjoy ebooks, also because I have a similar space problem. I also enjoy being able to get the books without driving all over the place, hoping that someone released the book on the day. I can order, download and read immediately. How cool is that? I love how some sites have preordering, too, so that you can download a book at 12:01 and have it ready to go.
The eformat pricing is still something of a peeve. Harlequin, for instance, charges more for an ebook than they charge for a print copy of the same book through their estore. A few cents, but still… I don’t like buying a book and having $10 knocked off the price a week or two later, either — something that I have regrettably experienced. And after having fits with my Adobe-formatted secure ebooks after a computer crash, I’ve switched to using Mobipocket almost exclusively… but I couldn’t go back to just paper reading. No way!
Dec 09, 2007 @ 15:10:32
I hate the way paperbacks look and would love to go the e-book route. I primarily read non-fiction and those I buy in hardcover. I don’t buy romances in hardcover because of the cost, so ebooks would work for me. But it’ll be awhile before I can afford a reader.
Dec 09, 2007 @ 15:16:00
For many avid readers, like lil ole me, the simple idea of having access to books long out of print, or difficult to find, or hey, a new-to-us-author entire backlist is oh so tempting! Add to that being able to carry your entire library in your hand/pocket, immediate access to each and every book, etc. Yes, ebooks would seem like a dream come true.
And I am sure that I’ll eventually jump on that wagon… once the pros truly outweigh the cons in my eyes.
[Not that I would get rid of my paper and ink books, mind. I do have a fetish there... a bit like Roarke *grin*]
Dec 09, 2007 @ 15:54:47
I read an ebook just about everyday on my lunch hour at work on my computer. If I’m really on the go, I might print it out low-res (a novella) on the back of previously used paper. If you have a laptop, it’s really pretty easy to read an ebook without a reader made for it. One less non-biodegradable object to buy.
Dec 09, 2007 @ 16:04:37
I was definitely on the ebook bandwagon and ready to invest in a reader until all these articles on DRMs and universal formats and whatnot completely confounded me. But in a good way; at least I’m informed now. After weeks of dithering I’ve decided I’m going to buy an iphone when my current contract runs out. Multi-function device heaven.
I’ve been sold on the concept of ebooks for a long time. I love books, but for what I consider my ‘disposable’ reading material (quick reads, books I know won’t be keepers, authors I haven’t tried and am not certain about), those I like to buy in e-format.
Dec 09, 2007 @ 16:07:38
It may be a factor of my age, but ebooks just strike me as being… well, not quite real, transitory, ephemeral somehow. I feel the same way about downloaded audiobooks from audible: I don’t really feel like I *own* them.
I find that, when I buy an audiobook, I will frequently buy it in paper, too – to me, reading and listening to a book are two different experiences, each to be treasured as their own unique thing. My fear is that, if I went to an ebook reader, I’d wind up buying three copies of every book – and while I love to support favorite authors, that’s going a bit far.
eventually, someday, someone will invent an ebook reader as elegant, as sophistocated, as graceful and easy to use as my iPod – then, I suppose, sheer technological lust will drive me to them – but until that day, I’ll refrain.
Dec 09, 2007 @ 16:18:27
Anon, if you’re talking big box bookstores–they have the books for the release date, they just don’t put them out. Like the Wed after the latest Nora Roberts came out, my idiot BN had them ona cart in the back. The clerk had to run all over the store to get the three books that I went in for that day. But no sympathy. If they’d do it right, I could just browse and find what I want.
So if I go to BN, the book is not in plain view, I make them schlep and go get it for me.
Dec 09, 2007 @ 16:19:15
On a cart, just washed my fingers, can’t do anything with them.
Dec 09, 2007 @ 17:21:44
From a former English major who used to have custom-made, floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall bookshelves in a large room in a large old farmhouse . . . print books are a bugger to store (and store properly), clean, and–worst of all–move. Considering how mobile our society has become and how many retirees are opting for lifestyles that entail traveling, seems to me people should be damned glad they no longer have to tote around massive libraries.
I’d like to see Mr. Franzen living out of a RV and trying to accommodate his precious hardbound volumes!
Dec 09, 2007 @ 18:51:17
I like the idea of ebooks, but I hate the current implementation. Until reading devices are sub-$100 and DRM-free ebooks are widely available, I’ll stick to old-fashioned printed paper. I’m completely against DRM, even if they decide to loosen the usage rules; I can do whatever I want with a printed book, after all. If I’m going to spend money on an ebook, it’d better come with the same privileges.
Dec 09, 2007 @ 20:41:30
I’d love to read e-books–I just have to scrape up enough money for an e-reader. *g* I’m getting to the point where I hate having to leave the house to go to the bookstore because I grow overwhelmed by the sheer number available and tend to forget what I entered the store for. For me, the presence of a book at the click of a button in a controlled environment sounds like heaven.
Dec 09, 2007 @ 21:06:10
I love ebooks too, but one thing I’d like to put out there is that paper lasts a lot longer than methods of storing computer data. If you have a storehouse of ebooks make sure you copy them to new media every couple of years and keep a backup.
I went to get some ebooks on a DVD today that I made just a couple of years ago and it had gone bad, and I had to use a recovery tool to save what I could. And I’d just kept it in a DVD case on a bookshelf this whole time.
Dec 09, 2007 @ 22:09:20
I love ebooks and hate the DRM schemes that have locked me out of some of my library.
Gutenberg provided my first exposure to ebooks. Once my daughter was old enough to listen to chapter books, Grandfather wrapped up one of my mother’s Oz books for each birthday and holiday. When those ran out, we searched far and wide for more- the bookstore, the library, used bookstores – no success. But we ended up with daughter perched on my lap as I read Oz books downloaded from Gutenberg on the computer. Oz may not compare to Kafka but we were able to find digital books when the physical books were unavailable.
Dec 10, 2007 @ 00:06:08
I really need to do this. Do you have any suggestions?
Dec 10, 2007 @ 01:08:29
I copied mine to a new hard drive I bought for backups, and then burned a new DVD, keeping a copy on each so I’ll have two versions. I’ll burn another DVD periodically. I’ve read that people are suggesting hard drives for backups now because they last longer. But if it fails you’ll have the DVD and vice versa.
Dec 10, 2007 @ 06:51:55
I love ebooks! I used to be a book tragic. Books cluttered all over my bedroom and under the bed. Searching for a particular book I wanted to re-read and never being able to find it. Not anymore!
Best thing I ever bought was my Dell Axim pocket pc . And I love Mobipocket, it is great not only for reading on but for organizing my ebooks. I have all the authors I like under the reading lists for easy finding of books. I have over 200 ebooks now and I only read printed books if I can’t find an ebook copy of it.
Dec 10, 2007 @ 08:43:51
The less technology the better in my opinion, because sooner or later it all becomes obsolete. Ebooks just haven’t got to the stage where they’re really compelling for me. I can’t share them with friends. I might run out of battery. The format may become obsolete at any time. And Ebooks don’t make out of print books any more available than traditional media, unless someone choses to stock an out of print book in Ebook format. That might sound like picking hairs, but just because record companies can put all their old tunes online, it doesn’t mean that they do. Some things are still only available on vinyl! I find nearly all the out of print books I want 2nd hand online, and they’re a damn site cheaper than buying Ebooks, and I can sell or pass them on afterwards (if I want to).
Dec 10, 2007 @ 08:46:08
I’m sold on the idea of e-books, I’m just waiting for the right device to come along. And then I’d want e-books to be cheaper than ‘real’ books – because it must save the publishers money to produce books in that format. And I’d still buy print books, because I love them – but e-books must be greener.
What I don’t understand is why it’s not possible to do this for schools. My daughters struggle to school weighed down by all their textbooks. If the academic publishers produced those all as e-books, they could just bring one reader into school, which seems like a much better idea. No more forgotten books. And you could update all the text books in a school in no time flat.
I’m sure there’s some reason why it’s not happening – but it always puzzles me, because it seems such an obvious market. And that generation are so used to reading from a screen – it’d suit them. And then, if they’ve been using e-book readers at school, they’re very likely to use them later in life – so it’d be in the manufacturer’s interest to promote a cheap and sturdy school-friendly model.
Dec 10, 2007 @ 09:49:35
I’d like to put in a word for Baen’s provision of free ebooks to disabled readers. The Baen Free Library offers free ebooks of quite a few books to everyone, but the full Webscriptions catalogue is available free to disabled readers who have problems with print books. More details and application form at ReadAssist.
Dec 10, 2007 @ 12:11:34
The beauty of the digital copy, is the ease of delivery and the ease of storage.
…Except for the issues of DRM and of technology becoming obsolete. The last thing I want to do is buy a reader and then have it become an expensive brick when another format takes over the market and I can’t access my ebook library anymore.
As it is, when I buy a paper book, it’s mine. I can keep it. I can loan it to a friend, who doesn’t need expensive technology to read it. I can sell it. I can donate it. This is why I much prefer to buy my music on CDs rather than on iTunes: I don’t have to adhere to the DRM, and I can do what I want with my property.
Dec 10, 2007 @ 16:05:42
About the price point: wouldn’t that cut into author’s royalties? I may be wrong, but aren’t book prices and royalty rates based on previous or comparable author sales? If a print book priced at 7.99 was sold at say, 3.99 for the e-book, wouldn’t the author get short-changed for their royalties?
Dec 11, 2007 @ 06:42:25
Anne, http://www.booksinmyphone.com has a version of Kafaka’s Metamorphosis that you can read on your cell phone. If you have internet access on your phone you can install direct from their mobile site, otherwise from your PC.
I find reading on a cell phone to be ‘just reading’ – if anything the ultra portability is the dominant factor. I think this service addresses many people concerns about the cost of the reader device. Their offerings are restricted to public domain and creative commons works, but that is enough good content to see the possibilities.
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