I have a confession to make: I have never actually bought an ebook. I do download a lot of out-of-print books that I use in my research, but I simply prefer to hold a real book in my hand. Steve has a couple of Kindles and since he's a voracious reader and loves hardcovers, I encourage him to get e-books in a forlorn effort to cut down on the stacks of books that accumulate around the house. We spent a chunk of this past weekend reorganizing and culling the books in his office because it was getting ridiculous; four big bags of books went to the library sale. My office is next.
What about you? Do you read ebooks? Do you find they've changed your buying pattern in any way?
27 comments:
Ebooks have completely changed the way I read. I have not purchased a single hardback or paperback book since 2003 when I received my first Palm PDA with the Palm Ebook Store. With ebooks, I always have a book at my fingertips to read anytime and anywhere. With the ever increasing amount of storage on devices such as my iPad or iPhone, I basically can carry with me my entire ebook library. I have over 900 ebooks in my personal library and would never have had room to store that many actual books in my home. I have discovered some incredibly great authors in reading ebooks. Your Sebastian St. Cyr series is one of my very favorite. I have reread the Sebastian St. Cyr series twice now and am anxiously looking forward to the next book!
I do buy ebooks, but I also buy print books still too. Many of the books I read are only published in ebook format, and I like being able to read a sample the moment i've seen a review and then, if I want it, I can buy it just as quickly and read it straight away. Indulging binge reading of a newly-discovered series or author is much easier with immediate delivery of the next book!
But I still love "real" books, and can only read non-fiction in print, especially if it's research. Some authors, such as you, I prefer to read in print. However, if Amazon do any Daily Deals of your books in the UK I'll snap them up - I love duplicating my print books on the Kindle, so I can re-read them easily.
I still buy cookbooks and decorating books in hard copies -- just try to keep your iPad dry when you are using it a a cookbook, but regular fiction and non-fiction are eBooks all the way. Nothing beats being able to start reading a book two minutes after seeing it mentioned online!
When I start a new book I hilite the first mention of a character just like I used to dog ear the hardcovers. I also hilite major plot points. I read a lot of medieval and regency books and nothing beats being able to look up an archaic word in the dictionary. Just doing those two things had allowed me to up my reading speed tremendously.
Keep the books coming, Candy, and I'll keep reading them. I have my pre-orders hilited in my calendar so I won't miss a minute of reading time.
Cheers
I have a Kindle that my husband gave to me for Christmas one year but I find that still prefer to have physical books. I do download books but I find that when I am deciding which book from my TBR pile to read next I tend to reach for a physical book first. I do always get my favorite books in ebook form however, in addition to the paperback/hardcover format (and Sebastian definitely falls into this category). I like being able to point at my bookshelves and saying, "I read those."
Veronica
Veronica
I do a combo like many have already suggested. If it is a favorite I buy both the hardcover and the kindle version (which is then also on my phone, so I always have something to read with me). I will buy kindle versions of books that are on special as well. Since I've semi-retired I've become quite stingy in the books or ebooks I buy. I normally get both ebooks and hard copy books from the library. The one annoying things about ebooks, if it is a favorite author - like you - I can't as easily take a sneek peak at the back or flip back to check a fact or other tidbit as I'm reading. I'm not so good at the highlighting electronically. I love better the feel of flipping back and forth between the pages. Sabena
Jan, 900! Good heavens. And you started in 2003; you really were on the first wave.
Helena, that's funny, since I'm sorta the other way around with fiction vs. nonfiction! Maybe it's because I use it so much for research I've become used to it, and don't generally read fiction on my iPad.
Sue, another dedicated ebook reader. The hiliting feature is good--I always hated marking up paper books.
Veronica, I have started collecting my old favorite books in hardcover, everything from Victoira Holt's Menfreya in the Morning to my favorite Georgette Heyers, because even if I never read them again, I like having them there. I LOVE library book sales.
I read both ebooks and hard copies and I buy my favorite books/authors in both formats. In the past year or so I've bought more ebooks mainly because I am running out of places to put my books. There are books in the closets and under the beds, I really need to get more bookcases or start to purge some of these books.
Sabena, I've heard others say the inability to flip back and forth is the real drawback in ebooks. I guess it helps keep one from peeking at the end--one of my habits.
Elaine, I'm starting to feel as if I'm drowning in books. We lined our upstairs hall in bookcases, but they were filled in the blink of an eye. I'm looking at the shelves of research books for past novels and considering boxing them up and putting them in the storeroom. My dream home would have a giant library...
Two words describe my feelings towards ebooks: Instant Gratification.
The only paperback/hardcover books I buy these days are children's books. For myself, it is all electronic. With one exception: I recently purchased Umberto Eco's The Book of Legendary Lands, which is full of lovely illustrations of classical and medieval art, and of course, quirky maps.
The latest Kindle release calculates your reading speed and estimates how long it will take to finish a chapter or the whole book. Very useful when reading late at night.
I buy print books for all my personal reading. I have only started using ebooks for my two book clubs where I don't want to purchase the book in case I end up hating it :) Ebook for those reasons are cheaper, or I have been able to find them for free too. Should it turn out I love it I can always buy it.
Ebooks? We love them and we hate them. Okay, Candy, maybe that's a stretch. I'm on your wave length in that I still like holding a book in my hands. I don't buy many anymore (as I mentioned before) but try to use the library much more. (I also have so many books already, it's pathetic.) But sometimes there are books that are only available as ebooks and then I might put my money down(our friends Deanna Raybourn and Tracy Grant have some things that are only avaiable that way.) Having said that, I will tell you that I love my Kindle Fire - not just for books but for all the other stuff I can do with it. I do like that I can now travel without filling my suitcase with books. And even though I have all my Jane Austen's I got the complete works for .99. And having a Bible on it is handy at church - no toting that heavy tome along. I do think tablets are the wave of the future but I doubt books will disappear anytime soon. Nothing beats curling up with a good book - particularly the one I'm in the middle of right now. Oh, Candy, it's so good so far!!
I am still rather new to ebooks. I bought a kindle in December for 3 reasons; to read the books I was longing for which are in ebook format only, to cut down on clutter in my study which is overflowing, and to take on holidays. I do prefer to read a proper book and I do still order my favourite authors' books in paper, but it is great to find books I want to try out for around $3-10 instead of $25-30. Yes, proper books are a terrible price here which explains why ebooks have very quickly become popular.
Most of the books I have been after in fiction are available here, but sadly the Sebastian books are the exception. The only one available is When maiden's Mourn. Why they would pull one out of the middle and not stock any of the others defies logic. Very little non-fiction is available, which is understandable. Looking at diagrams and maps in black and white and on a small screen would be pretty painful.
Like Lynne I believe that where ebooks really come into their own is when you go away. Instead of packing 5-6 heavy books in my case I can now just put the kindle in handbag and the only thing that goes in my luggage is the charger. Magic!!!
Paz, that is the dangerous part, isn't it? One click!
Sue, now that would be valuable, having something tell me, "If you keep reading this book you're going to be turning out your light at dawn!"
Melody, my husband does that with the audio books he rents--if he really likes it, he buys the print book.
Lynne, I have to admit that I have downloaded classics when I knew I had a nice leather-bound copy sitting on my shelves somewhere simply because it was easier than getting up and looking for them. But then, it would help if I organized my shelves better; right now they're scattered over four rooms on two floors.
Suzanne, that is bizarre. The first two books were published there; one would think they'd be available! I do have an iPad, but the battery life is so short, I'd hate to be reading a book on it while on a flight and then have it die on me. I understand the new ones last longer.
When I got my Kindle as a birthday gift from my family some five years ago, it was the best. I love hardcover books and in my language I buy only them. But for foreign language its much simplier to click on amazon and get them in a few minutes, otherwise I would have to wait atleast month to get them or several years if to wait for them to get translated (I think that Sebastian is in Czech language by number four)
So mostly in this time I read on my Kindle because in one book you can have so many :-) But nothing compares to a real book in my hand.
c- i only got my kindle last year and i have about 50 or 60 books on there. it is great for traveling i must admit. like others i will buy both hardcover and e-book if its a favorite. i'm in the process of buying all of Sebastian's books electronically now. and i do get some in the deal section as well. i recently got both volumes of Sherlock Holmes at a good price. and having harry potter on my kindle is much easier! but like many i prefer the feel of a hardcover and turning pages and putting sticky notes when i went to go back later. but nothing will stop me from a sneak peek at the end if i just cant resist!
best, Ali
PS - i got an email this morning from Amazon saying that my review of WKC helped someone make a purchase!
I got an iPad a year ago specifically for ebooks to save space and from buying more bookshelves. I now have over 100 books on it. (I visually can't imagine where all these hardcover books would be-LOL). The Sebastian hardcovers and your other historical romances will always have a place on my shelves. I also love the fact that I can read these books on my iPhone, whenever, wherever. BUT, as other readers have commented, I do miss holding a hardcover and perusing thru it, thumbing thru sections or chapters, etc., although I usually don't skip to the ending. It is a little 'dilemma' that I definitely did not anticipate.
On another note, I fondly remember the time spent reading books with my kids when they were young. I've kept all the favorite ones (and there are way too many of them) because I wanted to save them for their kids, not to mention the money spent. Will we be reading with our grand kids 'real' books or reading from a tablet or laptop? The reading experience is definitely different with either.
Candy, the batteries on all the tablets now last longer. My Fire is usually good for most of the day - games will take it down faster but not so much with books. And a good friend has an Ipad that's about a year old - hers is good for about the same time length as mine. Treat yourself to a new one and save your sanity!
The batteries last for ages on the new ones. I have only read 3 novellas and one short book on it so far but I haven't had to recharge during a book as yet. There is also a battery indicator at the top of the screen so you always know where you are. It also has a non-glare screen which is brilliant! I didn't like the old ones at all because the glare gave me headaches. Not so with the new kindle paper white.
I do not own a kindle or other e-reaer either. Reading is an all senses experience for me and I find that screens are too impersonal. I feel like I am at work or something. Its just not cozy. Hardcovers are nice but my favorite is the trade paper variety of book. I do wish however, that I lived in a mansion with a great library where I could store all my books! Storage is definitely a problem.
On another subject, I know you don't like to write short stories but how about "deleted scenes"? For example you could do a short scene of the drawing room with Hendon and Lord and Lady Jarvis as they await Simon's birth. Or even better Hero's bed room with the new family once Gibson, Alexi and Clare cleared out. SOMETHING to help us get through the next 330 or so days! :)
Sara, yes, I can see that it would be a huge advantage in that situation.
Ali, that's interesting; I didn't know they did that. Thanks!
LOgalinOR, I still have all my children's books, too, ready for the grandchildren I'm still waiting for!
Lynne, yes, I'm thinking about getting a new iPad mini that I will dedicate just to reading books. Our current Grand Purging of the Bookcases is inspiring me to be more open to ebooks.
Suzanne, my husband got a paper white for Christmas and loves it.
Rebecca, I remember seeing a picture of Dean Koontz in his library and it had rows of stacks, just like in a pubic library! And I am currently reading a bunch of short stories to see if they might inspire my creativity to start flowing in that direction.
Judith, the new excess luggage fees really did hit readers. I've heard it encouraged a lot of people to take to ereaders. And your calling bookbuying made me laugh, since a friend was recently telling me that she used to sneak her new books into the house in plain brown paper bags!
Candy - one more thought on e-readers - magazine subscriptions! I discovered BBC History Magazine about a year ago. A great magazine for the history buff in me but since it's an import it was $10 on the newsstand. But I discovered that Amazon has subscriptions for $3 a monthe on my Kindle - not only a great deal but space saving as well. It has no ads (who cares?) but all the articles. While I take certain magazines for the ads and photos this is not one where it's necessary. Just an additional note on the subject. They do have their good points!
Lynne, that sounds like a wonderful magazine--and I love the idea of getting it on line. I recently switched delivery of our Smithsonian and National Geographic to my daughter's apartment simply because the issues piling up around the house were driving me crazy.
Boy, do I read e-books. In fact, I downloaded this e-book when it was offered. I hate to admit it, but I had never read this series and it sounded like it was right up my alley. Now, I have to confess - I didn't get a chance to start reading it until a few days after I bought it and I was SO hooked on the characters and their development that I ended up downloading the entire series and just finished reading the last one today. I don't know if I can stand to wait until next year for the next book in the series. Anyway, I love my Kindle and have had one almost since the first one came out years ago. It's still a book, it's just in a different format. Don't get me wrong - I still love books (I'm a librarian, so how can I not). But I'm a realist - when I buy a book I want to keep it and there is just not enough shelf space in the world for me to keep buying print copies. Besides, I love the fact I can find a book I like and have it in my hands in less than a minute.
So, to make a long story longer, this daily deal on Kindle certainly got you at least one more fan.
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