Thursday 7 February 2013

The Book and the Ebook

Now this is a post I've been wanting to write for ages, one that interests me but also always sparks up a fantastic debate between bookie people. I thought after mentioning last week when 'Pushing the Limits' was 20p on Kindle, it would be a good time to talk about the ebook vs. book debate.

I don't know how many of you have Kindles/other ebook readers - I got a Kindle just over a year ago and I love it. Nevertheless by admitting that I love my Kindle, people automatically assume I have given over to the  dark side and don't like books anymore! I'll say it now - I love books, I don't know what I'd do without actual books in my life, so although I have about 100-odd ebooks, I have about 500 actual books as well. I love the feel of the book and the paper in my hands and reading the ink rather than a digitalised version. I know the Kindle is designed to be like reading paper, but it's the feel of a book that it lacks. I find myself after reading 3 or 4 ebooks straight I crave the feel of an actual book to read. (I'm hoping some of you feel the same!)

I think amongst some people (I won't say everyone or even a majority as I doubt it is) have interpreted the ebook and book to be inherently divided and you're either a lover or a hater - hence the 'vs' in the debate. 
But I think it doesn't need to be an either/or situation, or one or the other. You can be an e-bookie as well as a bookie - at the end of the day they're both involving books and reading?



One of the main reasons I use my Kindle is for convenience really. I went travelling for over a month in the summer and there was no way I could take more than one book with me in my bag, so instead with my Kindle I got to read loads of books - and I even swapped Kindles with my friend half way through so we could read each other's ebooks. It is a fantastic way to store a large quantity of titles without the weight of actual paperbacks. I even heard someone on the tube the other day saying how much they loved books but it was a weight issue for them.
See I'm the kind of girl who carries her Kindle AND a book around in her handbag (sad I know) - which just shows I haven't given up paper for digital. But I do find myself preferring each at different times - for example travelling on the tube, I'm happy to read a paperback book when I'm sitting down, but when having to stand up in rush hour, with one hand gripping on to the rail, turning pages is hard! Enter: Kindle (I have been known to switch between book and ebook of the same book on one journey when I can sit down and then have to stand up, again v. sad I know).


I do have a friend who thinks that now she has her Kindle, books are null and void and she actually admitted she wished there was a way of putting her paperbacks onto her Kindle instead. Which in my opinion is very sad, I don't think one should be exchanged for the other, but I think digital publishing is something that we should and have embraced and is never a bad thing if it sells more books and helps people get published more and read more. I think people have this idea that paperbacks are the 'old' and ebooks the 'new' and they will die out to technology, but I do believe there is enough of us paperback, book-loving people out there that can keep it alive as well as show an interest in digital too.

I could obviously go deeper into the phenomenon of ebooks and the impact on books and the publishing world, but I'm more interested in what you think? Do you use ebooks? Either way, what is your opinion on ebooks alongside books, and also how they are being divided by readers?


Again, going back to 'Pushing the Limits' and its 20p phase on Amazon, the 20p ebook seems to be the new 'thing'. I regularly check the Kindle best seller charts on Amazon and for weeks and weeks the likes of 'Life of Pi' and 'The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out A Window And Disappeared' (both VERY good books, and incidently I bought both of them either in book version or for full price ebook right before they dropped in price to 20p! Typical) have both been in the top 5 fiction charts at 20p. In fact 'Life of Pi' is racking up up to 10,000 copy sales a day*. What do you think of this new phenomenon? Part of me feels like the 20p ebook is the new 99p, which admittedly the majority of my ebook purchases are of books £2.99 or less. But is it something that will last? And will it change publishing as a whole? These are questions I'm not even sure the publishers know the answers to, whether it is a sustainable form of sales or just a 'fad'. But I think again, if it gets people reading then why not? If books like 'Life of Pi' and 'Pushing the Limits' are tops of the bestsellers charts at 20p, then they're being bought and (hopefully) read by thousands of people. These are fantastic books that deserve to be read and actually it is not a bad thing for them to be the most popular bought ebooks at the moment (unlike 50 shades *cough*), so is there anything wrong with that?



*http://www.futurebook.net/content/will-20p-define-us (more credible than the Daily Mail this time)

P.s. All pictures are credited to various places on Pinterest from my 'books' board: http://pinterest.com/ef64/books-books-books/


13 comments:

  1. I'm all about the paperback. I only use my e-reader for e-galleys or when I'm on vacation. Even then, I don't buy them. They don't feel tangible enough. I love me some physical books.

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    1. There is something more special and tangible about physical books and turning actual pages! But I guess it's also the story that counts so e-readers are still good

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  2. I love my Kindle! Best. Invention. Ever.

    tangible smangible! The Kindle isn't made of smoke is it?! It's a book! You're holding it! Therefore it IS tangible. Period. It's like a pocket library. You're holding hundreds of books at once. Genius!

    Looks exactly like a paperback page. Love it. It is easier to read while in bed and I also read more. I don't know what it is about clicking those pages but I just zoom on by. BAM! The book is finished. I buy more books too.

    I have trouble reading paperbacks now. I just don't care for them. But, they look nice on my shelf. I'll admit it.

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    1. It is a genius invention, I like being able to finish one ebook and start on another straight away without having to swap physical books. Pocket, or any kind of library is a great thing!
      I do find I read faster on my Kindle, I don't know quite why but it always happens! Although not caring for paperbacks still wounds me a little :P

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  3. I love my kindle because it ir really convienient, i can get really cheap or even free ebooks and i can carry around hundreds of books with me.

    However i will always prefer reading and owning paperbacks. I always try to get books that i think will be amazing in paperback rather than ebook.

    I also hate spending for than about £2.50 on an ebook. If i am going to spend a fiver on a book then i dont just want it digitally.

    Laura @ Bookish Treasures

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    1. I agree, if I'm going to spend more than a fiver on an ebook I would prefer to have the physical book for that money. I do think if a book is amazing I want it on my bookshelf to look at/reread/lend to people etc!

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  4. I love both, although I do prefer hardback/paperbacks for my collection but I read so much faster on my kindle. Also there is so many cheap amazing indie books out their that I couldn't afford in paperback form but in kindle editions they are reasonably priced. Although I refuse to pay more than £5 for an ebook. The prices of some ebooks are outrageous. I'd rather buy the paperback or hardback

    I remember when I got my first kindle I had people tell me that I was being a traitor to being a real blogger. I couldn't help but laugh. Because it's still a book I still pay for books but I know have them store in a small device. I don't care how people are reading as long as they are reading..


    More younger people including kids are more likely to read on ereaders now. My 6year old has the kindle app on his tablet and he loves reading on that. Not so much a physical book though.

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    1. I agree - If I pay too much for an ebook, i'd rather just have the actual book on my shelves!
      And I get that, (without boasting) I'm the most book-y of all of my friends and yet everyone always thinks I'm being a traitor to books - yet reading is still reading and I still love it!

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  5. I love my Kindle for its convenience and to read galleys but I don't think it will ever replace a physical book. I, like yourself, crave books after reading a couple of e-books. In fact, it's currently happening! As much as I'm loving 'Pantomime' I can't wait to pick up an actual book again.
    I was so excited to get a Kindle, and luckily my partner got one as part of his phone contract. The prospect of free and cheap books was amazing - especially to a book blogger! Despite this, I find that any e-book over the price of roughly £3.50 is far too expensive, I won't buy it. It's only a little more to buy a physical copy and I feel that it's much more beneficial.I think that's the main problem I have with the e-book vs. physical book debate.
    A few months ago I made my own post on this very issue here.

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    1. It's good to know I'm not the only one who craves actual books after a time!
      And thanks for sharing your post too, I really liked it!! It's great to read everyone's take on it.

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  6. I love both - ebook and paper. I have a kobo and I think it's really convenient to carry around on long trips but I do LOVE the feel and smell of a good old fashioned book!

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    1. You can never beat that good old fashioned book and it's smell! They should bottle it and sell it to us all!

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  7. I like my kindle because I can adjust text size and sometimes I have problems reading text, particularly in the long books I tend to read so the Kindle is a god send for that. Plus it means that my room won't be filled with any more books - I have an obsession and I now have about 500 in piles all over my room because I can't fit a bookshelf/shelves in there...so the kindle is good for that, but you can never beat a book. Especially the smell of a new book omg, so amazing!

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