August 26, 2012 
…….digital readers like Kindle, eReader? Do you have one? Or do you prefer a good old-fashioned book with actual pages and that beautiful old book smell?
I was prompted with this topic when my blogger friend David McGowan announced that his début novel The Hunter Inside is free to download this weekend from Amazon.com which I’m going to download onto my Kindle. I’ve read a couple of books digitally – and I really don’t mind it – but nothing beats physically turning a page and hearing that faint crinkle as it turns. Going to the library is a favourite pastime of mine…..however I’ve enjoyed looking through Google Play and scouring the specials sections. An entire novel for 99 cents? Don’t mind if I do!
Digital readers are also paving the way for self publishing – which I am very much a supporter of. It gives authors more options, especially as novelty books are the only best sellers these days (did I hear a number? after 49?…..and what colour did you say it was…..?)
So – which camp are you in? Paper or electronic? Book or Kindle?
I have a foot firmly in both camps, though I will never give up adding to my expanding paper library, the kindle has eased the strain on my handbags (much lighter to carry) and has given me the opportunity to read new authors i would never have found otherwise, I think it is a great way for new talent to get their work out there (I admit there is some dross but not all published books are great) and if writers like David or MS Fowle decide to bring out paper copies of their ebooks I would certainly pay to add them to my bookshelves
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Thanks V and P!
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🙂
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All, any, don’t care. Label on the sauce bottle, even.
With less and less room in my house, my Kindle is invaluable. Thought I would never have one and yet now I am delighted.
Still buy books, still belong to the library. And yes, there is dross out there, just finished one, but even the dross has something to teach.
Like comics for children, as long as people read, it doesn’t much matter what they read and how they read it.
And the kindle makes travelling easier, sitting in waiting rooms better, thousands of books at my disposal, all for the weight of one paperback.
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This is very true, the positives of the kindle is definitely its portability 🙂
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While I’m still not on board with owning a Kindle, or Nook, or any other reader, from a reader’s standpoint I feel there’s definitely a place for both electronic and print. My reluctance to join the e-wagon has more to do with the data mining that happens unbeknownst to us. I very much object to such intrusions, so I keep my e-footprint as small as possible while I decide which way to go.
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You can never be too sure these days, can you 🙂
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I personally prefer physical books. You’re right; nothing beats holding a physical book and turning its pages. But as a self-published writer, I understand the importance of ebooks and how they play a big part in our success, especially since people are usually not so willing to risk their money on an obscure writer.
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You’re right, I like that you can sample a novel to decide whether you like it or not. I can’t tell you how many books I own that have been read and abandoned.
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I don’t own a Kindle, but, I do download eBooks to my iPad….the problem is, I very rarely read them. I’d much rather have a book in my hands 🙂
Xx
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I do find it easier to remember to read books than the ‘books’ that are stored on my kindle. 🙂
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I like both. As stated previously, there is nothing more appealing than the persona of a book. However, e-readers are becoming more of a mainstay than a gimmick. The ability to sample a part of a book is one great thing about e-readers that I like. But you know what, I just got back from barnes & noble, lugging with me a book on the history and traditions of the Samurai. On sale. How sweet is that?
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Very cool indeed 🙂 Theres this second hand bookstore in the city that I discovered the other week, walked out with a huge Atlas of the World for 4 bucks. You can’t beat that. And I do love that we can sample before buying e-books, thats a huge advantage of owning an e-reader.
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Great question! As much as I can appreciate eco-friendly endeavors, I am a strict traditionalist when it comes to books. In the modern world I think we spend far too much time in front of a screen as it is. It saddens me to think that the way of the future may be one without the heft of a volume, the smell and yellowing of pages, inscriptions, libraries, notes left in the margins…
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Oh, I hope you’re wrong! I really encourage my kids to read because you’re right, too much time is spent infront of screens. I cant ever imagine a world without books! 🙂
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Put me down for paper books.
Now that I’ve read a few e-books on my Kindle app, and discovered that I long to hold the ones I loved most between my hands so that I can thumb to my favorite passages. I can see that paper books still have their place in the publishing spectrum. I’ll probably end up buying my favorites in hardcover, to keep around and share with friends.
What’s nice about ebooks, though, is how quickly I can acquire them, and of course that I can have them all at my my fingertips on my computer or e-reader.
I think there is a place for both formats!
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I don’t have one yet, although I have the kindle app on my phone and my computer. I’m going to buy either the 7 inch Google Nexus 7 tablet or the iPad mini 7 inch (if it becomes a reality). These tablets weigh about 340 grams which is more than the Kindle, so once I try reading on a tablet, I’ll know whether I have to buy a kindle or not. I find reading hardcover books a chore, paperbacks for me please and in the coming months with a tablet, I might never read a paper book again. Yeah, right. 🙂
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