Popularity of electronic books

[Apache]

When I read I am oblivious to what is going on around me. I am so immersed in the book that I do not even see the book or the pages. What ever form the book takes does not matter to me when I am reading. On the other hand I do like my ereader for the ability to carry all of my books and because I can read in the dark without a light.
Apache

[Kumabjorn]

Ok, I'll come clean. No more pretending being a literary connoisseur. I'll just say it.
Here it is.


I just don't get it.
Who cares if the text is on papyrus, scrolls, antique paper, bond paper, e-Ink or AMOLED screens?
You're consuming text. End of story.
You're obviously fine consuming these texts here on a screen of some sort.
Consume your damned texts in any which format you prefer. Why should I care?
Can we move on?

[spindlegirl]

Was there a big debate going on and I missed it?

[Kumabjorn]

Originally Posted by spindlegirl

Was there a big debate going on and I missed it?

Not the first thing you've missed.

[spindlegirl]

Originally Posted by Kumabjorn

Not the first thing you've missed.

ouch. ok then.

[Kumabjorn]

Originally Posted by spindlegirl

ouch. ok then.

Sorry, I'm ten days late and my mood is literally in dacrygelosis, don't know if I should be jouyous or depressed. I have no right to lash out here because of my personal problems. I truly repent, and apologize from the bottom of my heart.

[spindlegirl]

Kumabjorn, don't worry, no big deal - take care!

[Soldim]

Originally Posted by spindlegirl

I love the free PD books.

Me too!

I always raise my eyebrows over the piracy debates -- from my own experience I'd say the real competition will come from free PD books. Authors will not only have to be better than their contemporaries but also better than the very best authors of the past to compete.

[spindlegirl]

Originally Posted by xg4bx

i went to b&n the other day and got some books. then i came home and ordered even more. i still love buying paperbacks more than anything; ebooks are cool but they'll never give me the same thrill.

I've bought a few e-books here and there, but even after reading it on my e-reader and liking it, it doesn't give me the same feeling of "I've bought something", as when I get a singular printed book. I bought 2 paperbacks for my son last week and it just had a different "feeling" than that of downloading a file I had permission to access.

I do love e-books, from the free public domain books, to the borrowed ones to the smashwords books I've downloaded, I enjoy reading but the feeling just isn't the same.

[jbcohen]

Actually in the DC Area there are a lot more than two freebies, but I am off the subject here. What pinecone is saying I have noticed on Metro rail as well.

Originally Posted by Pinecone

I have noticed that last few months, that on the DC Metro subway, at any given time, there are more people reading electronically than pbook form.

Still a lot of pnewspapers, but part of that is the two freebies that are available in the area and at most Metro stations.

[MidnightBlue]

Originally Posted by Quexos

Yes it's undeniable that e-books are on the rise, while prints are on the low.
I just hope print books won't disappear altogether, they've been around for so long that I would kind of miss them.

They won't disappear, they will just become more elitist. Sort of like people who still buy vinyl records. For a while vinyl nearly disappeared, now they are making them again.

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by spindlegirl

I've bought a few e-books here and there, but even after reading it on my e-reader and liking it, it doesn't give me the same feeling of "I've bought something", as when I get a singular printed book. I bought 2 paperbacks for my son last week and it just had a different "feeling" than that of downloading a file I had permission to access.

I do love e-books, from the free public domain books, to the borrowed ones to the smashwords books I've downloaded, I enjoy reading but the feeling just isn't the same.

I seem to get the same thrill from ebooks as I did from paper books.

For me the thrill is from getting either getting something I want (for example unread book by a favorite author) or stumbling on something new/and or forgotten.

Of course getting someone a gift you know that they will enjoy, is an extreme thrill in itself.

Helen

[Graham]

Originally Posted by Kumabjorn

dacrygelosis

Now, that's a word I'd never heard before. A great one to remember.

Thanks Kumabjorn!

Graham

[danskmacabre]

Originally Posted by Kumabjorn

Who cares if the text is on papyrus, scrolls, antique paper, bond paper, e-Ink or AMOLED screens?
You're consuming text. End of story.
You're obviously fine consuming these texts here on a screen of some sort.
Consume your damned texts in any which format you prefer. Why should I care?
Can we move on?

Well this IS a discussion forum and people are discussing the popularity of ereaders and ebooks.
Why is that any less valid a discussion than anything on this discussion forum?
If you really don't care why did you bother posting in this thread at all?
Why should people have to "Move on" just because you don't care what format you read books on?
Personally I find the discussion in this thread interesting and would like it to continue...

For the record it IS all text but to some people there's more to it than about reading a lot of text. The texture and feel of a book vs ebook seems to matter.
So does the convenience of having 100s of books on one device (I.E. an ereader)
That's just a bit of what's discussed in this thread.

There, I've said it..

[Kumabjorn]

So you have, so you have...