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Originally Posted by uebyn
Why am I still saying this NOW? Precisely because there're so many converts now,
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If you think there are a lot of converts now, I think you'll be in for a surprise: I believe the flood has only just started.
I had a co-worker who was dead set against e-books. He liked the feel of the paper in his hand, he said. His mother in law (who he is close to) owns a used book business. The idea was preposterous. His girlfriend echoed similar opinions.
But he now owns two Kobos. What changed? Well, his girlfriend has health problems and finds it difficult to hold a paperback up in front of her face; a hardcover is a near medical impossibility for her. Then she broke both her arms (the right wasn't too bad, but the left was really thrashed) and even holding a paperback was impossible. But we got an old school first-gen Kobo for her which has physical buttons that can be used with one hand, and suddenly she can read again. She can read easier than she ever could with a paperback, as the Kobo is lighter.
He's also converted. He hated going into book stores and finding only parts of series, which is a particular problem with used books. While there are exceptions, usually a series in e-book format is either not at all available or entirely available, and the back catalogues are gradually being mined deeper and deeper by publishing companies and e-book stores.
Many people say they prefer the feel of paper in their hand. I get that. But many people prefer the personal touch of putting pen to paper and writing a letter, but that didn't stop email from taking over. Looking a little further back, many people love the romance of horse and buggy, but that didn't stop the automobile from taking over. The e-book market will be the same thing, IMO.
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I'm wondering: why did you switch to ebooks? Have you forgotten the pleasure of books browsing, or is the e-book experience comparable to that of the old-school experience? Or has convenience displaced experience?
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Your question betrays your bias: the possible answers to your question suggest only negatives in e-books, or the personalities of their adherents.
My story is probably different than most. I'd all but stopped reading (after having been an avid reader in my teens). Life got in the way. The convenience of e-books (light, portable, my entire book collection with me everywhere I go, etc.) has finally got me reading again. I have read almost every night for nearly a year, after having been able to count on one hand how many days I read for pleasure in a typical year for the last decade (maybe longer). E-books offered convenience I needed to jump start my reading again, as well as features I couldn't have dreamed of (search ability, hyperlinking, and other features that are just starting to really come into their own). I read a lot of alternate history, and I love being able to read that and also switch to a web browser and be inspired to research actual history (to compare, if it's an element of history I'm not very familiar with) and do it all on the same device!
I didn't choose e-books over paper books, I chose e-books over no books at all. Though the arguments about it being better for the environment do also resonate with me.
ETA: I should add that I love the fact that I can now get rid of all my paper books. I've been giving them away to literacy drives and that kind of thing. I have held on to a few beloved favourites, but I honestly don't know why. Each time a charity asks for more books I find myself able to let go of a few more that I wasn't able to the previous time. I do honestly believe I'll give away every paper book I own by the time I'm done.