E-book users read 60% more books

[DonaldL.]

E-book users read 60% more books

Americans who have read an e-book in the past year are much bigger readers than those who read only print books, a new study has found.

E-book users read an average of 24 books, while non-e-book users read just 15, in the previous 12 months before a December 2011 survey, reported the Pew Research Center, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank in a study released Wednesday night.

[jbcohen]

Is CBC a major news broadcaster? Are they an authoritative source on book publishing maters? Here is an example of what I mean by an authoritative source: publishers.ca. This is the Canadian Book Publishers Association which is a trade association of all canadian book publishers. Since the group represents all canadian book publishers they would have the authority to make statements ssuch as this.

[Top100EbooksRank]

Originally Posted by jbcohen

Is CBC a major news broadcaster? Are they an authoritative source on book publishing maters? Here is an example of what I mean by an authoritative source: publishers.ca. This is the Canadian Book Publishers Association which is a trade association of all canadian book publishers. Since the group represents all canadian book publishers they would have the authority to make statements ssuch as this.

The survey is done by

Pew Research Center

a very respectable organization.

[RainingLemur]

I suppose it makes sense. It's so easy to just go straight to the next book on an ereader when you'd have to stand up, walk to the book-shelf, put book back, ponder next book, scratch butt, make sure nobody saw you scratch butt, grab new book, return to seat.

[ProfCrash]

IT also makes sense that people who read a lot are more likely to buy an e-reader. They might be in a situation where they don't have room for more books in their home. Or they could be people who travel a lot and do not want to carry a ton of books with them on the plane. Or they like the convience of having books with them to read while waiting for anything without the weight of a paper book in their purse, backpack, or briefcase.

[taustin]

Originally Posted by RainingLemur

I suppose it makes sense. It's so easy to just go straight to the next book on an ereader when you'd have to stand up, walk to the book-shelf, put book back, ponder next book, scratch butt, make sure nobody saw you scratch butt, grab new book, return to seat.

I'm reading close to twice as much since I got my nook, largely because I no longer have to make time to go to a book store to buy a new book. I've always got something lined up to read now, instead of having to wait until I can spend an hour or so on a trip to the local B&N. I've bought books while sitting on the toilet.

[MrsJoseph]

Originally Posted by taustin

I'm reading close to twice as much since I got my nook, largely because I no longer have to make time to go to a book store to buy a new book. I've always got something lined up to read now, instead of having to wait until I can spend an hour or so on a trip to the local B&N. I've bought books while sitting on the toilet.

Ummmm....TMI

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

IT also makes sense that people who read a lot are more likely to buy an e-reader. They might be in a situation where they don't have room for more books in their home. Or they could be people who travel a lot and do not want to carry a ton of books with them on the plane. Or they like the convience of having books with them to read while waiting for anything without the weight of a paper book in their purse, backpack, or briefcase.

I think that you pretty much nailed the principal reason for the results. People who read ebooks are more likely to read and read more than those who do not. Here is a link to more complete results of the survey:

The rise of e-reading

[BeccaPrice]

as an anectdata, my son has some learning deficits that make reading difficult for him. It could take him a few months to read a paperback. I got him a Kindle SO for Christmas, and he's read at least 3 books that I know of since then. It took him about a week to read the first Hunger Games novel. At least for my son, ereading is easier for him to do, and his comprehension does not seem to have suffered; if anything, it's better.

[ProfCrash]

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

as an anectdata, my son has some learning deficits that make reading difficult for him. It could take him a few months to read a paperback. I got him a Kindle SO for Christmas, and he's read at least 3 books that I know of since then. It took him about a week to read the first Hunger Games novel. At least for my son, ereading is easier for him to do, and his comprehension does not seem to have suffered; if anything, it's better.

You are not the first to report that.

Dyslexia runs in my family. My case is not that severe and I was able to learn to read on time by figuring out that Clifford was not a god or a gop or a dop or however I was reading the word. My younger brothers was more severe. They found that if he read using a red transparency that the letters did not move and reading was easier for him.

It has been theorized that the slightly different screen color of an e-reader, combined with the different font sizes, might make a difference for kids with reading problems. The brain processes the text slightly different because the input is slightly different and it makes enough of a difference that reading is not as tough. Kind of like the red transperincy helped my brother.

I know other people who have discussed using the text ot speech function with the child reading along and that has really helped the child learn to read better.

E-readers are turning out to be valuable tools for lots of folks and work in ways that many people did not think of. It is very cool.

[SeaKing]

Originally Posted by RainingLemur

I suppose it makes sense. It's so easy to just go straight to the next book on an ereader when you'd have to stand up, walk to the book-shelf, put book back, ponder next book, scratch butt, make sure nobody saw you scratch butt, grab new book, return to seat.

Seldom does one find such insight. I think you were watching and stalking me at the Walmart bookshelves.

[LuvReadin]

Originally Posted by DonaldL.

E-book users read 60% more books

Hmm, interesting - they seem to be saying that people who are keen readers are more likely to buy ereaders, rather than that ereaders per se encourage people to read more. Not sure it's quite as clearcut as that.

Originally Posted by taustin

I'm reading close to twice as much since I got my nook, largely because I no longer have to make time to go to a book store to buy a new book. I've always got something lined up to read now, instead of having to wait until I can spend an hour or so on a trip to the local B&N. .

Agreed. And there's a wider variety to choose from as well!

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

It has been theorized that the slightly different screen color of an e-reader, combined with the different font sizes, might make a difference for kids with reading problems. The brain processes the text slightly different because the input is slightly different and it makes enough of a difference that reading is not as tough. Kind of like the red transperincy helped my brother.

I've also found the same thing when showing my ereaders to people with dyslexia. It's interesting what you say about the red transparency - I've found it's generally been the people who were helped with the cool colour transparencies (blue, green) who seemed to get more benefit than those who had to use the warm colours (red, pink, yellow, orange), which I thought might be because grey is also a cool colour.

[khalleron]

Originally Posted by LuvReadin

Hmm, interesting - they seem to be saying that people who are keen readers are more likely to buy ereaders, rather than that ereaders per se encourage people to read more. Not sure it's quite as clearcut as that.

I read more the first two months I had my ereader than I had the prior two years. My eyesight had been deteriorating and reading had become too much of a chore.

Now it's a delight again.

So there's probably a bit of both things happening - that heavy readers are more likely to adopt the technology, and that the technology makes reading easier.

[xg4bx]

i think with ereaders the size of books also seems less daunting.

it may sound silly but i'm sure there are people out there scared off by what they perceive as doorstops or books that are too short with the argument 'ah, i'll never finish that' or 'i'll finish that in an hour' and they pass it by. books seem far shorter, less daunting and they fly by in e-format because of a real lack of visual progress. those numbers could mean anything and are less intimidating than looking and seeing you've got 500 pages left to go.

like i said it may sound silly but i think there are people out there genuinely afraid of books.

[ProfCrash]

They tried a variety of transparencies with him and the red one worked. No one bothered arguing. He had a ruler with the transparency in side it so it was easier to stay on the line he needed. By the time he hit Junior High he didn't seem to need it.