Why we started reading with electronic book readers

jbcohen · 09-23-2012, 09:14 PM

I was reading on my kindle the other day and a co-worker who has been thinking about getting his first ereader asked: what got me started reading ereaders to begin with.

"Well I'll tell you" I said "I have always been a rather voracious reader and the number of books in my library was getting a little out of hand, in fact they were threatening to take over the house. So I took to electronic reading out of necessity in an attempt to retain some living space in my home rather than letting the books take over the whole house."

What got you started in the first place?

fjtorres · 09-23-2012, 09:21 PM

I got a PDA.
Nice and compact and I could take it everywhere.
It let me read anywhere anytime.
And there was this website called BLACK MASK loaded with nicely formatted classics...

GA Russell · 09-23-2012, 09:28 PM

Part of it was a lust for a new toy.

But most of it was the limitless supply of public domain books for free on the internet. My jetBook Lite paid for itself in three months.

Apache · 09-23-2012, 09:29 PM

Like you I had a large library of books. I have one room that is a library. One large closet is all book shelves. I have books and book cases in office and I even have books in book cases in my store. I love to reread books and it was taking me an inordinate amount of time to find specific books.
I also liked the fact that my whole library could travel with me.
Apache

pidgeon92 · 09-23-2012, 09:38 PM

I wanted one when the Sony 500 was released. I waited til after Amazon released the Kindle, and then bought my husband one that summer. He was getting the Wall Street Journal delivered at the time, and when he was traveling they would just pile up in the house. I canceled that, and got him the subscription on the Kindle. A few months later, the Kindle did the Oprah discount, and I got one for myself. It took me a few months after that before I stopped using the local library and went 100% ebook.

NickyWithNook · 09-23-2012, 09:44 PM

Really, I was resistant to getting one and thought it was a silly toy, but I got one as a gift and was quickly proven wrong.

DuskyRose · 09-23-2012, 09:48 PM

I've always wanted to have books with me, used to have one or another ratty paperback in my purse. In the mid 90's I discovered fanfic. Hated reading off of the computer monitor for medium to long stories, and it was too expensive to print them out.

When I got my first monochrome Palm Pilot, and found software that let me put fanfic on it, I was in hog heaven. Then I went searching for other fiction, and grabbed what I could.

I've been carrying a library with me ever since, in one way or another.

jersysman · 09-23-2012, 10:26 PM

Mine was because of space, or lack thereof, in my house. I always was going on ebay and buying books by the box load. Too many books when it came to moving. Then I heard about ereaders and the rest is history.

BWinmill · 09-23-2012, 10:33 PM

I lived in an fly-in only community, which meant that my options were mail-order or ebooks. I choose ebooks. I used the computer at first, and quickly decided to buy an ereader.

teh603 · 09-23-2012, 10:42 PM

I wanted to start writing ebooks, and I needed something to get a decent preview with.

CWatkinsNash · 09-23-2012, 10:42 PM

I actually had to think about it for a few minutes before I remembered - it was because of Harlequin. I had previously gotten ebooks on Fictionwise waaay back in the day, but ereaders weren't even a blip on my radar then. It was definitely Harlequin that got me into the current ebook world. From there, Amazon, and ended up with a Kindle. While waiting for it to ship, I came here and got schooled on what I was getting into, just a few months shy of two years ago.

Annikadk · 09-23-2012, 10:51 PM

Several thing did it for me.
New toy, but started at my laptop, then mobile, later tablet and now ereader.

Hate books fill so much in my home, and we have traveled some times the last years, and several books weight too much when flying.

And my arms doesn't like to sit / lay down holding a book in the air.

Ohh and my decision from tablet to ereader was again new toy, longer battery life,weight and reading in the sun

QuantumIguana · 09-23-2012, 11:12 PM

A library at my fingertips. Obscure, hard to find books are now easy to find. I can set the font what size I want. I never have to contend with old yellowed paper. I thought that I would dislike e-readers, because I don't like reading on a computer screen. But once I picked up an e-reader, I wanted one.

taosaur · 09-23-2012, 11:18 PM

For me it was the space books take up and the convenience of getting and carrying ebooks. When I started, I was also in a situation where I could have gadgets at work but not books.

ScotiaBurrell · 09-23-2012, 11:28 PM

I had lots of books in electronic format and was tired of reading on PC.

09-23-2012, 09:14 PM	#1
jbcohen Wizard Posts: 3,033 Karma: 11196738 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Where am I? Device: Kindle Paperwhite Signature edition and a Samsung S24 Ultra	Why we started reading with electronic book readers I was reading on my kindle the other day and a co-worker who has been thinking about getting his first ereader asked: what got me started reading ereaders to begin with. "Well I'll tell you" I said "I have always been a rather voracious reader and the number of books in my library was getting a little out of hand, in fact they were threatening to take over the house. So I took to electronic reading out of necessity in an attempt to retain some living space in my home rather than letting the books take over the whole house." What got you started in the first place?

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09-23-2012, 09:21 PM	#2
fjtorres Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,732 Karma: 128354696 Join Date: May 2009 Location: 26 kly from Sgr A* Device: T100TA,PW2,PRS-T1,KT,FireHD 8.9,K2, PB360,BeBook One,Axim51v,TC1000	I got a PDA. Nice and compact and I could take it everywhere. It let me read anywhere anytime. And there was this website called BLACK MASK loaded with nicely formatted classics...

09-23-2012, 09:28 PM	#3
GA Russell Als, Lions host Semis Posts: 7,716 Karma: 31487351 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Raleigh, NC Device: Paperwhite, Kindles 10 & 4 and jetBook Lite	Part of it was a lust for a new toy. But most of it was the limitless supply of public domain books for free on the internet. My jetBook Lite paid for itself in three months.

09-23-2012, 09:29 PM	#4
Apache Readaholic Posts: 5,306 Karma: 90981752 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: South Georgia Device: Surface Pro 6 / Galaxy Tab A 8"	Like you I had a large library of books. I have one room that is a library. One large closet is all book shelves. I have books and book cases in office and I even have books in book cases in my store. I love to reread books and it was taking me an inordinate amount of time to find specific books. I also liked the fact that my whole library could travel with me. Apache

09-23-2012, 09:38 PM	#5
pidgeon92 Wizard Posts: 3,144 Karma: 8426142 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Chicago, IL Device: Kindle PW2, Kindle Voyage, Kindle DXG, Boox M90, Kobo Aura HD	I wanted one when the Sony 500 was released. I waited til after Amazon released the Kindle, and then bought my husband one that summer. He was getting the Wall Street Journal delivered at the time, and when he was traveling they would just pile up in the house. I canceled that, and got him the subscription on the Kindle. A few months later, the Kindle did the Oprah discount, and I got one for myself. It took me a few months after that before I stopped using the local library and went 100% ebook.

09-23-2012, 09:44 PM	#6
NickyWithNook Guru Posts: 750 Karma: 3942770 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: American living in Australia Device: Kobo Libra Colour, Kindle Fire, Kindle Pwhite (Don't use Nook anymore)	Really, I was resistant to getting one and thought it was a silly toy, but I got one as a gift and was quickly proven wrong.

09-23-2012, 09:48 PM	#7
DuskyRose Guru Posts: 756 Karma: 9209502 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Virginia Device: Boox Note Air3, Palma, K-Scribe, Eclipsa 2e, & Libra 2, Ipads	I've always wanted to have books with me, used to have one or another ratty paperback in my purse. In the mid 90's I discovered fanfic. Hated reading off of the computer monitor for medium to long stories, and it was too expensive to print them out. When I got my first monochrome Palm Pilot, and found software that let me put fanfic on it, I was in hog heaven. Then I went searching for other fiction, and grabbed what I could. I've been carrying a library with me ever since, in one way or another.

09-23-2012, 10:26 PM	#8
jersysman Wizard Posts: 1,747 Karma: 3761220 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Pennsylvania Device: T1 Red, Kindle Fire, Kindle PW, PW2, Nook HD+, Kobo Mini, Aura HD	Mine was because of space, or lack thereof, in my house. I always was going on ebay and buying books by the box load. Too many books when it came to moving. Then I heard about ereaders and the rest is history.

09-23-2012, 10:33 PM	#9
BWinmill Nameless Being	I lived in an fly-in only community, which meant that my options were mail-order or ebooks. I choose ebooks. I used the computer at first, and quickly decided to buy an ereader.

09-23-2012, 10:42 PM	#10
teh603 Autism Spectrum Disorder Posts: 1,212 Karma: 6244877 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Coastal Texas Device: Android Phone	I wanted to start writing ebooks, and I needed something to get a decent preview with.

09-23-2012, 10:42 PM	#11
CWatkinsNash IOC Chief Archivist Posts: 3,950 Karma: 53868218 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Fruitland Park, FL, USA Device: Meebook M7, Paperwhite 2021, Fire HD 8+, Fire HD 10+, Lenovo Tab P12	I actually had to think about it for a few minutes before I remembered - it was because of Harlequin. I had previously gotten ebooks on Fictionwise waaay back in the day, but ereaders weren't even a blip on my radar then. It was definitely Harlequin that got me into the current ebook world. From there, Amazon, and ended up with a Kindle. While waiting for it to ship, I came here and got schooled on what I was getting into, just a few months shy of two years ago.

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09-23-2012, 10:51 PM	#12
Annikadk Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2012 Device: Sony prs-t1	Several thing did it for me. New toy, but started at my laptop, then mobile, later tablet and now ereader. Hate books fill so much in my home, and we have traveled some times the last years, and several books weight too much when flying. And my arms doesn't like to sit / lay down holding a book in the air. Ohh and my decision from tablet to ereader was again new toy, longer battery life,weight and reading in the sun

09-23-2012, 11:12 PM	#13
QuantumIguana Philosopher Posts: 2,034 Karma: 18736532 Join Date: Jan 2012 Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2 gen, Kindle Fire 1st Gen, Kindle Touch	A library at my fingertips. Obscure, hard to find books are now easy to find. I can set the font what size I want. I never have to contend with old yellowed paper. I thought that I would dislike e-readers, because I don't like reading on a computer screen. But once I picked up an e-reader, I wanted one.

09-23-2012, 11:18 PM	#14
taosaur intelligent posterior Posts: 1,562 Karma: 21295618 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Ohiopolis Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2, Samsung S8, Lenovo Tab 3 Pro	For me it was the space books take up and the convenience of getting and carrying ebooks. When I started, I was also in a situation where I could have gadgets at work but not books.

09-23-2012, 11:28 PM	#15
ScotiaBurrell Banned Posts: 1,118 Karma: 3111746 Join Date: Oct 2011 Device: Kindle & little green monster	I had lots of books in electronic format and was tired of reading on PC.