Study: As E-Readers Increase, So Does Resistance

[sabredog]

We simply have no more room for physical books anymore. Decision is thus made

[Kumabjorn]

Threw out 200 kg of books a few days ago, have another 100 kg or so to go. I'm never going back to p-books, no dusting, no rearranging, no problems finding space for them. I can't recall when I ever re-read a book. The only reason I kept the books around was a diminishing sense of vanity (see how well read I am) and I now reached the age where I truly don't care what people think of me. So out they go, and in goes the digital. Even got a Sony Reader (actually three, two in reserve) so I would be able to purchase non-English books (outside the US it is all epub). E-books are the ultimate in compact living.

[carpetmojo]

Originally Posted by Pomtroll

I too wonder what readers they polled. And if 10 books a year is an avid reader then I must be a rabid reader.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Catlady

If DRM is such a non-issue for some of you, why is there so much b*tchin' about it?

Same reason I joined the Navy and donate to charity: to help others.

[MrsJoseph]

It takes all types to make the world go round - I am lucky to live in a place where I can have a room to stuff all my books in. I re-read all of the time - there are very few books that I've kept (not counting reference and educational) that I haven't re-read at least twice. I'm obsessive about it, actually.

Speaking of it taking all types - just because one person might find removing DRM trivial doesn't mean that everyone does. Installing it wasn't trivial and so I gave up after finishing the first of 4(!!) needed plugins. So until yall people who find DRM and it's removal so easy start making house calls - stop assuming that it's easy for all.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by MrsJoseph

So until yall people who find DRM and it's removal so easy start making house calls - stop assuming that it's easy for all.

I'm 4 hours away, I'll do it for gas money.

[MrsJoseph]

Originally Posted by ApK

I'm 4 hours away, I'll do it for gas money.

hmmmmm...

I'm not scared of meeting people from the internet...

...would you happen to know how to set up a NAS drive as well?? ^.^

[Yapyap]

I just moved to a new flat a few weeks ago, with a couple of thousand physical books. The bookshelves (the ones deep enough) are nearly all lined two deep and there isn't room for more bookshelves.

Also, with my dust allergy and dust-triggered asthma, I've almost got to the point where I'm ready to punch people who go on and on about the "smell of real books" in the face. Yeah, some of them smell okay, once you've survived dusting them. (And some, like a few photo books I have from the 1960s, stink of some horrible chemical and I can't really even get close to them, never mind read them.)

I do appreciate a good hardcover book, provided that it's well made (not going to fall apart on me), uses the nice creamy lighter thicker paper which doesn't blind me, instead of heavy white shiny paper like some new books do, and is still light enough to hold for several hours. Paperbacks... most of them are a real pain to read - hard to hold open, the font is too small and the line spacing too tight, and the ink tends to come off and stain my hands.

I still buy my favourite series in hardcover as well as in e-version, because they just look so good in my shelf (and, well, I also buy the paperbacks, as those have a different cover design and...) but that's one small part of all the books I buy and read.

I'd practically given up on buying and reading new books before getting my first e-reader, because there just wasn't anywhere to put them. (I'm a re-reader, so I don't like to get rid of the books I have, and the options for that are limited anyway - I buy and read mostly books in English, which don't really have an aftermarket here, and I can't just give them away to a charity or library either, as, again, there is no interest.)

[pidgeon92]

Originally Posted by Catlady

If DRM is such a non-issue for some of you, why is there so much b*tchin' about it?

I dunno. You won't see me complaining about it, as it is non-issue.

Originally Posted by Catlady

I only use Calibre for the Amazon books. I don't see the point of converting epub to epub just to get rid of DRM.

The magic of the plug-in is that you don't have to do any converting. The DRM is stripped when the ebook is added to Calibre.

[HarleyB]

Originally Posted by carpetmojo

Avid ?

10 books a year ??

Who're they trying to kid..... surely that's dipping a toe in to see if they like it ?

Exactly - 10 books per year is not even one book per month. To me less than one book per month is only a casual or occasional reader!

[HarleyB]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Or if not offered in epub, buy at Amazon. Wade through all the confusing file names to find the book on my computer. Strip and convert.

The ridiculous file names that Amazon uses bug me too and that's just one of the reasons why Amazon is always my last resort.

BUT when you are looking through the "My Kindle Content" file choose to sort by "Date modified" and then the last book you added will be on the top of the list.

I always immediately import my all books into Calibre and as pidgeon said once you have the plug ins installed the DRM removal happens automatically.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by MrsJoseph

hmmmmm...

I'm not scared of meeting people from the internet...

...would you happen to know how to set up a NAS drive as well?? ^.^

Why, yes, actually! And I've been looking for an excuse to take my family back to the Air and Space Museum!

[The Terminator]

10 books a year is "Avid"?!! I guess that could be correct since most people in the U.S will read under 100 books in their lifetime

[ApK]

Avid doesn't mean fast.

[GreenMonkey]

Originally Posted by KenJackson

It's hard to believe people love the feel of paper so much that they're willing to put up with the darn book flopping shut when you set it down or let go. I can't read a paper book without tasking at least one hand to the full-time job of holding the book.

But even though I committed myself to reading only ebooks, alas, I still find myself buying used books on Amazon. I just can't resist buying a used paper book in very good condition when it costs half or a third (including shipping!) of what the ebook costs. It's a shame that there still isn't any corresponding reduction in price with age.

Also, as others have noted, I hate everything about DRM: the hassle to me, the risk of loosing my ability to read books I've bought, the crimes by pirates that justify it's use, and the hateful laws that publishers and authors push for. Paper books never use DRM.

I know how to strip DRM, but it's annoying to have to do it all of the time.

Lately, I just buy the hardcover. It's paperbacks I have trouble with - I'll take a good hardcover over an ebook (durability, ease of use), but paperbacks suck (like you said, keeping them open is annoying).

Plus, normally a real book is cheaper than the ebook, and I hate wasting money. Plus I can always trade in the paper book to my local used bookstore, I love them.