Study: As E-Readers Increase, So Does Resistance

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by ApK

Avid doesn't mean fast.

One book per week is not fast and it would give you 52 books per year. I would call that a normal rate for someone who likes books. Avid would have to begin at around 100 per year. At 10 books per year I would say that the person either doesn't like to read or doesn't have the time for reading.

[KenJackson]

Originally Posted by Sil_liS

At 10 books per year I would say that the person either doesn't like to read or doesn't have the time for reading.

I found the 10-book-per-year rate a little humorous when I read it too, and there have been lots of comments about it.

But over the years, I've met lots of people from lots of different walks of life that exclaim, "Who has time to read a book?" when I expressed surprise that they haven't read a book in months (or years). And that was even true before the daily bombardment of information from the internet started.

So I will agree that it's sad. But given the state of reality in humanity, it's probably a reasonable metric.

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by KenJackson

So I will agree that it's sad. But given the state of reality in humanity, it's probably a reasonable metric.

I grew up in a house where one book per week on average was normal. We were reading more during the summer vacations and less while going to school but we were always surrounded by books. It would depend on what you consider as normal reading habits.

[Kumabjorn]

Just because we love to read books doesn't mean everyone else has to. We need people who watch television as well. Otherwise second rate writers wouldn't have any source of income. (Am I expected to add or will I be flamed by TV writers?)

[JimKal]

Originally Posted by Kali Yuga

Verso specializes in advertising for the book industry. I see no particular reason why they would have an axe to grind against ebooks.

The survey is weighted to match US demographics.

They have in fact run this particular survey since at least 2010.

The survey is here: http://www.versoadvertising.com/Wi7survey2012/

Thanks for sharing the survey. When you take the time to go through the whole survey, you can see the purpose of the survey is to advise retailers as to strategy. I believe their advise that e-readers have moved into the "early majority" is an indicator that both e-readers are here to stay and there is a viable near term future for the paper book retail industry. While some may quibble about whether 10 books a year constitutes an avid reader, this is clearly a segment of the reading public that a marketer wants to capture.

[howyoudoin]

Originally Posted by Kumabjorn

Just because we love to read books doesn't mean everyone else has to. We need people who watch television as well. Otherwise second rate writers wouldn't have any source of income. (Am I expected to add or will I be flamed by TV writers?)

I used to think that too, until I started watching Dexter. The TV series has its flaws, but the follow up books are ridiculous.

[danskmacabre]

I've had an ereader for about 6 months I guess. Before that, I was sceptical about the whole ereader thing, until I actually tried one.
Before that if anyone asked me I would have said "You can't replace a real book"
Now, 6 months later I love ereaders, there are far more advantages to them than disadvantages.

I've known about 4 people who now have ereaders, previously sceptics, My wife, a friend, and 2 work colleagues. ALL who said "There's no way I'll get an ereader!" for the usual reasons people say when they're never even tried one...
I got an ereader for my wife, (KT) and she loves it and way prefers it over physical books.
BOTH colleagues have ereaders now and love them and my friend has one and THEN bought one for his wife (who actually wanted one anyway)...

I think people have a resistance to letting go of the dead tree book. It's just fear, but once they try an ereader, the vast majority will never look back (in terms of pure text novels anyway).

I think that survey is incorrect about people saying they won't get one. I think they've just never TRIED one and make the statement "I won't get one" based on nostalgia and fear.

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by Sil_liS

One book per week is not fast and it would give you 52 books per year. I would call that a normal rate for someone who likes books. Avid would have to begin at around 100 per year. At 10 books per year I would say that the person either doesn't like to read or doesn't have the time for reading.

I'm not sure I agree, but that's closer to my thoughts than 10! I would be more inclined to go by how often someone reads rather than how many books they read. This not only factors in the difference between those who read mostly 200-page books and those who prefer doorstop tomes, it also falls more in line with what I think of when I hear the word "avid". To me, the word doesn't just indicate how much they read, but how they view reading as an activity.

When someone says they are an avid _____, in my experience they mean it's something they enjoy enough to do frequently, and something they make a point to make time for in their life. They choose that activity over certain other things, when possible. It is not just something they do when they have nothing else to do - it's important to them. In this context, one might not hit 100 books per year, but they would very likely read considerably more than 10.

[Belfaborac]

Originally Posted by Catlady

It all takes time. Say I spot a non-Agency book I want at Amazon. Then I have to go looking for it elsewhere in epub.
- snip -
I don't see the point of converting epub to epub just to get rid of DRM.

To which this is the answer:

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

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.

And as far as this goes...

Originally Posted by HarleyB

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 just import the files stored by Kindle for PC into Calibre as they come, sort by date, open the books to see what's what and rename them. It would be a little easier if the files were named rather than intentionally obscured, but not much. Unless one is importing dozens at a time I can't see how it can be much of a chore. I usually have to rename every book anyway, because of the naming convention I use.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Kumabjorn

(Am I expected to add or will I be flamed by TV writers?)

No need for concern. A good flame requires writing ability.

But seriously folks, every now and then, we'll run into a show like the new Battlestar Galactica, My friend and I will be watching, and they will pull off some amazing plot twist, and we'll look at each other and say "OK, these are the best writers in the world." And thankfully, between Tivo and Netflix, it's pretty easy to cull a pretty good heap of TV writing goodness from the chaff.

Was that a mixed metaphor?

ApK

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by Belfaborac

...I just import the files stored by Kindle for PC into Calibre as they come, sort by date, open the books to see what's what and rename them. It would be a little easier if the files were named rather than intentionally obscured, but not much. Unless one is importing dozens at a time I can't see how it can be much of a chore. I usually have to rename every book anyway, because of the naming convention I use.

Yeah, I have the Calibre plug-ins, but sometimes I am indeed doing a dozen or so, since it's hard to resist Amazon's freebies. And then some of those freebies also later became available at BN, so I've got duplicates that have to be sorted out, yada yada.

I know I'm whining, I know that it's all relatively painless and quick. Still, it needs to be done, and I find myself resenting the doing. Especially since there's the whiff of illegality attached to stripping DRM.

I just want to buy the book, read the book. I also would like to be able to toss the book across the room when it deserves that treatment--that's another thing one can't do with an e-reader!

[whitearrow]

I used to run out of things to read every time I went on a trip and end up buying something awful in an airport bookstore -- or carry pounds and pounds of books. Or finish the book I was reading when I was at the doctor's office and have nothing to read while waiting. And constantly, never-endingly try to shift things around my house to create more shelf space, because unless I hate a book, I don't like getting rid of it. Because I have back issues, I love being able to lay on my side to read -- quite a challenge with a paper book.

None of these are issues anymore. I'll never go back. Absent very special circumstances (like buying a book at a signing), I can't envision ever buying another fiction book in paper.

[cfrizz]

I used to feel that way Catlady, but I have changed my mind. I want the books that I want to read, and I want them free & clear of drm. The add-ons to Calibre make it so simple, that I don't mind spending an hour or so de-infecting them up and converting them if needed so that I can put them in my Elibrary forever!

Quite frankly I don't give a rat's a$$ about the legality of the removal of drm. 1. No one is going to know about it. 2. I don't care what they say, if I paid for it, it is MINE! Since I'm not going to sell it, upload it, or even give it away. I will do whatever I have to to make sure it's stays in my possession!

[cfrizz]

Originally Posted by whitearrow

I used to run out of things to read every time I went on a trip and end up buying something awful in an airport bookstore -- or carry pounds and pounds of books. Or finish the book I was reading when I was at the doctor's office and have nothing to read while waiting. And constantly, never-endingly try to shift things around my house to create more shelf space, because unless I hate a book, I don't like getting rid of it. Because I have back issues, I love being able to lay on my side to read -- quite a challenge with a paper book.

None of these are issues anymore. I'll never go back. Absent very special circumstances (like buying a book at a signing), I can't envision ever buying another fiction book in paper.

AMEN!!!!!

[meeera]

Originally Posted by Sil_liS

One book per week is not fast and it would give you 52 books per year. I would call that a normal rate for someone who likes books. Avid would have to begin at around 100 per year. At 10 books per year I would say that the person either doesn't like to read or doesn't have the time for reading.

They only ask how many books they buy, however. I can't be the only person who gets 90% or so of her dead-tree reading from the library.