Trend Watch: Paper books back in vogue

[banjomike]

I'm not sure I approve of "I like to scribble all over [books]".

[ucfgrad93]

Originally Posted by jgaiser

Each to his/her own. I'll not be returning to paper books any time soon.

Agreed, I haven't purchased a paper book since I finished my Masters degree last August.

Originally Posted by ucfgrad93

Agreed, I haven't purchased a paper book since I finished my Masters degree last August.

In my case, it's more of a mix and it will probably always be a mix. I'm very price sensitive when it comes to books. It's probably a result of my upbringing: why buy new when you can buy used or (better yet) use community resources like libraries. Outside of indie authors and a smattering of ebooks offered by libraries, I have seen very little accommodation for those of us who are price sensitive.

On top of that, ebooks are not very desirable for the occassional reader. If you read a couple of books a year, an ereader that costs as much as four of the latests best sellers does not look very desirable. Other than that, you are shoehorning those books onto devices that aren't designed for reading: phones with screens much smaller than the printed page, tablets that are bulky in comparison, or computers that force you to sit at a desk. None of these are great for reading on the patio. None of these devices are great for a day on the road. (People will make due, but books are just easier in this respect.)

Is it any wonder that ebooks are starting to stall, and will only see slow growth until the next technological hurdle is overcome?

[solitarywolf]

I still love the printed edition. I also love ebooks. When I Feel the desire to own it, I buy a real copy. These statistics have me thinking as all statistics do. What was the size, demographics, etc of their sampling? Do these numbers reflect a wider readership? How does publisher sales for books/ebooks come into play?

[dickloraine]

Nothing to be seen here. Citing some random "important people" spelling out emotional advertising like statements, which should just evoke some comfortable picture in our minds.

Another trend seems to be, to sound elitist and intellectual by reffering to aesthetics.

This kind of statements are not a good starting point for a debate. First they do, as if they state a fact, implying that you could not possibly be of a different opinion on this point. Maybe there are other goods things about e-Books, but see, this are the bad things. But what they state are often not facts. Just an opinion.

To be true, this does not sound as a thoughtfull article about e-Books and Paper-Books, but as a anti e-Book advertisement. If someone has a good point, he does not need this kind of manipulative rhetoric. If I read something like that, I'm always a little bit offended. I do not want to be manipulated. And I don't see a starting point of a debate, if I could take every single statement and show how it is not a point at all or how it just is used in a bad way.

[Hampshire Nanny]

Originally Posted by BWinmill

In my case, it's more of a mix and it will probably always be a mix. I'm very price sensitive when it comes to books. It's probably a result of my upbringing: why buy new when you can buy used or (better yet) use community resources like libraries. Outside of indie authors and a smattering of ebooks offered by libraries, I have seen very little accommodation for those of us who are price sensitive.

It's a mix for me too -- for the same reason. Recently, I bought 4 books in Lauren Hardy's Lieutenant Bak series from Amazon because they were only $.99 each. Any more and I'd have just borrowed them from the library. This is a series that I will read, enjoy, and promptly forget. I don't expect to *ever* read them again. I also am very active in book swapping via BookCrossing.com, so there will always be paper books coming in and out of my house. This year I've read 82 books: 55 were paper books, 21 of them electronic, and 6 audio books. This 2-to-1 ratio of paper to electronic is just about right for me since my library does not offer eBook lending. I am, however, beginning to take advantage of Amazon's Kindle Lending Library. The down-side of this offering is that you're limited to only 1 book a calendar month. It's not a good deal for an avid reader. (And annoying when their Prime Video is "all you can eat")

[Tarana]

The poll also doesn't ask whether the person would be reading on their phone. I see many people reading novels on their Iphone. I think most smart phones have this capability.

I have no issue with folks who read paper. My sister, who I converted to ebooks, still reads in the tub when relaxing. Better to damage a $9 paperback than her ereader. Otherwise, except for cookbooks, she does ereader. My Mom used to read a lot of paperbacks, but I converted her to ereader this past winter with books she couldn't get any other way because they were out of print (couldn't get used) so that she could finish some series (example The 4400 series that finished off the TV series).

[mike_bike_kite]

Originally Posted by Alexander Turcic

The prospect of the bookshelf of the future -- just containing a slim tablet -- is truly depressing

I kind of agree with this. I love bookshops but pretty much do all my reading on ebooks these days. I do try to buy their coffee though.

Originally Posted by Catlady

For books I love, I want a hardcover copy

I do something similar but I'm more of a cheapskate. I tend to just look for them in 2nd hand bookshops and then usually for paperbacks

[usuallee]

I have to say, I went all e-book for awhile, or virtually so, but just in the past month or two I've drifted back towards print books a bit. It started when recently I was on vacation and while in a bookstore said "what the hell?" and bought a new hardcover. Since then I've become reaquainted with the charms of both browsing in bookstores as well as with a brand new physical book. A new book feels like an indulgence, a luxury. Since then I've bought a couple more.

Then there's used books which can often be had for far less than what an ebook costs, or free from the library (my library has ebooks too, but a poor selection, whereas with interlibrary loan, everything is available). I've also developed a taste for nonfiction, particularly history, and when there are a lot of maps and photos a real book is still the best option, as a 6" inch e-ink screen isn't really up to the task of displaying such material well, my phone screen is too small, and I don't own a tablet.

So yeah I guess some of the novelty of ebooks has worn off and I find that printed books still have a role to play. I agree with some of you guys that a mix of ebook and p-book may offer the best balance between price, convenience, and enjoyment.

[bookaho!ic]

i have to say 18 months ago i was very pro 'real' books then got my first ereader and now its ebook the whole way i have set authors i purchase all books for and any i have not got from their collection i am now getting on ebook and eventually i will purchase their back catalogue too

[Rizla]

Publishers' obvious savings in 'manufacturing' and 'distributing' e-books have not been passed on to readers. So why bother?

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Rizla

Publishers' obvious savings in 'manufacturing' and 'distributing' e-books have not been passed on to readers.

I really can't agree with that. I buy 3-4 ebooks a week, almost all from BPH's, and they are virtually all significantly cheaper than the paper equivalent. Typical price of a MMPB in the UK is £7.99; typical price I pay for an ebook is £3-5, and that's including VAT, which paper books don't have. There really is a significant saving with ebooks.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by HarryT

There really is a significant saving with ebooks.

In some locations. Not so much in others.

[GeoffR]

Originally Posted by Rizla

Publishers' obvious savings in 'manufacturing' and 'distributing' e-books have not been passed on to readers. So why bother?

I have to disagree too, I am buying backlist SF/Fantasy ebooks for (typically, in $NZ) $5 - $9 while the paper versions sell for $16.95 - $29.95 in local shops, and would cost $15 in postage alone if I had to buy them from overseas.

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by BWinmill

In my case, it's more of a mix and it will probably always be a mix. I'm very price sensitive when it comes to books. It's probably a result of my upbringing: why buy new when you can buy used or (better yet) use community resources like libraries. Outside of indie authors and a smattering of ebooks offered by libraries, I have seen very little accommodation for those of us who are price sensitive.

On top of that, ebooks are not very desirable for the occassional reader. If you read a couple of books a year, an ereader that costs as much as four of the latests best sellers does not look very desirable. Other than that, you are shoehorning those books onto devices that aren't designed for reading: phones with screens much smaller than the printed page, tablets that are bulky in comparison, or computers that force you to sit at a desk. None of these are great for reading on the patio. None of these devices are great for a day on the road. (People will make due, but books are just easier in this respect.)

Is it any wonder that ebooks are starting to stall, and will only see slow growth until the next technological hurdle is overcome?

.

True for most occasional readers, although I know of two people, one of whom read 3 books in 10 years she told me and the other who said he started a few books and never finished them who now finish at least one book a week and often more. They both buy books online directly to their readers, and the female has read The Game of Thrones series, the entire Sookie Stackhouse series, and numerous others in the last two years. Granted easy reading, but quite amazing for someone with 4 small children and a business to run (neither of which she neglects), who had only read 3 books in 10 years.

I think that growth will continue with this small segment of the population. It won't cause a decline in paper book sales, because these people rarely bought paper books. It is a new market almost. The people who enjoy reading when they do it but never have a book handy when they have the time, or don't like shopping or going to the library for books are possibly of a fairly significant number. If they make up 1% of the population, and 1% starts reading more on an ereader that is 1 in 1000. Not a big number percentage wise, but possibly more than 1/2 a million in developed countries alone. And the fact that I know at least 2 in a small town of under 450 seems to make this fairly likely.

Not that I care personally, as there are thousands of books in my local libraries that look interesting and I would like to read and many of my favorite author's works are available there or are for sale as ebooks.

Helen