eBook sales are down 17%

[ottdmk]

I just can't afford to buy books these days. I make some exceptions for fantastic value, like Humble Bundles, but mostly I just read from my library's Overdrive collection.

I wish I had a lot more free cash. Most of the books I'm interested in the ebook price is competitive to paper. I'd love to convert a massive chunk of my pbook library to ebook.

[DiapDealer]

Reading "distractions" on tablets are entirely self-inflicted wounds. When I sit down to read for a few hours, I read distraction-free for a few hours. Did so with print, did so with eink, and now do so on a tablet. People who are easily distracted will be easily distracted. That's all there is to it. I get a kick out of how so many people believe that tablets are jangling, binging, flashing bags of shiny toys that people couldn't possibly use to read distraction-free.

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by Dutchbook

... they prefer physical over digital because of the feeling, the smell, the appearance of the printing, etc...

Actually, it's the lack of smell which keeps me firmly in the ebook camp Most of my old pbook fiction was bought second-hand from charity shops. As a rabid anti-smoker, I have a nose that could rival a bloodhound in detecting cigarette smoke and there's nothing worse than discovering someone else's dinner stuck to the page.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

Actually, it's the lack of smell which keeps me firmly in the ebook camp Most of my old pbook fiction was bought second-hand from charity shops. As a rabid anti-smoker, I have a nose that could rival a bloodhound in detecting cigarette smoke and there's nothing worse than discovering someone else's dinner stuck to the page.

I picked up some used books one weekend, two different stores.
One obviously had a smoker unloading the truck. Because it was fresh smoke smell on some of the books. The other set smelled like they had been bathed in about 3 or 4 different perfumes. I really wasn't sure which was worse.

[4691mls]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Reading "distractions" on tablets are entirely self-inflicted wounds. When I sit down to read for a few hours, I read distraction-free for a few hours. Did so with print, did so with eink, and now do so on a tablet. People who are easily distracted will be easily distracted. That's all there is to it. I get a kick out of how so many people believe that tablets are jangling, binging, flashing bags of shiny toys that people couldn't possibly use to read distraction-free.

I wonder if people who say they need to read paper books to avoid the distraction of a tablet or phone actually turn off those devices while reading their paper book. If not, the distraction would still be there.

As for screen fatigue, I find my eink reader very different from the screen on my phone or PC. Eink is actually a break from those screens (for me, anyway - I suppose this is one of those YMMV things).

I agree with Jackie that the lack of smell is a big advantage to reading on an electronic device. No ashtray scent is a good thing!

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by 4691mls

I wonder if people who say they need to read paper books to avoid the distraction of a tablet or phone actually turn off those devices while reading their paper book. If not, the distraction would still be there.

I think many people tend to believe that merely having such immediate access to the web, or email, or other social media apps tends to be an overwhelming distraction. As if knowing that one could be browsing the internet with a couple of flicks of the finger would be distracting in and of itself. I suppose it's possible that it may work that way for some people, but it certainly doesn't for me. If my mind drifts to wondering if anyone has posted a response to my forum question while I'm reading a book, then that book is obviously not interesting enough to hold my full attention. It's the book that determines how easily I'm distracted from it, not the device I'm reading it on. *shrug*

Originally Posted by 4691mls

I agree with Jackie that the lack of smell is a big advantage to reading on an electronic device. No ashtray scent is a good thing!

Forget smoke; I've never felt much nostalgia for the smell of musty, decaying paper.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Dutchbook

Yet how many people read those?

Well, according to the lines for popular books at Overdrive, quite a lot.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I think many people tend to believe that merely having such immediate access to the web, or email, or other social media apps tends to be an overwhelming distraction. As if knowing that one could be browsing the internet with a couple of flicks of the finger would be distracting in and of itself. I suppose it's possible that it may work that way for some people, but it certainly doesn't for me. If my mind drifts to wondering if anyone has posted a response to my forum question while I'm reading a book, then that book is obviously not interesting enough to hold my full attention. It's the book that determines how easily I'm distracted from it, not the device I'm reading it on. *shrug*


Forget smoke; I've never felt much nostalgia for the smell of musty, decaying paper.

It may be these people have notifications turned on for everything and they feel they must look immediately.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

It may be these people have notifications turned on for everything and they feel they must look immediately.

As I said, then: self-inflicted wounds. Why would anyone who didn't want to be distracted while reading be reading with a bunch of notifications turned on?

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by 4691mls

I wonder if people who say they need to read paper books to avoid the distraction of a tablet or phone actually turn off those devices while reading their paper book. If not, the distraction would still be there.

It's likely that as they read on their phones the notifications are popping over what they are reading. Or that they at least see they have a new email in their notifications bar. I don't discount the distractions. It's like trying to read while a TV is on.

That's one of the benefits to a dedicated e-reader for me.

[Apache]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Reading "distractions" on tablets are entirely self-inflicted wounds. When I sit down to read for a few hours, I read distraction-free for a few hours. Did so with print, did so with eink, and now do so on a tablet. People who are easily distracted will be easily distracted. That's all there is to it. I get a kick out of how so many people believe that tablets are jangling, binging, flashing bags of shiny toys that people couldn't possibly use to read distraction-free.

This.
Apache

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Kindle Unlimited, Overdrive, Freading, Hoopla, Project Gutenberg, Mobileread

All sources of eBooks that don't get counted (I think). And probably more.

The thing to remember is that none of the sources of eBooks actually gets counted for this sort of estimate. Actual sales figures for eBooks is proprietary information and rarely released, so all this is made up numbers. Someone gives a ball part estimate based on various indicators.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Smashwords, anyone not associated with the big 5.

Interesting side note: that is the exact same percentage they gave either last year or the year before.
Me thinks they are pulling the number out of the Jolly Green Giant's hat.

It's an estimated number. 17, since it's an odd number, sounds more precise than 20 or 15.

[Deskisamess]

Originally Posted by Connallmac

Screen fatigue is one of the reasons I've largely gone back to paper books. After I finish work and staring at a computer screen all day, it's nice to pick up some paper and get reading. I've also stopped picking up a tablet or ereader first thing in the morning, reaching for a printed book instead.

I feel as though it's helped me focus better on what's in front of me, rather than diving down the rabbit hole of information that is the web. I've read far more books in the last year and more of paper books than I did the previous three years electronically.

That is why using an e-ink device can be a better solution. They aren’t back lit, they don’t offer sings and bells of email and messages, and their screens are very similar to paper.

My first Kindle back in 2009 gave reading back to me. I can’t easily read paperbacks, and hard backs are heavy and expensive, and not that much easier to read as far as the font sizes etc. for me. I went from reading maybe one book a month to reading 6-10 per month. And it is wonderful.

Editing to add...as far as distractions from notifications, I know many tablet users who don’t pay attention to the Settings on the devices. Every time you install an app, it wants permission to use notifications. If I allowed all of my apps to do that, my iPhone would be dinging all the time. I’ve always been one to drill down into menus looking at all the options and tweaks. Many folks don’t.

Not to mention users who have their volume set at LOUD, regardless of where they are. At the doctor, church, hospital, grocery store...big fan of MUTE here.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Reading "distractions" on tablets are entirely self-inflicted wounds. When I sit down to read for a few hours, I read distraction-free for a few hours. Did so with print, did so with eink, and now do so on a tablet. People who are easily distracted will be easily distracted. That's all there is to it. I get a kick out of how so many people believe that tablets are jangling, binging, flashing bags of shiny toys that people couldn't possibly use to read distraction-free.

Preach on, brother, preach on!

To add in your other point, I frequently read with a ball game on the TV. It's not unusual for me to look up and think "4-1 in the 8th? But it was just a 0-0 tie in the 2nd!" When I read and it's a good book, I'm not very easily distracted. Same for movies. I rate movies by the number of times I look at my watch. I call it the Walker rule.