Paper books still have an advantage

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Sorry, no. Nothing is always real.

If you want to get into philosophy, one could argue that nothing is real at all

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

If you want to get into philosophy, one could argue that nothing is real at all

That's what I often tend to think, yes.

[arjaybe]

Originally Posted by shalym

Exactly. If someone sees me reading on my device and tells me how much they prefer "real" books, I just smile and tell them that I do, as well. The book is the content, not the container, in my world.

Shari

There's another advantage of paper books. People might feel less free to interrupt your reading than they do if you're using an ereader.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Yes. I've met enough people who say "I like to read REAL books". They may not consciously feel superior, but the fact they use the word "real" speaks pretty loudly.

I've even seen people using the phrase "real books" (meaning paper) among the MR members.

I have as well. I don't get why people feel books are only real when they are on paper. eBooks and Book are just a different container.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Asawi

Oh, I hear people saying they read "real books", but often they use that term because they don't have a better one. They don't do it because they think it's "superior", but because they haven't tried any alternative besides audiobooks. Maybe they've tried reading on their cell phone, and if that would be the only alternative to paperbooks I can totally understand why they prefer "real books". I probably would too! As soon as they understand how a dedicated eReader works they tend to realize that it's pretty much the same thing as reading a "real book" and that's it. We can then move on to arguing/discussing about what genres or authors are "worthy" of our attention...

I think those that use the term "real books" do so because they feel that digital is not real.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

Seeing as eBooks or audiobooks are often used for accessibility, I can also see a touch of ableism in it.

This was in a cozy mystery I read and it almost made me hurl my reader into a wall:

I'd have stopped reading that book and reviewed it as poorly as possible.

[issybird]

Frankly, I think more issues arise because people insist on conflating real books and digital books than because they differentiate between them (and use a word that causes some to get all butt hurt). It's part of the same package that says that ebooks should be cheaper than paperbooks because the costs associated with them are lower.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Sorry, no. Nothing is always real.

Strawberry Fields Forever...

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by issybird

It's part of the same package that says that ebooks should be cheaper than paperbooks because the costs associated with them are lower.

At low to medium volumes there is no difference for big publishers due setup overheads and marketing. Actually setup overheads might be higher for ebooks than paper for some deranged publishers.

Also prices are not based on cost but what the market will bear. Hence margins in general vary from 1% to 95% for items that are not sold below cost or at cost as part of a bigger marketing plan.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Asawi

I have yet to meet (IRL or online) anyone acting "superior" because they read paper books vs ebooks.

There's plenty of articles out there that are exactly this:

• Bold Prediction: Why e-books will never replace real books
• Why Ebooks Will Never Replace Physical Books
• Turn that e-reader off, and pick up a real book

They are almost always worded the same way (physical books have notes from grandma, a certain smell, you can see how far into the book you are, etc.). They likely stem more from a reporter having a deadline than any actual preference.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Also prices are not based on cost but what the market will bear. Hence margins in general vary from 1% to 95% for items that are not sold below cost or at cost as part of a bigger marketing plan.

That was my point?

[Quoth]

A big advantage of paper over ebooks is layout size and shape/aspect ratio.
Also cut-outs and folding.
Serious folding maps like UK Ordinance Survey for hiking.

The ebook beats paper for ordinary fiction.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Calenorn

One great thing ereaders have done for me is open the door to thousands of books that are out of print in paper, but available in public domain as ebooks. It's like finding a hidden library floor that I never knew existed!

Not so much public domain (though I do love those) but I appreciate old, OOP genre books being readily available again as ebooks. No need to haunt used book stores or eBay. And now the author gets another chance to make a few bucks off their old work. It's a win/win.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by issybird

That was my point?

Yes. I assumed it was. I spelled it out for the Hard of Reading.

[issybird]

So long as I'm soapboxing, it seems to me that any honest person will acknowledge that each format has relative advantages. So it's not a moral issue, it's just where you fall on the divide.