Why e-books? - Page 18

barryem · 03-30-2016, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Your limited lifetime makes no sense.

I was referring to the lifetime of a book from the publisher's point of view. They publish a book and in most cases by this time next year it's been forgotten and is out of print.

Barry

JSWolf · 03-30-2016, 05:11 PM

Apple and the price fix 5 took out some very good eBook shops and got away with it. For that, they should be made to never be allowed to go agency.

fjtorres · 03-30-2016, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Apple and the price fix 5 took out some very good eBook shops and got away with it. For that, they should be made to never be allowed to go agency.

Apple or the publishers?
Letting Apple be the only retailer that can discount is no punishment.

However, at this point giving the publishers exactly what they wanted is the best punishment; if they want to sell at competitive prices, the discount comes out of their pocket, not the retailers.

2016 isn't 2010.

We'll have to wait and see how that lawsuit ends to see what damages the court assesses. And whether Sony and others, ahem, follow suit.

readerlover · 03-30-2016, 10:26 PM

I started reading ebooks b/c I just liked the ability to carry a bunch of books in the palm of my hand and also the fact that I can borrow library books from the comfort of home and not have to worry about having my dad drive me up to the library and no late fees! I'm currently reading the Emily series by Lucy Maud Montgomery (author of the Anne of Green Gables series) with no bulk whatsoever!

Sydney's Mom · 03-31-2016, 02:45 PM

I switched to ebooks when I lugged 10 library paperback books in my suitcase for a 2 week vacation. Also, my husband goes to bed earlier than I (earlier than a lot of 5th graders, as my daughter says) and I can read in bed without moving around to get the light right or otherwise disturbing him. The new blue shade is awesome!

Apache · 03-31-2016, 02:56 PM

I used to travel in the Eighties and was in a different location almost every day. I would frequent lots of bookstores during my free time. By the time I had been out six to eight weeks every piece of luggage I owned was full of books and bulging. If I was out more than eight weeks I would get a box and ship my books home.
Apache

MrRoper · 04-01-2016, 09:49 PM

I like being able to have a nice selection of reading material without having to carry around a bunch of books and magazines.

Ksquared · 04-01-2016, 10:41 PM

The first time I saw an e-reader was a Kindle that my brother bought for my Mom due to her failing vision. I love gadgets, and thought it was cool, but didn't think I would like reading without a real book. Then when Borders was going out of business they were discounting KOBO Wifis - I figured it was cheap and would be nice to carry when I was traveling.

Once I started using it and figured out that I could download books from the library - WOW! I quickly learned to like e-reading better than paper books.
Last summer I upgraded to a Kobo Aura, I love the touch and the front light. I am reading more than ever, and read in bed every night. I rarely have a paper book anymore and would never travel with one. However, I do stick with paper for computer programming books etc. - things where you don't read sequentially, and frequently look back and forth.
I am also a newspaper reader - my local paper does not deliver every day anymore, only Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I have to read the paper on the computer on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. I still prefer paper here. If I could get an acceptable newspaper format on the Kobo, that would be great.

shanghaichica · 04-04-2016, 04:37 AM

The main reason was storage space. I have two book cases full of books and several crates in storage. It got to a point where I was piling them up on the floor. Being able to have thousands of books that don't take up any physical storage is a bonus.

I can buy 10 ebooks in one go and not feel guilty/ worry about storing them or how I'm going to carry them home.

Another was the ability to carry around thousands of books with me at any time. If I were reading physical books, on my daily commute I'd only be able to carry one book with me at any time. On holiday I'd only take 2-3 max. Now I can carry my whole library with me an dip into any book at any time.

ebooks are more customisable. I can change the font size, the font, the line spacing etc to a style that suits me. With a physical book you are stuck with how it was printed.

ebooks are easier to cross reference as they can easily be searched. If I'm reading a book and I need to go back and check something earlier on its easy to simply search the book with an appropriate phase. For example a character in the book I am reading needs 80 million yen to buy a house. At a later part in the book he is given 200,000 yen. The Yen is a foreign currency to me and I couldn't remember how much he needed for the house. I was able to quickly go back and find this information.

They have built in dictionaries for any words I want to check up.

Luffy · 10-07-2016, 06:13 AM

I have been trying to persuade my mother to read books. She is disenchanted with soap operas, which is encouraging. But she doesn't believe she'd enjoy books. Her free time is spent watching TV of the type that none of us can enjoy. Yet she still doesn't want to take the first step to that final plunge.

Alpha o · 10-07-2016, 09:52 AM

I've always been a reader, and have run out of space for books.

The other half got bored on a cruise and finally asked me to find him a book since I'd found the ship's library. I got him one of Tony Hillerman's mysteries as we like to cruise around the same area. Got him hooked.

He ran out of Ben Bova so I gave him sites to find other Sci-Fi. He liked Amazon, so I gave him the old Kindle I was using for recipes after I cleaned the flour off. It is an old one bought used. He's enjoying it. He's reading far more than he ever did.

*I did buy him a new Kindle, but it will sit in the box until the old one craps out or Amazon refuses to deal with it.

HarryT · 10-07-2016, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Luffy

I have been trying to persuade my mother to read books. She is disenchanted with soap operas, which is encouraging. But she doesn't believe she'd enjoy books. Her free time is spent watching TV of the type that none of us can enjoy. Yet she still doesn't want to take the first step to that final plunge.

I wouldn't even try to persuade someone who doesn't enjoy reading. I wouldn't want someone nagging me to watch soap operas when I get no enjoyment at all from them. We all have different tastes.

Apache · 10-07-2016, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

I wouldn't even try to persuade someone who doesn't enjoy reading. I wouldn't want someone nagging me to watch soap operas when I get no enjoyment at all from them. We all have different tastes.

This. I am a readaholic, but I know others do not and would never try to coerce them into reading.
Apache

TheHazardsDuke · 10-07-2016, 07:17 PM

I switched to ebooks for several reasons. One was that I could customize my reading xp. Too often I would find with print that I didn't like the font used, the margins or the text size. Second was the convenience. Having hundreds, even thousands, of books on one device instead of a forest worth of bookshelves, or crating huge bags to take books on holiday, was a no brainer. Third was price. They were much cheaper. This isn't so much of a selling point now the big publishers have sabotaged themselves with ebook price increases but at least I still have the ease of purchasing from home rather than having to make the long and expensive journey to the only bookstore in my area.

spindlegirl · 10-07-2016, 07:52 PM

I'm getting older and am downsizing my physical stuff gradually. Books are among them. I'm losing my sentimentality for the paper kind, and am getting down to a precious few. By the time we're done, people who judge others by "how full of books their home is" will determine at first sight, that we don't read much! But I have 500 books on my devices, and love the freedom.

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03-30-2016, 05:11 PM	#257
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,750 Karma: 145864619 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	Apple and the price fix 5 took out some very good eBook shops and got away with it. For that, they should be made to never be allowed to go agency.

03-30-2016, 10:26 PM	#259
readerlover Connoisseur Posts: 73 Karma: 1243984 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Illinois, USA Device: Sony PRS-300	I started reading ebooks b/c I just liked the ability to carry a bunch of books in the palm of my hand and also the fact that I can borrow library books from the comfort of home and not have to worry about having my dad drive me up to the library and no late fees! I'm currently reading the Emily series by Lucy Maud Montgomery (author of the Anne of Green Gables series) with no bulk whatsoever!

03-31-2016, 02:45 PM	#260
Sydney's Mom Wizard Posts: 2,899 Karma: 6995721 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Idaho, on the side of a mountain Device: Kindle Oasis, Fire 3d Gen and 5th Gen and Samsung Tab S	I switched to ebooks when I lugged 10 library paperback books in my suitcase for a 2 week vacation. Also, my husband goes to bed earlier than I (earlier than a lot of 5th graders, as my daughter says) and I can read in bed without moving around to get the light right or otherwise disturbing him. The new blue shade is awesome!

03-31-2016, 02:56 PM	#261
Apache Readaholic Posts: 5,277 Karma: 90000484 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: South Georgia Device: Surface Pro 6 / Galaxy Tab A 8"	I used to travel in the Eighties and was in a different location almost every day. I would frequent lots of bookstores during my free time. By the time I had been out six to eight weeks every piece of luggage I owned was full of books and bulging. If I was out more than eight weeks I would get a box and ship my books home. Apache

04-01-2016, 09:49 PM	#262
MrRoper Member Posts: 12 Karma: 10 Join Date: Apr 2016 Device: Kobo Touch N905b	I like being able to have a nice selection of reading material without having to carry around a bunch of books and magazines.

04-01-2016, 10:41 PM	#263
Ksquared Groupie Posts: 181 Karma: 2635236 Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Cleveland, Ohio USA Device: Original Kobo Aura 6", Libra H2O	The first time I saw an e-reader was a Kindle that my brother bought for my Mom due to her failing vision. I love gadgets, and thought it was cool, but didn't think I would like reading without a real book. Then when Borders was going out of business they were discounting KOBO Wifis - I figured it was cheap and would be nice to carry when I was traveling. Once I started using it and figured out that I could download books from the library - WOW! I quickly learned to like e-reading better than paper books. Last summer I upgraded to a Kobo Aura, I love the touch and the front light. I am reading more than ever, and read in bed every night. I rarely have a paper book anymore and would never travel with one. However, I do stick with paper for computer programming books etc. - things where you don't read sequentially, and frequently look back and forth. I am also a newspaper reader - my local paper does not deliver every day anymore, only Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I have to read the paper on the computer on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. I still prefer paper here. If I could get an acceptable newspaper format on the Kobo, that would be great.

04-04-2016, 04:37 AM	#264
shanghaichica Guru Posts: 991 Karma: 5782970 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Scribe,Kindle Oasis 3, iPad Pro 11,15 Pro Max,iPad mini 7,colorsoft	The main reason was storage space. I have two book cases full of books and several crates in storage. It got to a point where I was piling them up on the floor. Being able to have thousands of books that don't take up any physical storage is a bonus. I can buy 10 ebooks in one go and not feel guilty/ worry about storing them or how I'm going to carry them home. Another was the ability to carry around thousands of books with me at any time. If I were reading physical books, on my daily commute I'd only be able to carry one book with me at any time. On holiday I'd only take 2-3 max. Now I can carry my whole library with me an dip into any book at any time. ebooks are more customisable. I can change the font size, the font, the line spacing etc to a style that suits me. With a physical book you are stuck with how it was printed. ebooks are easier to cross reference as they can easily be searched. If I'm reading a book and I need to go back and check something earlier on its easy to simply search the book with an appropriate phase. For example a character in the book I am reading needs 80 million yen to buy a house. At a later part in the book he is given 200,000 yen. The Yen is a foreign currency to me and I couldn't remember how much he needed for the house. I was able to quickly go back and find this information. They have built in dictionaries for any words I want to check up.

10-07-2016, 06:13 AM	#265
Luffy Wizard Posts: 4,464 Karma: 429063498 Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Mauritius Device: Kindle Paperwhite 4	I have been trying to persuade my mother to read books. She is disenchanted with soap operas, which is encouraging. But she doesn't believe she'd enjoy books. Her free time is spent watching TV of the type that none of us can enjoy. Yet she still doesn't want to take the first step to that final plunge.

10-07-2016, 09:52 AM	#266
Alpha o Addict Posts: 282 Karma: 2603524 Join Date: Jan 2015 Device: Onyx Boox Darwin, inkBOOK Obsidian	I've always been a reader, and have run out of space for books. The other half got bored on a cruise and finally asked me to find him a book since I'd found the ship's library. I got him one of Tony Hillerman's mysteries as we like to cruise around the same area. Got him hooked. He ran out of Ben Bova so I gave him sites to find other Sci-Fi. He liked Amazon, so I gave him the old Kindle I was using for recipes after I cleaned the flour off. It is an old one bought used. He's enjoying it. He's reading far more than he ever did. *I did buy him a new Kindle, but it will sit in the box until the old one craps out or Amazon refuses to deal with it.

10-07-2016, 07:17 PM	#269
TheHazardsDuke Connoisseur Posts: 51 Karma: 2059996 Join Date: Aug 2016 Device: Kobo Touch	I switched to ebooks for several reasons. One was that I could customize my reading xp. Too often I would find with print that I didn't like the font used, the margins or the text size. Second was the convenience. Having hundreds, even thousands, of books on one device instead of a forest worth of bookshelves, or crating huge bags to take books on holiday, was a no brainer. Third was price. They were much cheaper. This isn't so much of a selling point now the big publishers have sabotaged themselves with ebook price increases but at least I still have the ease of purchasing from home rather than having to make the long and expensive journey to the only bookstore in my area.

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10-07-2016, 07:52 PM	#270
spindlegirl Wizard Posts: 1,594 Karma: 21245891 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Libra h20, Paperwhite 2017, Phone & Tablet w Moonreader	I'm getting older and am downsizing my physical stuff gradually. Books are among them. I'm losing my sentimentality for the paper kind, and am getting down to a precious few. By the time we're done, people who judge others by "how full of books their home is" will determine at first sight, that we don't read much! But I have 500 books on my devices, and love the freedom.