Hello from Norway

[teamug]

Hello all,

I am an e-reader fan from Norway. I'm one of those people who will probably end up with 10+ devices eventually, since e-readers combine my love for electronic gadgets and books. I must admit I have an interest in trying nearly any reader, old or new, simply for curiosity.


I actually didn't get my first e-reader until 2020. That was a Kindle Paperwhite (2018 version) and while it's a good reader in many ways, it made me realize that my one non-negotiable is physical buttons for page turning. My current workhorse is a Moaan Mix7, a beautiful metallic green reader that looks a lot like the Kindle Oasis and is made by the same company as the InkPalm 5, which I also use.

E-readers are not very popular or well known where I live, and all the people who have seen one of mine had never seen one before. I currently study to be a librarian, and even my bookish classmates had never seen them before! Most people here seem to think ebooks are something you read on your phone and nothing else, which they have no interest in, so the paper book reigns supreme. Needless to say, I feel a little lonely in my interest. Reading this forum has given me lots of great information already, so I figured it was time to register an account.

This has been my novel, thank you for reading it

[Sirtel]

Hello and welcome to MobileRead!

It seems we have lots in common. Physical page-turn buttons are also a must-have for me. And as to the popularity of ereaders and ebooks, it's exactly the same in Estonia. I've had an eink reader since 2011; I'm the only one I know who has such a device and prefers ebooks to paper. Without MobileRead I would feel very lonely indeed.

[teamug]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Hello and welcome to MobileRead!

It seems we have lots in common. Physical page-turn buttons are also a must-have for me. And as to the popularity of ereaders and ebooks, it's exactly the same in Estonia. I've had an eink reader since 2011; I'm the only one I know who has such a device and prefers ebooks to paper. Without MobileRead I would feel very lonely indeed.

Interesting! I wonder how the situation is in other European countries (that don't have a local Amazon branch).

Here, ebooks are subject to the same regulatory laws as print books, that protect the Norwegian book market, but are very unfriendly to consumers. Almost all ebooks cost the equivalent of 20-40 US dollars. I think long and hard when considering to buy a Norwegian ebook, and sadly I mostly completely neglect reading in Norwegian and read cheaper books in English instead. And sometimes when I need a Norwegian academic book or text book there is simply no ebook version at all!

How are ebooks priced in Estonia? I suspect the outrageous prices here (for that price people want a physical object) is one of many factors that keep people from making the switch.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by teamug

Interesting! I wonder how the situation is in other European countries (that don't have a local Amazon branch).

Here, ebooks are subject to the same regulatory laws as print books, that protect the Norwegian book market, but are very unfriendly to consumers. Almost all ebooks cost the equivalent of 20-40 US dollars. I think long and hard when considering to buy a Norwegian ebook, and sadly I mostly completely neglect reading in Norwegian and read cheaper books in English instead. And sometimes when I need a Norwegian academic book or text book there is simply no ebook version at all!

How are ebooks priced in Estonia? I suspect the outrageous prices here (for that price people want a physical object) is one of many factors that keep people from making the switch.

The situation is exactly the same here. The ebook prices vary, but overall they're not particularly cheaper than paper and new releases often cost about the same as in Norway (but wages and pensions are considerably smaller, I think). I also prefer to read in English for that reason. And the issues with availablity are also similar. Pretty often there isn't an ebook version at all, even for fiction books. Ebooks just aren't popular here. Plus many people read library books instead of buying, as books in general are almost luxury items here pricewise.

[teamug]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

The situation is exactly the same here. The ebook prices vary, but overall they're not particularly cheaper than paper and new releases often cost about the same as in Norway (but wages and pensions are considerably smaller, I think). I also prefer to read in English for that reason. And the issues with availablity are also similar. Pretty often there isn't an ebook version at all, even for fiction books. Ebooks just aren't popular here. Plus many people read library books instead of buying, as books in general are almost luxury items here pricewise.

I see. I know books are expensive in many European countries (often due to various regulations), but I'm a little surprised that they are as expensive in Estonia. I would have imagined the prices could be relatively as expensive, wages taken into consideration, but not that the price point would be that similar. Although many people make a lot of money here no doubt, I think most avid readers here use the library too, and for many people new hardcovers are more of a typical Christmas present.

I'm glad my English level is high enough to enjoy all the books I want in English!

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by teamug

I see. I know books are expensive in many European countries (often due to various regulations), but I'm a little surprised that they are as expensive in Estonia. I would have imagined the prices could be relatively as expensive, wages taken into consideration, but not that the price point would be that similar. Although many people make a lot of money here no doubt, I think most avid readers here use the library too, and for many people new hardcovers are more of a typical Christmas present.

I'm glad my English level is high enough to enjoy all the books I want in English!

Tiny market is the reason for high prices, I guess. There are less than a million people reading in Estonian.

Yeah, I'm glad too that I decided to learn to read fluently in English way back after high school. It was pretty hard going at first, but the rewards were obvious - I got to read all the SF and fantasy not available in Estonian then. Even the Lord of the Rings was translated years later (it was a forbidden book in the Soviet Union).

[Dr. Drib]

A beautiful exchange vis-à-vis literacy, ebooks, books, and availability issues.

Welcome, teamug, to Mobileread. Here's hoping you will no longer feel lonely.

[teamug]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Tiny market is the reason for high prices, I guess. There are less than a million people reading in Estonian.

Yeah, I'm glad too that I decided to learn to read fluently in English way back after high school. It was pretty hard going at first, but the rewards were obvious - I got to read all the SF and fantasy not available in Estonian then. Even the Lord of the Rings was translated years later (it was a forbidden book in the Soviet Union).

Sci-fi and fantasy are dead here, haha. There are some releases for kids. The only adult books that get translated are HUGELY popular ones like GoT.

In Scandinavia, either you read literary fiction or you read gritty crime, nothing else! (exaggerated yet kind of true).

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

A beautiful exchange vis-à-vis literacy, ebooks, books, and availability issues.

Welcome, teamug, to Mobileread. Here's hoping you will no longer feel lonely.

Thank you so much!