No longer buying printed novels

[FizzyWater]

I first started reading on my PDA...it took a few years before I completely switched over. I moved 2 years ago and sold, donated, and gave away almost all of my multitudes of print books.

However, now? I don't think I could comfortably read print books anymore...without a magnifying glass. Adjustable fonts are a requirement for me these days.

[alysonhere]

I am practically the opposite! I have pretty much never bought an ebook. The idea of ownership is just so complicated with digital files. I will say that since I've subscribed to Oyster I have been reading way more ebooks. But I think my one off book purchases will largely remain print books. Who can say no to library used book sales (50 cents for a paperback book! drool)

[elemenoP]

Originally Posted by Salo Maa Neco

I travel fairly often and so an eBook reader is perfect because of the weight issue. But I have to have one paper book for those nasty 30-45 minutes during which passengers must shut off all their electronic devices.

Salo, that restriction was removed a few months ago (in the US at least). You can read freely from an eReader or phone or tablet during takeoff and landing.

eP

[DrNefario]

Originally Posted by Salo Maa Neco

I know $25 for a book is still better value than a movie ticket, but 2.99 is even better for an eBook

The value proposition is often the other way round when buying used, though.

I bought a good quality used hardback edition of Christopher Fowler's The Water Room at the weekend for £0.50. On Amazon UK right now, the ebook is £4.31.

A while ago I bought a terrible tattered copy of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale for £0.50, followed by a much nicer copy for £0.99 before I actually got around to reading it. Current ebook price £5.72.

The number of new physical books I buy is way way down - the only ones I can think of off-hand are either nice objects in their own right, or are not available electronically - but I might very well have bought more used paper books than I have bought ebooks so far this year.

[spindlegirl]

I buy physical copies of favorite books where I want to be able to keep a memento of it. Most e-books I buy or borrow from the library

[spindlegirl]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Space was never an issue for me. I went digital because ebooks are free.

Same here. I love a good freebie once in a while. I also occasionally will buy physical books from the library discard shelf.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by spindlegirl

Same here. I love a good freebie once in a while. I also occasionally will buy physical books from the library discard shelf.

Me too. I bought one the other day about different animals that was almost $30.00 brand new but which the library sold for.25 as it was in paperback.
Most books that I buy though are ebooks now days. My mom sometimes jokes that I could start my own branch of the library as I have so many old paperbacks (one shelf is two books deep). So I rarely buy paper any longer. There was one a while back that I wanted but which wasn't (and still isn't in ebook format) and I bought that from Amazon but usually just ebooks now.

[Waylander]

I still buy paper books, and will continue to buy them. I only keep the ones I really like, and all the rest go to the charity shop after a while, as I know i won't read them again. I do buy and read a lot of ebooks as well, but paper books are my favourite, and will wlays be so.

[ApK]

I recently bought this hardback.
It's the only paper novel I've bought in quite some time, and I don't see myself buying more in the future except for the occasional odd-ball like that one.

[Nothingness]

Like a few here, I had too many books and nowhere to put them anymore. I did cleanup up a few times and gave them on freecycle. When I got my Kobo two years ago I was finally able to get rid of most of my novels. I've kept the pretty editions I have, which is very few. I still buy reference books and mangas.

[Justy]

I started reading ebooks on my PDA back in the late '90s. When my very overloaded bookshelves collapsed and the books were moved to storage I switched to ebooks almost exclusively. I still by paper books for my son as he like the bright coloured pictures and I prefer eInk readers, but I haven't purchased a paper book for myself in many many years. I also love BIG books like Diana Gabaldon writes, those get heavy to hold in paper form after a while, but are pretty light in my Sony Reader.

[Barty]

In last three years, I've only bought fiction pbooks as present for people who still read paper.

[Indio777]

Originally Posted by Apache

My wife whole heartedly embraced my buying ebooks. She did not like living in a library. I turned one large walk-in closet into a library. I have bookshelves in my office. Our bedroom has bookshelves and one of the closets in the guest room has book shelves. And just like Harry, they were all double stacked.
Apache

Sounds rather familiar. Shelves line almost all the walls in my living room. Most of the other free space has shelves for DVDs. Two of the three walls in the walk-in closet in my bedroom have bookcases. There is one in my small office/"sunroom."

About a year ago I culled about 10 boxes of books (which for me was rather extreme) and replaced a lot of the bookcases in my living room with ones that allowed more shelves to be added for more "efficient" storage.

Guess what? A lot of double stacking again. "Effficient" storage turned out to mean room for new books.

But I am sure that space would never be a problem ever again if I could just have one more small bedroom

[voracious71]

I have paper copies of books that meant a lot to me, or that I think will have high re-read value for me.

I read too much dystopian fiction to want to get rid of paper books completely.

[Fluribus]

I still love the tactile feel of paper books, except when a stack of them falls on me. Ebooks can still be lacking in formatting, but I haven't yet had a Kindle cause me physical pain.