Mid-Series pB vs eB Dilemma

[unboggling]

So. I've gotten over the newness of my first eBook device. I've grown past grabbing all the free books that I'll never read just because they were free. I've cleaned up what I kept, standardized my tags and methods, developed a comfortable workflow. My reading habits after fluctuating wildly have settled back to something like what they used to be. Now it's back to buying books. With a preference toward eBooks over pBooks.

But there's an awful dilemma. I have 2200 pBooks. Many of them members of series. Many of the series are open (meaning the author still writes additional series members and hasn't had the courtesy to die or otherwise kill the series) so when a new book comes out for that series, what should I buy, pBook or eBook. For example, Carrie Vaughn, the Kitty Norville werewolf series, I have 8 pBooks. Should I buy the 9th as pBook - to stay consistent in that series - or eBook, because now I'm a liberated gadgethead and pBooks kill trees and Vaughn may write 27 more novels in that series.

Imagine it's 5 years later. I'm standing in front of my pBookshelves looking for something to read. I see the Kitty series and say hmmm, I haven't read those in awhile. I see 8 and I vaguely recall I might have some Kitty eBooks, better fire up the computer and check. Do you see how awkward this is, to switch from pBook horse to eBook horse during a multiBook-series gallup?

As a collector, I like having an entire series before bothering to reread it. Sometimes I even wait till the author dies so I'm sure there won't be an additional book in the series that ruins my beautiful series-reading plan, and it would be nice to have them all in a consistent media such as eBook, pBook, or audioBook (not that I do much of the latter), and not a mix of media. While as an avid reader and fan I want to read the new books right away.

So what should I buy, the pBook or the eBook? In making this choice, remember that many of the older books of a series are not available as eBooks and may never be.

How do you experienced eBookers handle this terrible potential-collection-wrecking mid-series media-choosing stark do-or-die lose-either-way choice? Has it ruined anybody else's life or am I (poor me) the only one?

[Anthem]

Originally Posted by unboggling

How do you experienced eBookers handle this terrible potential-collection-wrecking mid-series media-choosing stark do-or-die lose-either-way choice? Has it ruined anybody else's life or am I (poor me) the only one?

You are most certainly and quite obviously (buoyantly even!) the only one! Even more so! (Really, I have no idea but I do enjoy a good taunt)

I understand your dilemma. Preserving a sense of continuity in the format of the container of the book is big for some of us. I started purchasing a new-ish series as trade paperbacks but purchased the hardcover when the most recent title in the series came out and then seriously considered going back and purchasing the hardcover editions of ALL of the previous books in the series which I already owned in trade paperback! Sheesh! Only my lack of money and my Wife's insistence that "You'll be fine." stopped me from doing my worst.

So: I totally get you.

On the other hoof, I have mindlessly mixed and matched the Thursday Next series of books. I have books 1-3 in e-book format, book 4 as a trade paperback and book 5 as a hardcover. If Jasper Fforde can somehow convince the publisher to make book 6 on a Scroll I will (apparently!) purchase that in order to make the mixed collection as unwieldy and incoherent as is possible to both human and penguin kind.

In the earlier case I was almost obsessive over the format matching. In this latter case I don't seem to care. Why has this happened? I have no idea! Does not knowing the motivations of my psyche bother me? Let's just say I really try to not think about it.

This is a super long way to say that I have no idea how to help you because I am a wreck and have no idea how to help myself!

But perhaps we may suffer together and await further answers from those who are less stricken than we wretches.

[CWatkinsNash]

I have Anne Rice's Vampire/Mayfair Witches combined series. I think there's 15 total books. They are a mixture of MMPB, standard hardcover, book-club hardcover, and small-format library binding. It drives me nuts, especially since my OCD requires that they be shelved in order, making the differences very apparent on the shelf. What's even worse is I want to read them all in order, including the 8 that I've already read once, but I would prefer to do so in ebook format. I don't even think they are all available yet, and I certainly can't afford to buy them all again even if they were. I know if I get just some of them in ebook format, I won't be happy switching back and forth.

I understand your pain.

[wvcherrybomb]

This is a dilemma that I am facing myself.

One of the series that I collect are available in ebook, so I am going to buy all future ones in ebook and gradually buy the ones I own in pbook on ebook also.

With another series, some are not available on ebook and, just like you, I am having trouble deciding what to do. I have thought about buying both, but if the earlier ones never come out on ebook it will drive me nuts to not have a complete collection on that media.

The one option I have considered it making my own ebooks from the earlier editions.

[Ravensknight]

that is what the darknet is for. If you already own them in dtb form, download them in eform to make your elibrary nice and spiffy

[ATDrake]

The series I read mostly aren't available in e-book.

But the few which I really love enough to buy for myself, I've been picking up the e-books if they exist when I can catch them at a good low price (generally $3-5 after discount) and still buying a paper version to support the author/local used bookstore, depending on what's still in print.

For the record, I have no problems with the transition between paper and e-reader and do it quite often, but other posters have noted that their mileage varies. And I'll read "my" books in whatever format's available to me at the price I'm willing to pay (which includes free from the library if the writing quality has been deteriorating).

I say if you're not reading some of them right now and not collecting in a time-limited format like hardcover, let those lapse until you start or there's some sort of sale which seriously drops the price. Otherwise you can always go pick up the paperbacks/e-books at your leisure.

For the series you read currently, it's up to you whether you think you'll prefer e- or paper versions. If you get sick of them, you can always sell or donate the paper books.

On the other hand, e-books take less space and may be cheaper and you can keep them around for "I can't believe I used to like this!" value for years without cluttering up your place or worse, going on a mistakenly nostalgic hunt to buy and try them again.

[unboggling]

Misery loves company.

Forgot to mention my pBooks include 1 hardcover, 15 trade paperback that weren't available in mass market paperback, and all the rest MMPB. Over the past 10 years I exerted considerable self-discipline to standardize on MMPB format in every case possible, often waiting faithfully for a year for the MMPB to be released, and also often buying MMPBs and trashing previously purchased books of the same title in various flavors of hardcover or trade. It pleased me, the look of those tidy same-sized MMPBs lined up like soldiers standing inspection prior to action. And the density of books per inch of shelfspace was maximized.

@Anthem. Oh "obsessive" collegial "wreck" with whimsical psyche, re Jasper's scroll, lol. Exactly the point.

@CWatkinsNash. Yes, "my OCD." One of the first things I did was buy eBooks to replace the obnoxious looking HCs and Trades, where available. And yes, wanting to read the "backstock" in eBook form. Even if we were rich, as you said, they're probably not all available.

@wvcherrybomb. Does "making my own eBooks" entail taking books to the nearest old-fashioned print-shop, using their industrial cutter to chop off their spines, buying a sophisticated scanner with autofeed attachments as well as the best OCR available, converting the output to html then reconverting to ePub then cleaning it up? Or alternatively, rekeying all the text of the book manually, which might require less time for an experienced typist? All the ways I can imagine are more time-expensive than paying an average 10.00USD or less if eBook is available. If not available, that is a solution. Particularly if someone offered a "make eBook from scratch" service, produced high quality, priced them cheaply enough.

@Ravensknight. "Darknet" reminds me of a lusty old victorian gentleman going to a house of ill repute and getting a "social" disease. Regardless of the moral issue there is a health consequences issue particularly in modern times where auto-immune-system eDiseases abound. To me reading a book is an intimate thing. Prior to its posting on darknet, any eBook pimp or slave-eBook supplier could have spiked that poor, abused eBook with any number of malevolent things capable of slinking by the anti-malware guards standing watch at my door. But the temptation, the temptation….

@ATDrake. The "mistakenly nostalgic hunt to buy and try them again" distinctly resonates, I've done that countless times, then trashed them again. I like the wait and buy on sale strategy in theory but in practice that adds another layer of complexity to the buying process, specifically in regard to filling in missing series members. Young whippersnappers may have the patience for that but I'm getting on in years and therefore relatively impatient.

You all hearten me considerably. I am not lost and forlorn all alone. There are fellow sufferers out there. Like listening to the blues, your suffering makes me feel better.

I figure this is the closest we'll get to an eBookers Anonymous meeting.

[mr ploppy]

For me, what starts in paper ends in paper and what starts on a screen ends on a screen. I have paper writers and screen writers, depending on when I first discovered them. But like someone else said, just buy the paperbook and pirate the ebook.

[unboggling]

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

For me, what starts in paper ends in paper and what starts on a screen ends on a screen. I have paper writers and screen writers, depending on when I first discovered them.

Practical. That suits. I'm going with that as a starting point, realizing there will be exceptions.

[ebusinesstutor]

For a while, I started collecting hardcovers of my favorite books. But then I realized that paperbacks were easier to hold and read, so I switched back to them.

Now ebooks are the easiest format. So I don't worry about if a series starts in paperback and goes to ebook, I just get my favorite format for new ones.

[elcreative]

I could care less, I want to read... I have around 10,000 paper books ranging from MMPB to Signed, Limited edition hardcovers and haven't counted my eBooks... I now tend to get eBooks (space requirements are now a real factor) and prefer to use eReader for reading but don't actually care if paper only format...

Self eBook production might be about to become much easier and affordable with CES announcement of ION book scanner... if results decent then around $150 for the device could be a real bargain especially as it won't require destruction of the book to achieve a reasonable workflow...

[teadonkey]

The books that I know other members of my family/friends will enjoy I have in paperback and will buy in paperback. Example - Dune.

Series that I'M reading just for funsies, I switched to eBook. Example - Sookie Stackhouse.

Does that make any sense?

[wvcherrybomb]

Originally Posted by unboggling

@wvcherrybomb. Or alternatively, rekeying all the text of the book manually, which might require less time for an experienced typist?

Yep, that's what I had in mind. I'm a transcriptionist and can type very quickly.

Not every book is available on the darknet. That would certainly be my first choice. If I already owned the pbook version, and it was unavailable elsewhere, I would have no moral objection. I would, however, very carefully disinfect it.

[Kali Yuga]

Originally Posted by unboggling

Do you see how awkward this is, to switch from pBook horse to eBook horse during a multiBook-series gallup?

No, I really don't.

Then again, I don't have OCD.

Originally Posted by unboggling

As a collector, I like having an entire series before bothering to reread it. Sometimes I even wait till the author dies so I'm sure there won't be an additional book in the series that ruins my beautiful series-reading plan....

The former is a bit extreme, but understandable. The latter is slightly ridiculous.

I mean, what are you going to do, wait 40 years before reading the Harry Potter books?

Originally Posted by unboggling

So what should I buy, the pBook or the eBook?

In this context, the container is almost completely irrelevant. All that matters is the content.

Buy whatever medium is most convenient and/or best suits your needs. If you really have this weird psychological obsession with having a series in one medium, then either keep buying paper, or suck it up and buy digital.

I suggest you stop fixating on unimportant aspects and just read.

[SensualPoet]

Clearly, many of our members live in multi-multi-room mansions with unlimited space for their HC, Trade and MMPB versions of series. Perhaps some have a "Deceased Authors Series - Trade - A-F" rooms ...

Once upon a time, I went through this who issue with classical music -- LPs to CDs to mp3s; collecting Beethoven quartets by this group or that, fussing if it were time to buy into the series when you'd only yet recorded the Razoumovskys ... and do I buy the reissues? and the re-re-issues? And the "improved" sound? etc etc

Eventually I decided that there were a handful of LPs I liked as "things" -- great art cover, or special attachments to a person I shared the disc with ... beyond that, what matters is the content.

With books I have no such qualms. I have never particularly liked HCs, although they have a place for display and picture books or formal reference (like "Grove's") or when they are signed by an author in a numbered edition I especially admired. Trade paper are something like LPs -- the cover art is a thing itself but I don't really treasure many and don't want the clutter. At the very first opportunity, I am happy to dispose of the lion's share of my books so long as the one's I have any future interest in reading are available ebooks or are likely to be.

At the risk of agreeing completely with Kali on anything, "All that matters is the content". And for me, that's the words, not the container or cover art.