I have been astounded by the number of comments regarding yesterday’s post about books and ebooks. It certainly is a topic that has a number of factors at work and isn’t as simple as a preference for one or the other.
In particular, I was most interested in the range of opinions, reasons, and practicalities noted by readers in my original blog post and then reading the comments from the feed I have on Goodreads. There seems to be a different demographic on each site, which gives a terrific insight into the sudden upsurge in ebook use.
One comment from Elizabeth really caught my attention. She said:
‘And a sign of how fast this whole field is changing: I wrote that paper in early March. I skimmed it as I was writing this reply, and I can see parts of it that are already out-of-date.’
I think her words sum up the situation perfectly.
I think there will always be a place for paper books. I own a Kindle, and I love it, but I wouldn't give up my paper copy of "Catcher in the Rye" for anything in the world. I suspect that many folks are like that. For your everyday fiction that you read just to enjoy, an e-reader is fine. But for books that one holds close to the heart, the paper version can never be replaced. I can't imagine reading Hemingway on an electronic device. I have to smell the pages.
If I am being honest a lot of my purchases come down to cost. For instance, I am not going to buy a $9 e-book when I can spend one more dollar to get the actual paper version. I understand what the publishing houses are doing and why the prices are so close, but I also see them steadily raising prices on digital books, neddlessly. This is why I feel many Indie authors are doing so well. Times are tough. People can deal with a few grammar and spelling errors from the Indie books that don't get the publisher polish while they are entertained for less money!
Also, I agree with Jay Krow. I originally purchased The Hunger Games as an e-book, but quickly realized this was a series I had to have in print. People will always want to be able to hold their favorites.
I agree with Jay Krow. Certain books I will always want a paperback copy of (Catch-22, The Long Goodbye, Fiesta, to name a few), but there are other books (the type I know I will read once, enjoy (or not), but never read again) that I will happily buy on Kindle, as long as the price is right. Price is a big factor in this. People will pay more than $2.99/£2.99 for the right eBook, but it is a rarity and more and more people see value-for-money as King in this new publishing phenomenon.