E Books: Fad or the Future?

Part of the future, sure. I don't see physical print books disappearing any time soon.

caw

It's not a fad. Look at all the other things that have been replaced, or are being replaced, by better technology. Vinyl. CDs. VHS. DVDs.

eBook sales are increasing each year. More and more people are picking up eReaders or using their iPhones, iTouch, laptops, etc. to read with.

Personally, I love books. I love the feel of them. Love the smell of them. Love seeing bookshelves line with them. And you don't need batteries or electricity to read them. Just a cozy fire. I'd hate to see them leave, but if they do, I guess I'll just be hanging out at Used Book stores to get my fix.

I have downloaded the Kindle software for PC to my Netbook. While I'm not a fan of ebook reading on my laptop (it's too big), and I love paper books, the Netbook is the perfect size to sit on my lap and read comfortably. My librarian aunt just got a Nook, and she loves it.

I'm running out of room for paper books, but will still buy them. I will also download books to my Netbook (especially when some of the ones I get are about $4 each).

I think the ebooks are the wave of the future, mainly due to cost, convenience, and like everything else in the world, technology is taking over.

artemis31386 said:

... mainly due to cost....

Click to expand...

From what I could tell, they're the same price, if not more, than most paperbacks.

Future. The world electric isn't going away. I don't think print books will ever vanish. i intend to buy myself an ebook reader for my birthday this summer. I'll buy lots of books for it. If I fall in love with a book or want to collect a series, I'll follow up that purchase with a print copy.

Shadow_Ferret said:

From what I could tell, they're the same price, if not more, than most paperbacks.

Click to expand...

Pricing is the topic of much angst and debate at the moment. I think once it shakes out, they will cost the same or less. They should.

I vote "part of the future"

I don't see ebooks outselling print books in my lifetime, but it very well might someday

This is a serious question?

I've been looking into buying an e-reader and will most likely make up my mind on a model in the next few weeks or so. It won't take the place of purchasing paper books entirely, I imagine. One thing I'll miss is donating books to the library or simply giving them to family and friends for their enjoyment.

blacbird said:

Part of the future, sure. I don't see physical print books disappearing any time soon.

caw

Click to expand...

What the bird said.

Personally, I don't see print books ever disappearing -- though the market is definitely shifting. The upcoming generations, accustomed almost from birth to getting their information and entertainment from electronic gadgets, are going to tell the tale.

Will they prefer to carry their books around the way they do their music, in iPads or iPad-type readers? Or will they value the feel of a real book in their hands -- and its easy disposability?

How many of you have finished a paperback on a train, plane, bus, or in a hotel room and simply left it there for someone else to enjoy?

Not gonna be doing that with your Kindle, iPad, or other device.

CheshireCat said:

How many of you have finished a paperback on a train, plane, bus, or in a hotel room and simply left it there for someone else to enjoy?

Not gonna be doing that with your Kindle, iPad, or other device.

Click to expand...

Never. If I enjoy a book, I keep it. If I don't...I keep it.

CheshireCat said:

How many of you have finished a paperback on a train, plane, bus, or in a hotel room and simply left it there for someone else to enjoy?

Click to expand...

That would be never. I paid good money for it, why would I just throw it away?

I hate it when Fuzzface says things I agree with.

Even when I buy books from charity shops, I rip off that "Read it and Return It!" sticker.

I don't care if it came cheap. I paid for it, I keep it.

I return books to libraries. Not shops.

Shadow_Ferret said:

That would be never. I paid good money for it, why would I just throw it away?

Click to expand...

It's not throwing it away if it's left for others to read.

scarletpeaches said:

...I return books to libraries. Not shops.

Click to expand...

I've purchased thousands of books over the years. What am I supposed to do, keep them all? I have a few hundred or so I've saved, but the rest are donated to the reading public one way or another.

Silver King said:

It's not throwing it away if it's left for others to read.

Click to expand...

I remember reading a few years ago about people who leave books out in the wild for others to find, then I think they track them. I thought they were crack-pots.

I think I'm the only writer who doesn't keep books.

I have three shelves worth of books. 1.5 is text books, .5 is reference materials, and one is fiction that I keep on hand for reference to voice and story concepts.

Shadow_Ferret said:

I remember reading a few years ago about people who leave books out in the wild for others to find, then I think they track them. I thought they were crack-pots.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I agree that sounds a little out there.

Another great place I've found to donate books is local schools, as well as jails that are always lacking in decent reading materials.

Silver King said:

I've purchased thousands of books over the years. What am I supposed to do, keep them all? I have a few hundred or so I've saved, but the rest are donated to the reading public one way or another.

Click to expand...

So have I. And I keep them all. I don't even lend books out these days. I don't want them back dog-eared, torn or stained. That's when I get them back at all.

> {...} the possiblity they might fall out of favor.

Thirty years ago, I was told punched cards would never go away.

Twenty years ago, I was told typewriters would never go away.

Ten years ago, I was told cathode ray tube monitors and TVs would never go away.

Five years ago, I was told floppy disks would never go away.

Today, on this board, I'm told printed novels will never go away.

Go figure.


> I'm just rather curious about e-books, their impact on the writing world

The e-book reader is by default a multimedia rendering machine. It can render music, animations, movie clips, text, and much more. This is something paper alone can't do well. Sure, there will be a tradition centered on text alone to tell stories. But I believe more and more authors will use other media to complement the writings. Check this: http://www.eliterature.org/about/

-cb

In regards to the OP: Wave of the future, sure. But digital stuff makes me nervous. If it's not concrete, something that I can touch and feel and hold onto, it's not "real" to me. What if something breaks or a file gets corrupted? That's not just one book getting lost or destroyed--it's everything you've downloaded. That would suck.

In regards to not keeping books: I'm with scarlet. If I paid money for it, it's mine forever. With few exceptions. I have been known to "swap" books with a coffee shop down the street--if I get a book that I think is awful or I know I'll never read again, I donate it to them, and come back with an armful of new ones--but that's it. It boggles my mind that people exist who leave books behind on purpose.

scarletpeaches said:

Never. If I enjoy a book, I keep it. If I don't...I keep it.

Click to expand...

So do I. Bookshelves everywhere.

But I know lots of far more casual readers who do it.

My dad suggested I 'get rid of' some books.

I swooned clean away. Perish the thought!