# My experience with a paperback



## stevene9 (Nov 9, 2008)

For the first time in 7 years I am reading a paperback book. I have waited 7 years for this book to be kindalized, and it hasn't, so I gave in and bought the paperback. However, every time I get to the bottom of a page I tap the right hand side to advance the page. This happens over and over and over again. I keep forgetting and it will probably be that last paperback I will read for the next 15 years. I also notice that the print is way too small for me to read comfortably. How did I ever live before my kindle?

Steve


----------



## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

i hate trying to see the print that's arcing over into the crack, especially on a big mass market paperback


----------



## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Uh-huh. I keep trying to click, too whenever I read one of my old paperbacks. I also sometimes click my car key fob when trying to unlock my front door.


----------



## KimberlyinMN (Dec 30, 2009)

I keep trying to resize the text when I read a "paper" book.  The other night I was reading my Kindle in bed and I reached up to "turn the page". I've done this a few other times and it just shocks me out of my reading stupor!! LOL  The only "paper" books I've read lately are cookbooks and a couple of diet books. It is easier to flip through or back and forth.


----------



## GBear (Apr 23, 2009)

I stay away from paper books, and newspapers and magazines must be different enough that I don't fall into the trap of clicking to turn the page. 

But I DO find myself pressing words to try to get their definitions! 

(This happens on my iPad when reading internet articles, too. Suddenly makes me wonder if there's an app that will automatically bring up a dictionary in such circumstances...well, looks like it's been built into iOS for a long time, but if it's there for my Android phone it's not as obvious.)


----------



## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

I don't seem to have this problem when switching back to a paper book after reading on Kindle for over five years.

On the other hand I have commanded "Alexa (do something or other)" repeatedly when trying to change channels on the television or use the vocal commands for the radio in my car. And congratulations, your book will now be released on Kindle next Thursday.


----------



## LaraAmber (Feb 24, 2009)

When I try to read a paper book I keep trying to do things like hold it with one hand and then having the book try to close.  And my hands get so tired.  Those pages are too distracting!


----------



## pegleg666 (Sep 15, 2015)

Funny! My fist time with a Kindle (keyboard) I kept trying to "turn the screen". I started seriously kindle-ing after an elbow operation when I could only read one-handed. Much easier on a Kindle. Also, no matter how large a book is, or how small the print, it weighs the same on my Kindle and the print is readable.


----------



## Capri142 (Sep 25, 2009)

The print in those paperbacks is soooo small. Don't know how I ever read so many of them


----------



## Lee (Nov 7, 2008)

I just tried reading my circa 1980 paperback edition of "I, Claudius."  I thought I'd save some money and read the paperback I already had rather than pay for the Kindle edition.  Big mistake.  What with yellow, brittle pages, disintegrating binding, and tiny print, I made it 30 pages before breaking down and buying the Kindle version.  Now I'm $8.99 poorer but 100% happier.


----------



## barryem (Oct 19, 2010)

I read "I Claudius" years ago, probably in paperback also, since that's all I read in those days.  That is quite a book.

I recently bought a paperback of a book I read years ago and now can't find for the Kindle.  Actually I bought two copies, although I'm not sure why.  I don't think I did it on purpose.  I haven't read a paperback in years and these are sitting there intimidating me; daring me to read them.  And I want to, but it's scary. 

Barry


----------



## stevene9 (Nov 9, 2008)

barryem said:


> I read "I Claudius" years ago, probably in paperback also, since that's all I read in those days. That is quite a book.
> 
> I recently bought a paperback of a book I read years ago and now can't find for the Kindle. Actually I bought two copies, although I'm not sure why. I don't think I did it on purpose. I haven't read a paperback in years and these are sitting there intimidating me; daring me to read them. And I want to, but it's scary.
> 
> Barry


Give in to the fear. It is a terrible experience now reading a paperback. After a Kindle, give into the paperback fear and beware!!!! 

Steve


----------



## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

barryem said:


> I read "I Claudius" years ago, probably in paperback also, since that's all I read in those days. That is quite a book.
> 
> I recently bought a paperback of a book I read years ago and now can't find for the Kindle. Actually I bought two copies, although I'm not sure why. I don't think I did it on purpose. I haven't read a paperback in years and these are sitting there intimidating me; daring me to read them. And I want to, but it's scary.
> 
> Barry


I have a trilogy that I can't get in kindle and can't read in paperback. I think I might try to buy the hardbacks just so I can read them again.


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> I have a trilogy that I can't get in kindle and can't read in paperback. I think I might try to buy the hardbacks just so I can read them again.


Way back at the dawn of time when dinosaurs roamed the earth -- o.k. about 5 years ago but same thing when you're talking eReader time -- there was a service that you could send a paper book to and they'd digitize it for you. Basically they'd take the book apart and scan it. . . .off to google.

O.K.

Here's a link for software that will let you do it yourself: http://techcrunch.com/2015/02/03/amazon-kindle-convert/ . . . . though the reviews aren't great. You need to have a flat bed scanner.

Here are links to a couple of services: http://www.bookbaby.com/book-scanning and http://1dollarscan.com/ No clue on costs or reliability.


----------



## barryem (Oct 19, 2010)

I did that.  I found a copy of the book online and had them ship it to a company that converts it to PDF for, if I remember right, $5, a real bargain.  The problem is that even though I specified that this was to be formatted for a Kindle it's a poor fit to the Kindle screen.  I can't really see the whole page at once.  Also I can't adjust the font size.  It is what it is.

The PDF is a scan, not OCR'd, and there's no simple way to make a better fitting copy.  I did try a service that does that and it sort of worked but not very well.  I may actually try to read this eventually but it's not really going to be fun.

I also bought Kindle Convert and tried that.  I spent about 6 or 8 hours preparing pages for OCR and that got me about 15% into the book.  Kindle Convert is a very poorly designed program that is a monster to deal with.  I gave that up.  I never did get a hint what it's end result might look like.

So I'll either fight my way through that PDF or listen to the audiobook, which I do have.  I listened to audiobooks for a couple of decades before I got my Kindle and could start reading again but somehow it no longer appeals to me.  Also I don't care for the narrator.

I've even spent a couple of hours searching on pirate sites and couldn't find it.

I keep going to Amazon's page for the paperback and requesting a Kindle version and maybe someday that'll happen.  If not I'm not sure what I'll do.

Barry


----------



## FranMaglione (Oct 2, 2015)

Hi! First-time poster here. I've been a diehard book reader up until just a couple of months ago when I decided to finally get a Kindle. I was reading Stephen King's "Nightmares and Dreamscapes" one night, and as the massive tome was slowly crushing my lungs I realized there had to be a better way to read in bed (i.e., the book is large, I tells ya).


----------



## barryem (Oct 19, 2010)

I read some of those stories years ago.  Probably in paperback.  Most of King's books are large.

I've always enjoyed an occasional very long book with a few short books in between.  Last year I read his "Under the Dome", which was probably one of his longest books and probably one of his best.  I'm not really a King fan at all, or even much of a horror fan.  But sometimes he creates such a fascinating mix of characters it doesn't really matter what the story is about.  I think he did that there.

I started to watch the TV series based on it but I found that pretty boring.  I'm sure I'll read the book again.

I read about 75% on a Kindle and about 25% on a phone.  I haven't read a paperback in years.  I've never liked reading hardcover books.  They're too heavy and hard to hold up when I read laying down.

I have the Kindle app on my phone and it syncs nicely with my Kindle so I don't have to find my place when I go back and forth.  That makes it real nice.  I can't read on an LCD for extended sessions but the phone is always with me when I have 5 or 10 minutes to read.

Barry


----------



## kimlachance (Oct 3, 2015)

Haha hilarious! SO true, welcome to the age of E-books, TREE books are so heavy and bulky and EXPENSIVE! The futur is definitely going to kindle, soon all schools will have their students equipped with kindle readers


----------



## barryem (Oct 19, 2010)

I'm not convinced that paper books are going away.  A lot of students say that using them for study is less convenient and paper books may stay important in schools.  They are easier to browse back and forth through.

Also the smaller screen size could make textbooks hard to use on a Kindle.  I mostly read novels but I have bought a couple of books to study for my own interests and I have found them to be awkward to use and I'm doing little more than reading through them, not really trying to study with them as a student might do.

Barry


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I agree that paper books aren't going anywhere soon . . . . though the technology may eventually improve to where they become virtually obsolete, except to collectors like Captain Picard. 

For now, eReaders and/or tablets are way more convenient for folks who read for enjoyment, especially those who read A LOT. They're even superior in some ways. BUT there are drawbacks, too, that make them not necessarily suitable as the ONLY option for research and education. 

It'll come . . . but we're not there quite yet, and I don't expect to see it in my lifetime, or even my son's life time.


----------



## barryem (Oct 19, 2010)

I certainly agree that ebooks are more convenient for casual reading.  The inconvenience I was talking about was for textbooks.

Barry


----------



## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

When my first Kindle arrived (was it really 6 years ago!) I was half way through reading a paper book that was huge - about 1200 pages. When I realised how much easier and more comfortable it was to read on a Kindle I bought the Kindle version to finish the book - and I haven't read a paper book since.

However, I'm not a student and largely read only novels for entertainment so there are only a few books I'd like to read that aren't available on Kindle - and my TBR and wish lists of books that _are_ available are so long (and getting longer by the day) that it doesn't bother me too much.


----------



## JumpingShip (Jun 3, 2010)

FranMaglione said:


> Hi! First-time poster here. I've been a diehard book reader up until just a couple of months ago when I decided to finally get a Kindle. I was reading Stephen King's "Nightmares and Dreamscapes" one night, and as the massive tome was slowly crushing my lungs I realized there had to be a better way to read in bed (i.e., the book is large, I tells ya).


Stephen King did it for me too, although for me, it was Under the Dome. Ugh. So hard to read in bed.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I know our granddaughter got at least some of her textbooks on Kindle--cheaper.  And yes, the smaller screen is a disadvantage, but there are also advantages--highlighting, being able to look up definitions and search Wikipedia right from the page and also searching within the book to find things.

And, they can also read the books on a Kindle app on their laptop if they need to look at a larger version.

I get craft books on Kindle and look at them on my iPad most of the time instead of my Voyage.

Like others here, I don't read paper books anymore.

Betsy


----------



## LaraAmber (Feb 24, 2009)

barryem said:


> I certainly agree that ebooks are more convenient for casual reading. The inconvenience I was talking about was for textbooks.
> 
> Barry


I think Textbooks will go away eventually, though not necessarily being replaced with ebooks/kindle. They do lend themselves better to an app type setup over a current ebook file. The need for color, links to large maps, video & audio files, etc. Considering the cost of printing an AP Biology textbook with the full color printing (and it being three inches thick and weighing a way, way too much) compared to a curated app that could have videos, short quizzes, etc. Plus an app style will have an added benefit of incorporating more styles of learning. (You could read the Declaration of Independence or listen to it being read by a professional voice actor).


----------

