# Are you more likely to abandon an eBook, or is it the same as with paper?



## markarayner (Mar 14, 2011)

Up until a few years ago, I grimly finished every book I started reading, even if I wasn't enjoying it.  Then I realized there was no point in reading a book I wasn't enjoying -- life is just too short -- and I started to abandon books I didn't like.  (I still give an author 60-70 pages before I give up, though.)

I'm interested in what other people do.  Do you abandon books?  And if so, do you think you're more likely to stop reading a book on your Kindle than one you've got in paper?


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## spiritualtramp (Feb 3, 2011)

So far I'm no more likely to abandon a book. I am more likely to "lose track" of a book though (not my place since that auto saves). If I move to another book before I finish one I'm less likely to come back to it. I think that's got to do with having so many at my fingertips.


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## theraven (Dec 30, 2009)

Yes, I stop reading books and it doesn't matter if it's a physical book or an ebook. Though, I find it easier to give up on a book if it's library or book I've downloaded for free then if I paid for it. A Kindle book is much easier for me to decide to quit as I can find another one no matter where I'm at while a physical book I might have to stick with if I'm on at the doctor's, vacation, etc and don't have another option available to me.


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## anguabell (Jan 9, 2011)

I was just thinking about it yesterday. Yes, it is easier for me to abandon an eBook. I still feel some sort of an old fashioned commitment to paper books that are, in a sense, guests or inhabitants of my home. I'll probably get over it at some point.


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## Malweth (Oct 18, 2009)

I certainly abandon (or defer) _more_ books on Kindle. I'm also much more likely to start those books!

My reading dropped off significantly since College until I got a Kindle. Now I'm about halfway back to those levels of consumption. I'm still somewhat picky about the books I start reading, though.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

I gave up on a book just this weekend. I don't normally. Never did when reading DTB, but I was really struggling to force myself to read this book, and finally I said nope.. not gonna happen. I like reading too much to hate it this much. So I got out of the book, deleted it from my Kindle, and it was like this palpable relief sensation hit me.


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## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

I do occasionally abandon books, though I've always hated doing so. I don't think I do it more with e-books though - in fact possibly less, since now I have the option to sample. It's no guarantee that the whole book is going to be readable of course, but it certainly helps me to be more successful in choosing a book I'll like.


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## Chris Culver (Jan 28, 2011)

I abandon books all the time; if a book no longer holds my interest for any reason whatsoever, I'm done with it. There are too many great books out there to read something I'm not enjoying.

That said, I tend to abandon more paper books than I do ebooks. I sample ebooks before purchasing, so I've read thirty or forty pages by the time I hit that buy button. If I'm that far in a book, I have a pretty good idea of what I'm getting. Unless the author introduces alien vampires near the end of his otherwise non-paranormal, hard-boiled mystery, I rarely give up once I've read a sample. Since I rarely read a sample of paper books (I'm a library person and just check them out), I quit paper books after the first chapter or two quite often. I'd probably be more careful of paper books if I purchased them, but I've got a great library near me and friends with tons of books they're willing to loan.


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## caseyf6 (Mar 28, 2010)

I have always given up on a book if it's not good (for me) after about 20 pages-- with a Kindle, I tend to give it up much faster.  

That palpable relief is a wonderful thing.


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## bashfulreader (Jan 29, 2011)

When I bought most of my books in paper, I very rarely gave up on them.  Good or bad, I felt like I made a commitment, and had to see it through.  

When money got a little tight and I started to get most of my books from the library, I did give up on more books because there was no money spent.  It did take some "re-training".  A part of me still felt an obligation to finish what I started.  But I began to realize that my time was too valuable to waste on bad books. However, since the library wasn't very convenient and I only went once a month (four-week check-out period), I would sometimes finish a book I didn't like simply out of a lack of anything else to read.

Now, with the Kindle, I'm definitely more likely to give up on a book, but mostly just the free ones.  If it's not free, I always read the sample first, so I'm usually pretty happy with the ones I choose to buy.  But with freebies, I grab anything that looks at all interesting to me and don't worry about the samples.  If it's not working for me, I have no problem giving up on it... especially because I now have enough books stored on my Kindle to keep me reading for a LONG time.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

No more likely. I rarely start a book I don't finish.


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## markarayner (Mar 14, 2011)

That's a good point C. Culver -- if you sample, you've probably already got into the story if you buy it.  

And DTB -- am I right in thinking that stands for "dead tree book"?


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## pixichick (Mar 1, 2011)

Because we have the ability to read a sample, if I buy the book, I usually have read enough to know that I will continue - thank goodness for samples 

_--- edited... no self-promotion (book covers, web links, mentioning your book/blog/etc.) in posts outside the Book Bazaar forum. please read our Forum Decorum thread. future posts containing self-promotion will be deleted without notice._


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## newportwa (Jul 18, 2009)

I give up any book I am reading if I don't like it.  No more pushing through it so see if it gets better.  Mt TBR pile is too high for that!


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## DanG (Mar 10, 2011)

Thanks to sampling with eReaders I haven't abandoned a book yet.

Paperbacks, though, I frequently throw them against the wall (not literally, the librarians would kill me).


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

Whatever the format, I'll usually give a book fifty pages or so to hook me, or I'll give up on it. The exception is when I find a book to be riddled with misspellings, lousy grammar, and obvious typos - those get tossed aside or deleted real quick.


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## AnneKAlbert (Dec 7, 2010)

I'm WAY less forgiving than 50 pages! Either format the author has to grab me on the first page. If the plot or characters go south from there, I'll continue reading. But only for awhile. I, too, have a huge TBR pile!


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## markarayner (Mar 14, 2011)

I'm going to have to sample a lot more -- that is a great strategy.  

I've abandoned several TBR piles, and now take to doing a kind of triage on the books in them.


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## Aaron Pogue (Feb 18, 2011)

Malweth said:


> I certainly abandon (or defer) _more_ books on Kindle. I'm also much more likely to start those books!


That was my first thought, too. Yes, it was my Kindle that _taught_ me to abandon books, but only because it made it so easy to grab great big handfuls of them in the first place.


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## Iwritelotsofbooks (Nov 17, 2010)

It's honestly about the same.  If I'm not into it, it doesn't matter if it's a paper book or an e-book.  But when it's an e-book, it's just less money down the drain.


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## Pechorin (Mar 21, 2011)

I think if I were on vacation and ran into a book I didn't like, pre-kindle I would probably finish it, post-kindle I just move along to the next!


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## Joseph Robert Lewis (Oct 31, 2010)

markarayner said:


> Up until a few years ago, I grimly finished every book I started reading, even if I wasn't enjoying it. Then I realized there was no point in reading a book I wasn't enjoying -- life is just too short -- and I started to abandon books I didn't like. (I still give an author 60-70 pages before I give up, though.)
> 
> I'm interested in what other people do. Do you abandon books? And if so, do you think you're more likely to stop reading a book on your Kindle than one you've got in paper?


I had exactly the same realization a few years ago. But I think I'm more willing to abandon an ebook simply because it's cheaper and I don't have the wad of paper on my table, taunting me.


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## Plotspider (Mar 15, 2011)

I have, so far, only put aside a few books on kindle.  Usually, I will try to find a sample of the book first, and then not buy if I don't like.  Then again, if I sample and like, I buy and read further.  This was how I found Patrick Rothfuss (aside from a recommendation from a friend of mine).  I sampled it and wanted to know what happened next.  As to abandoning them?  Well, I have a few I downloaded and dabbled in and haven't really picked up.  I don't know if I would have enjoyed them or not, and will eventually read again into them, so I guess I have for a few books.  Others, I just haven't gotten to yet.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

If you count reading a sample on my Kindle and then not purchasing the book to finish it, then you could say that I abandon more books on my Kindle. _However_, if we do not count unsuccessful samples, then I would say that I probably abandon less on my Kindle, since that initial sampling process helps to weed out those that I would have been the most likely to abandon anyway.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I kind of stopped reading books for years before I got a Kindle so my habits are now mostly based on ebook reading. 

Since I do a lot of vetting of books before I even download a sample, I haven't run into this problem yet on the Kindle. By the time I commit to reading a sample, I have already checked goodreads friends, groups, reviews, blogs, review sites, amazon reviews and so on, so chances are I like the book. I think I have not bought after reading a sample once or twice. Considering I read 130-180 books a year now that is pretty good. 

I don't just randomly pick samples though, so that cuts down on that. I just don't have the time or patience to spend my days reading samples in the hope I like the books. To much wasted time and frustration to me. 

Free books might be a bit different, but I don't get many of those other than the classics. I don't get any free book anymore unless its something I am actually interested in reading. I have a bucket list (TBR)of over 2000 books (growing by the day)  I want to get through before I die so I don't need to add to it randomly  

But I don't think it would be different with a paperbook. I only buy used PB and I do the same vetting there. No random buying just because.

Research before sampling and buying has been the most valuable tool for me in not having to give up on a book. 

Now I have read some where it gets a bit dreary to get through from time to time like the 4th in the Outlander series. I did have to force my way a bit through that one. Not enough to totally give up though. And I wouldn't be reading those monsters in paper anyway


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## brianrowe (Mar 10, 2011)

I relate eBooks to Netflix Instant View. When you put a physical DVD in the DVD player, you're more likely to watch the movie. When you watch it on Netflix Instant View, however, your options are so plentiful that it's easy to just turn the movie off and try another one.

Same with eBooks. When you have a physical book in your hands, you're more than likely to finish it. I mean, it's right there, might as well, right? But with eBooks, you might have dozens of unread books right there on your Kindle or Nook... if you're not hooked right away... you might slide right over to another title. That's my two cents on the matter.


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## Katie Salidas (Mar 21, 2010)

brianrowe said:


> I relate eBooks to Netflix Instant View. When you put a physical DVD in the DVD player, you're more likely to watch the movie. When you watch it on Netflix Instant View, however, your options are so plentiful that it's easy to just turn the movie off and try another one.
> 
> Same with eBooks. When you have a physical book in your hands, you're more than likely to finish it. I mean, it's right there, might as well, right? But with eBooks, you might have dozens of unread books right there on your Kindle or Nook... if you're not hooked right away... you might slide right over to another title. That's my two cents on the matter.


That's a really good comparison. And I have to agree that I work in much the same way with ebooks. If one just isn't grabbing me, I hit the home button and see what else I have lined up. I may or may not return to it later, but it's there if I ever want it.


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## markbeyer (Jan 9, 2011)

With the new-generation e-books, reading is pleasurable, and nearly the same experience as with paper. This being my experience, what matters then is the quality of the writing. 

An absorbing opening, with a lively character/narrator voice, dialogue & interaction, make all the difference. I'm there, in another time and place.


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## Malweth (Oct 18, 2009)

JRTomlin said:


> No more likely. I rarely start a book I don't finish.


I rarely finish a book I don't start!


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## Moissanitejewel (Mar 17, 2011)

Both. I am very picky. I often make sure that I will like that $15.00 print book but if I find I don't, I won't torture myself by reading it. Same with ebooks, less sampling needed though at cheaper prices. Might be why I pick up more of those. If the ebook holds my attention, then I usually buy a paperback for safekeeping.


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## dannygillan (Mar 13, 2011)

Because I use the Kindle app on my phone I have it with me at all times, which means I'm more likely to go back to a book if I find myself with some unexpected time on my hands and no paper books to read. For that reason I'm less likely to completely abandon books on Kindle than I am the paper variety.


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## Taborcarn (Dec 15, 2009)

To me the format doesn't matter as much as the price.  I am much, much more likely to abandon a free ebook or a DTB from the library than I am with a book I paid for.  Even if that was only .99, it still forms a bond with the book so that I feel I owe it to myself to finish.


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## s0nicfreak (Jun 10, 2010)

Yes, but only because I'm a lot more likely to take a risk and start a book I'm not sure I'll like. Before the Kindle, if I hated a book I would have to return it to the store or take it back to the library and get another, so I was a lot more picky. Now that getting another book is so easy, I abandon more books, but I also finish a lot more books, and have read some genres I would never have considered before.


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## Will Write for Gruel (Oct 16, 2010)

It's harder for me to skim ebooks, which is annoying since I will rapidly skim to finish a bad book. I'll skim 200 pages in 30 minutes. It seems easier to do when I flip pages in a physical book.


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## joepr (Mar 16, 2011)

ebook is better. punto.


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## naomi_jay (Feb 1, 2011)

I'm far more likely to abandon a book now than I used to be. I've realised it's because I have so many more books to choose from now then when I was a student and younger. Back then, I could only afford maybe a book a month, so I felt obliged to make it last! Now I have a TBR pile rapidly approaching triple digits, so if I don't like a book ... meh, there are plenty more at hand. That goes for ebooks as well as paper.


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## crash86 (Oct 8, 2010)

it doesn't matter if it's paper or an e-book, if I don't like it I stop reading it.  I do have a 3 strikes rule though.  If I can't get into a book I put it aside for a while and try again at a later date.  If I don't get into it on the second go I put it aside again for a long period of time and if on the 3rd try I still don't get into it I get rid of it.  Hey can't say I don't give it a fair try lol.

I just abandoned two books on my Kindle, well they are on the 3 strikes list.  Time will tell if then survive the cut. On a whole my average is about 3 failures for every 100 books so not bad really.


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## RobertMarda (Oct 19, 2010)

I choose the books I buy carefully and so end up with very few I don't like.  For me it doesn't matter how much I paid for a book nor if it is an e-book or paper book.  If I don't like it I stop reading it.


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## Tris (Oct 30, 2008)

I'm very hard pressed not to finish a book that I pick up...but on the rare occasion...I'm an equal opportunity reader.  DTB or ebook...a book is a book to me.

Tris


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## SteveMalley (Sep 22, 2010)

It's about the same for me, and it is merciless. Every year more books are published than I can read in a lifetime. There's no time to waste on what doesn't engage me.

Sometimes, though, I do revisit a book later, to see if my earlier opinion still holds.

At least with Kindle, the books I try aren't taking up space and don't cost a small fortune...


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## tim290280 (Jan 11, 2011)

I absolutely abandon books if I'm not enjoying them. Like many of you I came to the realisation that I was wasting time on books I didn't like and was thus putting off reading.

I actually have a few rules for reading a book that I posted about on my blog: http://thetysonadams.blogspot.com/2011/03/book-review-dexter-is-delicious-jeff.html

These rules came about from my experience that you can normally tell a lot about a book in the first 10 pages, by 50 pages you should have a pretty good idea of were things are going and can thus make the call on dropping the book in the compost. With e-books I follow the same rules but haven't really worked out what the amounts will be. Fortunately I have come across less e-books that I have given up on (only 2 so far).


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## markarayner (Mar 14, 2011)

I like those rules Tim -- they spell out what I've been doing all these years, without really thinking about it. To quote from Tim's post:


> The book has ten pages to impress upon me the need to read further or else the book is mulching my fruit trees.
> The book then has until page 50 to convince me that the book isn't mulch material with a passable first 10 pages.
> A third of the way through I'd better have been convinced to finish the book.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

Malweth said:


> I rarely finish a book I don't start!


Really? Well, silly you.


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## tim290280 (Jan 11, 2011)

markarayner said:


> I like those rules Tim -- they spell out what I've been doing all these years, without really thinking about it. To quote from Tim's post:


Yeah, spot the science nerd - has to have a set of standards to analyze things against.


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## Oneironaut (May 18, 2010)

I don't really know the answer to this.  I've never abandoned a paper book before while I have abandoned two books so far since getting my Kindle (one of which I may go back to later.)  I have also been reading a lot more books outside of my comfort zone, so I expect to come upon books I don't enjoy.  I really don't think the book being an eBook instead of paper makes any difference.  The price however, does make a difference, and I've gotten a lot of cheap eBooks.


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## Harry Shannon (Jul 30, 2010)

I give up far more quickly if it was an inexpensive Kindle purchase. Suspect a lot of authors feeling great about sales don't realize how many .99 books won't ever be read.


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## Josh_Stallings (Mar 18, 2011)

Life is too short to read a book that isn't working for me, in print or on my kindle, I'll give it a couple of chapters but unless it hooks me I move on.


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## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

I don't give up on reading a book (paper or e-book) unless the story is boring, there are too many misspellings or typos, or the grammar is atrocious. I can ignore minor problems, but those are reasons that I would abandon a book. Time is limited, and there are so many _good_ books out there waiting to be read!


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## joepr (Mar 16, 2011)

I'm about to abandon "john dies at the end". so much stupidity. I'm a hero for reading so much of that crap (100 pages). I wish to like it... but can't.


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## Jason G. Anderson (Sep 29, 2010)

I don't think I'm any more or less likely to abandon a book because it's an ebook. At one time I always felt that I had to finish a book I started even if I stopped enjoying it, but as I've gotten older I seem much more willing to put aside a book I don't like.


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## markarayner (Mar 14, 2011)

Yes, if it was possible to go back in time and give my younger self a few pointers, one of them would be that life is too short to finish a book you aren't enjoying.  The other would be not to stack on so much weight, because it's damned hard to lose when you're older.

Of course, that know-it-all would have ignored me.


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