# Books or e-books?



## Merelee (Sep 24, 2014)

Do most people prefer to read e-books or real books, like paperbacks or hardcover?
Merelee wants to know.  Which do you prefer?


----------



## madelyneld (Aug 27, 2014)

I have come to prefer ebooks.  An ebook reader is easier to hold and I never lose my place.  When I can get away with it I like to read for hours at a time, and it's just more comfortable to do that on my iPad.


----------



## shadowfox (Jun 22, 2012)

Not sure why it matters? They're both great. I read both. When I publish I make both formats available.

It doesn't matter what format I want to read it in. It matters what format my CUSTOMER wants to read the book in.


----------



## 75845 (Jan 1, 1970)

I've preferred eBooks since 2001, but I am a tolerant person and still read pInk.


----------



## Guest (Sep 24, 2014)

madelyneld said:


> I have come to prefer ebooks. An ebook reader is easier to hold and I never lose my place. When I can get away with it I like to read for hours at a time, and it's just more comfortable to do that on my iPad.


This, except Kindle.


----------



## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I have nothing against paper books on principal, but I am pretty much all ebook now. I need the bigger fonts and that is basically number one for me. I used to read paperbacks before my kindle as hard covers were usually too expensive and/or not available anyway for the book I read. And paperbacks can have some small font. Add to that the paperbacks from recent years especially have really tight spines, which then hurt my wrists. 
And I can read one handed with my kindle so I can also pet my cat.  . And the books don't lay all over the house, all in one place. 

So yeah, ebooks.


----------



## 鬼 (Sep 30, 2012)

I go back and forth between ebooks and paper. I hate HCs though, can't stand the weight and size of them.


----------



## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

For fiction, it is all e-books all the time for me!  Hundreds of books available in one small, easy-to-read, take everywhere with me package.  I would return to paper books if for some reason digital books were no longer available, but I hope I never have to.


----------



## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

Got my first Kindle February 2009 and have read maybe 10 paper books since then. About 1000 ebooks in that time.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Ebooks all the way.


----------



## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

Atunah said:


> And I can read one handed with my kindle so I can also pet my cat.


Yes, _that_ is very important! 

I still prefer paper books for most nonfiction, especially reference books. But when reading fiction, it's e-books for me. I especially appreciate the font size options.


----------



## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Inasmuch as this is an e-book-centric forum (and Kindle-centric specifically), it doesn't exactly qualify as an unbiased place to ask such a question.


----------



## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

NogDog said:


> Inasmuch as this is an e-book-centric forum (and Kindle-centric specifically), it doesn't exactly qualify as an unbiased place to ask such a question.


True that!


----------



## devalong (Aug 28, 2014)

eReader for me. I can hold my paperwhite with a finger and thumb and page silently while others sleep. I read more, though I was a big reader before I got it. I still read paper books, but just old ones that aren't on the Kindle in the last few years. I have a tablet also, but I much prefer the ereader/eink format for reading and hope that Amazon keeps providing them.


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

98% ebook.  But I have read some in paper since I got my first Kindle in July of 2008. Mostly books I'd bought pre-K.  In fact I took several on vacation last week and when I finished them I left them in the cabin.


----------



## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

textbooks and journals I want DTB, pleasure reading, 100% E-books


----------



## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

NogDog said:


> Inasmuch as this is an e-book-centric forum (and Kindle-centric specifically), it doesn't exactly qualify as an unbiased place to ask such a question.


ditto...


----------



## paf2011 (Sep 15, 2011)

I prefer eBooks nowadays


----------



## madelyneld (Aug 27, 2014)

DreamWeaver said:


> I still prefer paper books for most nonfiction, especially reference books. But when reading fiction, it's ebooks for me. I especially appreciate the font size options.


That's right, I wasn't even thinking about nonfiction. I also prefer physical copies of reference books, especially my D&D Player's Handbook.  (Good thing for me, because I don't think it's available in digital form).

I do have a collection of hardcover folio edition books. Most of them were gifts, and they have a nice decorative presence in my office. I generally don't take them off the shelf to read, though, after reading ebooks for so long a hardcover feels clunky.


----------



## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Reference and technical books I almost always I get in printed form, everything else is an ebook.

Mike


----------



## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

Merelee said:


> Do most people prefer to read e-books or real books, like paperbacks or hardcover?
> Merelee wants to know. Which do you prefer?


Well, you're asking on a forum for Kindle users - the answer to that question will likely not be representative of the general population of the nation or world.

Printed book sales still outnumber ebook sales last I heard. That is likely a better indication of what "most people" prefer. However, ebook sales do make up a significant chunk of the market.


----------



## Ergodic Mage (Jan 23, 2012)

I'm almost exclusively Kindle for fictional books, but physical is far superior for non-fiction.


----------



## Adaman14 (Mar 20, 2013)

eBooks all the way for me.  I prefer it to paper to the extent that I purchase eBook versions of paper books I already own.  I love my Kindles (eInk), but for anything other than text only (mostly) I go with non-Kindle formats on tablets (magazines, technical books, historical atlas style, etc.).


----------



## Merelee (Sep 24, 2014)

Thanks to all responders for all the interesting info!


----------



## Seleya (Feb 25, 2011)

Definitely ebooks. In the last two years I've read 2 paper books and that only because there was no ebook edition available.


----------



## Jena H (Oct 2, 2011)

*raises hand tentatively*  I still read actual paper books.


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Jena H said:


> *raises hand tentatively* I still read actual paper books.


So do I! But . . . . in general I prefer eBooks. Just more convenient all around.


----------



## Helen Laycock (Apr 10, 2012)

Definitely ebooks for travelling, but when I'm tucked up under the duvet, reading by lamplight, it has to be the paper variety... but nothing too heavy to hold! The Goldfinch nearly killed me!


----------



## Jena H (Oct 2, 2011)

Ann in Arlington said:


> So do I! But . . . . in general I prefer eBooks. Just more convenient all around.


Thing is... I read _only_ paper books.


----------



## Pamela (Oct 6, 2010)

I got my first Kindle years ago - I haven't read a paper book since.  It was a real surprise because I loved paperbooks, even the paper smell.  Now my whole family has them, loves them, because I gave them as gifts.


----------



## cagnes (Oct 13, 2009)

ebooks all the way! I'll only read a paper book if it's not available or too expensive in ebook format & I'm really, really desperate to read it. My preference for a paper book would be a large print hardcover. Since I no longer have young eyes, I detest paperbacks!


----------



## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

I've read 5 paper books since I got my first Kindle 6 years ago.  And the last of those was at least 4 years ago, maybe 5.  I read mostly fiction, but I prefer even non-fiction in eBook form these days - if they have a lot of pictures I'll read on a tablet instead of my PW2.  Now something like a cookbook, I'm a bit torn about because it's sometimes easier to flip through a cookbook to find a particular recipe.  But honestly, even those now I'm learning to appreciate on my iPad - and truth is I'm more likely to google a recipe these days.  

So yeah - eBooks all the way for me.  I can bump up the font when I want.  I can read in bed without a light disturbing my husband.  I can carry hundreds of books with me when we travel.  I can get books from my library without going to the library (which is the height of laziness for me since I live walking distance from our local library ).  Easy to hold, easy to read, easy to love.


----------



## anguabell (Jan 9, 2011)

I prefer ebooks but read paper books regularly, and still I do not like cookbooks in the ebook format.
The question is, who are "most people"?  As I interact with people from many different countries, from my perspective ebooks still are far from accessible to "most". And as others pointed out, on this forum the answer is obvious .... but hardly statistically accurate


----------



## Douglas E Wright (Mar 11, 2011)

I collect books, signed and not. But I now use the IPad like a paperback. I still read paper, but not as much.


----------



## R. M. Webb (Jul 24, 2014)

I only read ebooks nowadays. I love the ease of being able to have all my books in my purse at once. I feel good about using a digital product rather than a paper product...save the trees and all that. But I miss the feel of physical books sometimes. I loved flipping through the pages, seeing them stack up high on the left side as I progressed through the story...


----------



## 555aaa (Jan 28, 2014)

I like books with a lot of pictures in them and e-books just don't cut it. But I love traveling with the kindle - the simpler e-ink devices, not the fire.  There are also for me certain books that I have a sort of reverence for. Those are the books I have carted around with me for the last thirty or forty years. The physical book has a sense of permanence but the e-book is a ghost in the machine. Is it mine? I never really know.

Just as a point of interest, Publisher's Weekly says that last year hardbacks outsold e-books (in unit sales).


----------



## rachelmedhurst (Jun 25, 2014)

I literally only got an ereader this year. 

I love paperback the most, but I have to admit that the ereader is so convenient. I can even take it in the bath in my sealed sandwich bag!

I like having a mix of both so I'd never give up my paperbacks all together.


----------



## Daniel Harvell (Jun 21, 2013)

Ebooks offers so many advantages over traditional printed books: convenience, take up no additional space, cost less (usually), ease of travel, and so on. I definitely go electronic whenever possible, as do most who responded to the questions. That said, I'm not sure a board dedicated to Kindle readers is the best place to accurately poll what the average reader prefers.


----------



## John Donlan (Sep 20, 2014)

I agree that there are huge advantages to ebooks over printed books. I have a large collection of printed books, though I haven't bought any new ones in years. I just don't have room. Several bookcases filled to the brim takes up a lot of space, and the whole collection could fit on just one kindle or reader with lots of room left over.

Having said that, there's still a lot going for the printed format and I still love the smell and the feel of a traditional book. So while I do prefer the electronic format these days, I don't think I could ever part with my printed collection. Too many great memories attached to them, and too much of a nostalgic value.


----------



## Andra (Nov 19, 2008)

E-books ARE real books.  They just happen to be in a different format.
I've had a Kindle for almost six years now, and I primarily read on it.  It's easier to hold, easier to turn the pages, and I can make the text larger when my eyes are tired.  It also means that I can carry a library around in my purse instead of having to take an extra bag when I travel to hold paper books.  We have several rooms in our house that are wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling bookcases.  They are all full and the paperbacks are double-stacked.  Unless I do a massive purge, we don't have room for many more print books.
I agree with the other who have said that technical manuals are easier to use in paper form.  I tend to get both paper and electronic when I need tech books.  The paper is to read at my desk and highlight as needed.  The electronic copy goes on my Kindle so I have it even when I'm not at my desk.


----------



## Hurricane John (Jul 12, 2010)

I love reading books in all formats, but I've found that as I've grown older and my vision isn't what it use to be, I've come to prefer eBooks.
The convenience of adjusting the font size on my book when my eyes are tired, makes all the difference to me. I can't tell you (before the advent of eBooks and readers) how many times I would pick up a book at the store, only to be disappointed that the font was uncomfortably tiny and had to leave it behind. I tried using reading glasses, but I hated them.


----------



## Hans Cummings (May 16, 2011)

I prefer e-books for reading, but I still buy hardcopies because they look better on my bookshelves. I still leaf through large-format picture books, though, like the type that showcases an artists work (coffee table books, I suppose) and I've found the selection of graphic novels on my Kindle to be lacking (at least for the types I like to read), so I still buy those in print. I like to have both formats for my RPG books, though. Print for general reading & use, and PDF for reference. It really grinds my gears when I can't get both.


----------



## jeffaaronmiller (Jul 17, 2012)

I love the feel of holding a paper book, the weight of it, the action of turning the pages, the smell of the paper. However, e-books are far more convenient to purchase, so I tend to read them most of the time.


----------



## Anna Drake (Sep 22, 2014)

I'm all the way in with e-books. I must admit, though, I read only fiction at this point.


----------



## Maria Romana (Jun 7, 2010)

I must admit, though I love my Kindles for straight reading of both fiction and non-fiction, I can't make the jump with reference materials. I recently bought two referency-type books as ebooks, and I won't be doing it again soon. I blame this on the authors more than the devices. A good reference ebook has to have lots of indexes and linked lists to be useful, since you can't easily "flip through it" to find things. Without that, it's too difficult to quickly locate what I'm looking for, and a simple table of contents just isn't enough.


----------



## John F (May 19, 2014)

It depends. For recreational reading, books I'll only want to read once, I'm happy to borrow them from the library in either format, and ebooks are fine as long as they're free. I haven't bought a Kindle book yet. For any "keepers" it's real books every time. The Kindle simulates highlighting, marginal notes, dog-eared pages, etc., but it's not good enough. And of course if the book has color illustrations...


----------



## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

These days the convenience of being able to instantly read an ebook outweighs my desire to go to bookstores, but I believe both can coexist nicely in this world. Plenty of room for both.


----------



## Instant (Oct 10, 2014)

I understand the convenience of ebooks, but I still prefer having a shelf full of books.


----------



## Russell Brooks (Dec 23, 2010)

Although I love eBooks, lately I've been reading hard cover novels that I borrowed from the library. I mostly read eBooks when I'm travelling.


----------



## scottmarlowe (Apr 22, 2010)

I read both eBooks and paper books. I like the feel of a physical book, but also the convenience of digital. I'll read eBooks on my Kindle or iPad, though I generally prefer my Kindle. I'll even read on my phone if I'm out and about and need something to do.


----------



## britnidanielle (Oct 13, 2013)

I love both. I was firmly in the no ebooks EVER category until I got a newer phone with a bigger screen & DL'ed the Kindle app. Now, I find myself 1-clicking A LOT of stuff. I also look for ebook versions of the books I wanna buy, and as long as it's MUCH cheaper than the paperbook price, I roll with the ebook. If it's a trad book and the ebook is priced high (like $9 or $10), I just get the paperback.


----------



## Sam Kates (Aug 28, 2012)

After reading two or three books on my Kindle, I yearn for paper; after reading two or three paperbacks, I yearn for my Kindle. So I alternate. Works for me


----------



## Adrian P (Aug 5, 2014)

Okay, I'll be the guy who says he actually still kind of prefers books!


----------



## KateEllison (Jul 9, 2011)

I really love ebooks. I like buying something and having it instantly, I like how light it is, I like the privacy of the ereader, etc. However, I prefer to read nonfiction in paper.


----------



## christlewis (Oct 18, 2014)

Hi!

For me, I like reading on Ebook because it's fast and don't have to carry any book with me.

But I think a lots of people when they are crazy or totally in love with specific books, they will buy all collections of that book. That could be ebook, paperback, and even hardcover.


----------



## Guest (Oct 20, 2014)

madelyneld said:


> That's right, I wasn't even thinking about nonfiction. I also prefer physical copies of reference books, especially my D&D Player's Handbook.  (Good thing for me, because I don't think it's available in digital form).


http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/browse/pub/44/Wizards-of-the-Coast

It is all PDF format, however. I use EZ PDF Reader on my Fire to read PDFs. But there are other PDF reader options. Almost all of my gaming resources are PDF format.


----------

