The Sword and Laser discussion
Who else here has moved to full digital reading and why ?
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I did. Because I don't like physical good anymore. I'm moving away from owning too much "stuff". Physical books take up space. That's it for me. Pretty simple.
I made the switch years ago. I wasn't much of a reader growing up or in college. Then I decided to install a reader app on my Handspring (yeah, I had one of those), I was then hooked on anything I could read on-the-go. Of course back then I was only able to transfer about 20 books, unlike my 200+ I keep on my tablet now. Happy e-reading!!
I'm digital for about 90% now. It's more ecologically sound, keeps my extant bookshelves neater, and my librarian wife is a crazy infoninja, able to find almost any text, legally, and zip it to my phone in sixty seconds.
Mod
I live in a remote area and hate having to wait for books to be delivered or having to drive for hours to get to a book store.
and also my old eyes cannot read the print on some books. Having the option to enlarge font size is a major plus for me.
95% digital for grown-ups other than what we have already or hobby-related books which require large pictures/photos/plans. I will spring for lovely hard copies of graphic novels too. 95% paper for the kids, because at 7 and 2yo that's what's right for them - lots of illustrations. We do have some books on our Kindles for them to read - it's very handy if we ever get stuck in traffic or in a waiting room. We've also promised eldest her own Kindle in a few years time.I never thought I would do the switch completely because I've always been a huge lover of treasure-hunting through second-hand shops, but I got my Kindle two months after my youngest was born and it was just *so* much less hassle. I could read one-handed whilst walking her to sleep, handle it whilst she was nursing or snoozing in my lap, etc etc. And the text-to-speech is a godsend, too. Finally I've picked up so many novels for 99p that I probably never would have bothered to spend £5.99 for.
I made the switch last Christmas. And I think I have read more the last year than I ever have in a year ever. If someone had told me at the beginning of the year that I would read 100 plus books in the year I would have scoffed - 100 books! It still sounds insane.My original reason for getting a kindle was for convenience. A kindle can contain a library of books but is more portable than any single book mostly.
But what I also found is that I feel more socially out of place reading a DTE in a crowded place and so would rarely consider taking a paperback on a train or to a park - but a digital device feels more socially acceptable - so I find more opportunity to read.
On top of that the ease of access means I see I want I buy on the spot I read. Whereas with DTE - I see or hear about a book - I want - I make plans to go to the library or bookstore - I procrastinate or forget - If I do remember they don't have it unless its very new - or unless I forget who the author was or what the title was - so I read less.
Full digital here since my old Windows Mobile PDA. Convenience was the reason I first made the switch but now with my iPad, I find that the backlight is much easier on my eyes. I can read for hours on an e-reader with no issues but get migraines when I switch back to paper novels. My paper limit is about an hour tops before I have to stop for a break.
I'm pretty much all digital; it takes a book signing or something like it to get me buying a physical book.I have a kindle, but most of my reading happens on the phone simply because it's always there. I can't even imagine being without a book now. Well, maybe I can, but it's a dark, boring place that I prefer not to dwell upon...
I'm mostly digital. Some books I want to read don't have electronic/audio versions, and some people still give me DTE's. And I've been known to buy a book in an airport so I have something for takeoff and landing....but I've had a kindle for 3.5 years, I love it.
I vary - sometimes I'm about 50/50, others I'm almost 100% digital. This month I've read one paper copy, I think, but the rest have been digital. I read fast so not having to carry a spare book in case I finish is a godsend for me! I prefer paper copies on the bus coz I live in a slightly scrotty area, but I've found if I'm discrete enough I've not got hassle... Usually though, paper books are either library (my local one doesn't do ebooks), second hand, or I've had for ages...On the other hand, I do still prefer non-fiction as a physical book - something about the way I read is different it seems. I don't seem to digest the information as well.
Mostly digital. I too don't want too have too much physical stuff.
I too have mostly converted to digital myself. Although I do still purchase hardcovers of the books I love (The Hobbit)
I moved to reading books on a kindle out of convenience. I would still like to keep a physical paperback but currently I still live with my parents and I don't want to hoard books when there's a possibility of me moving around.
I'm about 50/50 so far. I got myself a kindle in preparation for a year abroad in Japan; the idea of not having all my books around me actually made me feel sick, and very uncomfortable, and the kindle solved that problem. But I still have a ton of paperbacks I haven't read, plus people lend me books, or I read library books, and there are some non-fiction books I need for my studies that aren't yet available in e-book format.I do adore the convenience of the kindle, and will be more likely, if there is the choice, to pick books for class that ARE available for the kindle, as it it so much better for making notes and bringing to class, and reading just a little bit whenever I have a moment. I still can't seem to resist having my real books around me though; I'm a sucker for over-filled bookcases. Oh, and I still buy more than I have time to read currently. I feel better when my kindle is full of unread books.
As a student of Japanese, I'd probably have a lot more digital than solid if I could get Japanese books for my kindle. Kindle has just taken off over there, and I want to fill up on manga! Alas, I have nothing that allows me to use that yet, though if I have the money, I'd be very temped to get a Japanese kindle as well. :)
Digital all the way for me primarily due to lack of need to store things physically as well as being able to have my content whenever I want as I always have some type of device to read them near me.Now of course this is only as good as I have power for such devices, but I'm thinking if I ever run into such a dilemma I have bigger problems. :)
I'm not 100% digital (and probably won't ever be, given the size of my physical collection) but this year I've read 59 digital out of 78 total. The big impact is in buying -- I almost never buy physical editions any more unless there's some specific reason (I want to be able to lend it, I already have the rest of the series physically, it's a fancy small-press edition, etc.).I still wish (vainly, I know) that there was an easy and inexpensive way to get eBook editions of physical books I own without rebuying them at full digital price. Ah, well.
Ruth wrote: "I'm about 50/50 so far. I got myself a kindle in preparation for a year abroad in Japan; the idea of not having all my books around me actually made me feel sick, and very uncomfortable, and the ki..."I think that would have made a difference to me - I really missed my books when I was one my year abroad (Russia for me), although it did force me to read more books not in English over the year... I'm now seriously thinking about how best to go about getting hold of ebooks in Russian now though - thanks for the inspiration!
Joseph wrote: "I still wish (vainly, I know) that there was an easy and inexpensive way to get eBook editions of physical books I own without rebuying them at full digital price."
There is, it just isn't legal >.< Well not clearly legal - the law at the moment seems (quel suprise) rather confused about whether you are breaking the law if you download a copy of something you legally own in another format. If I was rich I'd do it then pay someone to sue me so that we could get clear law, but then I'm odd :P
Mod
I'm still pretty anti-digital. I can afford the space of physical books. I think too many people put all their trust in "the cloud".
There are all kind of issues that are going to crop up in the coming years that both companies and consumers aren't ready to handle.
What happens when the company hosting all your content goes bankrupt? Or they decide to suddenly change their access/bandwidth policies?
Not to mention they still have no real good ways to manage your content.
How to do you pass along your books/movies/music to your kids? To their kids? What if you want to split up your parent's collection among several people?
How do I transfer the files I want to my account while my sister transfers the files she wants to hers?
I know several people who are married with kids. They have one account shared by everyone. There is no way to really partition your stuff. What do kids do when they move out?
Do they continue to use your account forever? Do they start their own account and re-buy their entire collection. The content distributors certainly hope so.
A lot of this has work-arounds, but none of them are very good in my opinion.
And none of that ever starts to address loaning a book/movie/album I legitimately own to a friend of mine.
Until they work these issues out, I'm staying mostly physical in all forms of media.
I can't imagine ever being full digital since e-book pricing is such a ripoff, especially when places like Amazon often sell the dead tree versions for less than the e-book version. All I really read on digital is free stuff or cheap indie stuff. I've found some of the latter to actually be very good so its not necessarily a bad thing.Not to mention physical book stores often have sales that are far cheaper than digital. For instance just two weeks ago I picked up six of the Malazan series books for $5 each on a buy any 3 for $15 dollar sale. These normally go for $9.99 and are that or more for the kindle.
I got my kindle last February but didn't really start using it until I joined S&L. Now I'd say I'm about 50/50. If I have a book series in physical form (like ASOIAF) I'll keep it in that form. If a physical book is cheaper, I'll buy that (like Old Man's War was $6 physical before the kindle version was the daily deal). It also depends on the formatting of the physical book. If the writing is hard to read or too small, I'll get the ebook. I like the portability of my kindle but I still love dead tree books.
Im mostly digital but sometimes there's an offer on a boxset, im also a big sucker for second hand book shops im gonna have to get out of that as I have no room left but I love a bargain.
I've been reading mostly digital for some time (ever since my Palm). Now with my iPad, it's about 99.9%. Reasons: -I can't make the print size large enough to read
-easier to return books to library, instead of having to drive there
-I can always have a book with me, and it's not as heavy to carry as paper books
Hmm interesting topic.I had 100s of books but I constantly was moving. I would really only read them once and mostly give them to libraries or loose them in the move.
Then I got one of the earliest Kindles. I immediately loved it. I used Amazon to to buy books and got some free ones too. I also found a lot books on the internet. And with Calibre I can easily transfer them to my Kindle.
So I just love the Kindle and I have 3 of them. I switched cause free books and small enough to read on the subway.
Virtually all digital. Mainly for convenience... For example, Scalzi mentioned Toby Buckell's new book. I like the Xenowealth series, so... off I went to Toby's site. $4.99 later I downloaded the book and read it. I couldn't do that with paper... I'd have to note it somewhere, remember to look for it next time I was in a book store... And here's the sad thing... I LOVE bookstores. I love browsing, finding stuff, etc. What I really want are the big publishers to realize that DRM helps Amazon, doesn't help them and hurts the rest of the book sellers. Go without DRM, develop a system that lets any book seller sell your ebooks. I'd LOVE to buy DRM free ebooks from the independent store near me.
I'm almost there. I was so resistant to ebooks until I got a Kindle, but I was also resistant to MP3 players. Now I only buy physical books when my favorite authors release a new title.
I was resistant to e-books for a long time. I even told a friend that I would never get an eReader because I didnt like the way they felt. The turning point was when my girlfriend gave me a Kindle Fire for Christmas last year. Now the only physical books I get are presents from family; one of my aunts gives me a book for my birthday and Christmas every year.
I use ebooks just because I work in the bush for long periods of time. They are lighter and are more accessible when a store isn't immediately present. But I don't like it. I prefer to walk into a book store and browse the shelves for books that I would never have boughten without seeing them there. (the recommended lists just don't seem to cut it like browsing does).
But my main issue with Ebooks is that they end up being the exact same price as a paper book. I have a hard time looking at the price of an ebook and saying "yes, this really is worth it." If you don't want to kill your phones battery, you have to buy an ereader ($100-300) and then on top of that, buy new release book and pay $18 for the kindle version when the Hardcover is $21. I have even seen a few books whose ebook version was more expensive than the paper book (few and far between I know).
I miss my paper books...
I still read paper books from time to time, but it comes down to a few simple things1. Convenience: I can buy anywhere, read anywhere on any devices.
2. Volume: I never read books more than once. I don't have the space or want endless books sitting on my shelf taking up space. It just ends up as clutter.
3. Time: I cannot read library books fast enough.
4. Price: After the initial reader purchase, they are almost always cheaper.
You know how most ebooks are generally cheaper, I would love it if amazon would start selling both version together for a bit extra. Just like how when you buy a bluray, you get multiple version, buy the physical book, get the digital copy as well(and maybe even the audible version). Some books that i love, I would like to have them physically, to have at home and display on my shelf, but if I'm out and about, bring a kindle is much easier than lugging around a physical book.
Rob wrote: "I'm a big cynic/curmudgeon.I'm still pretty anti-digital. I can afford the space of physical books. I think too many people put all their trust in "the cloud".
There are all kind of issues that ..."
I think a lot of that comes down to how to you read and whether the DRM really impacts you. I do not have a hoarders mentality. I do not have the need to physically own all of the media I consume. I no longer purchase movies because of Netflix. Most of my video game purchases I download. Same with books and it all largely is because I plan on only consuming most of it once and then never touching it again.
Music is really the only media I routinely go back to the content.
David Sven wrote: But what I also found is that I feel more socially out of place reading a DTE in a crowded place and so would rarely consider taking a paperback on a train or to a park - but a digital device feels more socially acceptable - so I find more opportunity to read. this makes me cringe. What kind of society do we live in where reading a book is less socially acceptable than having your eyes glued to a screen?! If this is what our future holds, I really don't want to be apart of it!
Kp wrote: " David Sven wrote: But what I also found is that I feel more socially out of place reading a DTE in a crowded place and so would rarely consider taking a paperback on a train or to a park - but a d..."The curse of introverts having to live in an extrovert's world.
Susan Cain: The power of introverts
The Power of Introverts: Pt.1
I'm almost 100% digital. I recently moved country and the cost to bring my physical library with me was way too high plus I'd have no where to store it. My books are stored with a relative so I can one day look at moving them. My Kindle makes things so much easier though I don't mind picking up a cheap book at a second-hand store and I have physical copies of reference books.
Not me. I still read tree books. As I usually have a couple of books on the go it makes things easier. Also I read in the bath which isn't ideal for a Kindle. I tend to re read a lot of short excerpt books before bed as well.I love my kindle though and it is far more convenient for carry books around.
Alexandra wrote: "Not me. I still read tree books. As I usually have a couple of books on the go it makes things easier. Also I read in the bath which isn't ideal for a Kindle. I tend to re read a lot of short exce..."Kindle or paper. Either one gets dropped in and it probably isn't coming back.
Alexandra wrote: "Not me. I still read tree books. As I usually have a couple of books on the go it makes things easier. Also I read in the bath which isn't ideal for a Kindle. I tend to re read a lot of short exce..."I put it in a clear Ziploc baggy. Works great for bath reading
Alexandra wrote: "Not me. I still read tree books. As I usually have a couple of books on the go it makes things easier."I read multiple books at the same time on my Kindle. It's really easy.
Kp wrote: "Alexandra wrote: "Not me. I still read tree books. As I usually have a couple of books on the go it makes things easier. Also I read in the bath which isn't ideal for a Kindle. I tend to re read a..."Hah, I use the plastic bags too, to read in the tub!
It is more I have certain books I read before bed and as yet they aren't on kindle. There are certain books I buy as hard copies. Not many now.
Matthew wrote: "Alexandra wrote: "Not me. I still read tree books. As I usually have a couple of books on the go it makes things easier. Also I read in the bath which isn't ideal for a Kindle. I tend to re read a..."Lol, well a paper book you can dry out. I dropped a few before now, pages go all crinkly:(
I am writing this on my kindle fire now. But, I am not entirely e-reader. Not all books are available in that format and I am not going to deny myself the pleasure of reading a book because it's not been Kindled.
Kp wrote: "I use ebooks just because I work in the bush for long periods of time. They are lighter and are more accessible when a store isn't immediately present. But I don't like it. I prefer to walk into ..."
Most books on the Kindle are $9.99 or free. I guess new book will cost more. And you can almost always find books for free online.
Matthew wrote: "Kp wrote: " David Sven wrote: But what I also found is that I feel more socially out of place reading a DTE in a crowded place and so would rarely consider taking a paperback on a train or to a par..."I enjoyed those links. Thank you.
I made the switch to over a year ago with my purchase of the original Kindle Fire. My primary reason was because I wanted to reduce clutter. Plus, having any substantial book collection can be a huge headache if you ever have to move. I also love the immediacy of digital books. You select a book, pay for it (unless it's free) and you can instantly begin reading. I also switched completely to digital comics for the same reason. However, the price of most digital comic books is pretty steep, but Comixology has frequent sales, including ones on titles I'm interested in. Personally I have no regrets going digital.
Most of what I read is digital, and being quite hard up, I tend to scour the free indie lists. There's no way I'll pay 8 or 9 quid for a new release ebook (I might still pay that for a signed hardback though). Also, the adjustable fonts are much better on my ageing eyes.I don't buy MMPs at all now, because the text is just too small for me to read comfortably, but there are still a lot of times (far too many) when the DTE is cheaper than the ebook. And there is the nonsense of not being able to get (legally) an ebook in one country when it's available everywhere else.
I'm french ( I am 40) and for years I was ordering my scifi/fantasy from a bookstore in Chicago and then when Amazon rose up I switched to them.
The main issue I was encountering was that like many avid readers/collectors I ended up buying a lot more books than I could read and ended up with a huge to-read pile that kept growing and growing.
Then in 2000 I moved up to Colorado for work ( I'm still there) and I was faced with the the choice of only being able to bring a few of my books with me. I ended up bringing 100s or so out of a collection of 1300.
The first 10 years in the United States my reading habit took a back seat to video gaming and my collection stopped growing as much but still I had a huge pile of unread books, some of them I have to admit I wasn't so interested in reading anymore.
Then two years ago I bought a kindle and suddenly I became an avid reader again.
The Kindle solved two problems for me :
- It gave me access to my whole book collections again ( as I started rebuying in digital edition the titles I already had).
- It solved the un-read pile problem. Being able to buy an e-book and start reading it 5 seconds later means I don't have to buy books in advance anymore. I buy what I want to read now and nothing more. If I want to keep track of potentially interesting books I use the wish-list feature.
Since I got my first kindle I haven't touched a print book, I even bought digital copies of book whose print version I actually had on hand..
Since then I have moved to the kindle fire ( it might not be deemed as good for reading as a standard Kindle but personally I like it much better), started reading digital comics for relatively cheap too and my reading is up to 100 novels or so a year while it had been down to 10 or the previous 10 years...( I have a lot of catching up to do...)
So, who else did the switch and why ?