Print vs. eReaders – The Ongoing Debate

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eBooks, Kindle, New York City, Nook, NYC, NYC Subway system, print books, readers, reading, straphangers

Whether a book is better than an eReader, or vice versa, will be discussed until one of them dies out for good. Recently, an article was featured on the Huffington Post about this topic, but with an angle that tickled my fancy.

Click here for original source

This article, written by a mobile and web design company, Fueled, talks about how New York subways riders do their reading while traveling on one of the world’s largest transit systems. It notes while many use Kindles or other tablets, traditional books are still the norm:

A typical subway experience can be an adventure: riders sitting in more than one seat, straphangers bobbing to their music, the crazies, the snoozers, the gamers and the readers. Some readers prefer their handheld devices, holding on to a pole with one hand and their tablet with the other. But many still crack open their books to escape into another world.

I am one of these commuters. I take the train to and from work five times a week, and on most weekends, I am using the train to get around the city. I’m part of both groups. I have the Kindle app on my iPhone, which I used to read Francis J. Franklin’s Suzie and the Monsters. I am now using it to read a book on personal finance and investment.

But I still bring a traditional book with me to and from work. I do this mostly because I have plenty of books to read, and they are all print books. I am not sure what I will do once I complete all the books on my shelf, but right now, I am not taking sides on the print versus eReader debate.

However, there has been talk that eReaders such as Kindles or Nooks are declining in sales. While eBooks are still popular, there is a sense that they will not put traditional books into extinction.

The aforementioned article makes these points:

There are a number of things to consider in the battle between paper and pixel: cost, physical limitations, reading comprehension and interactive capabilities to name a few. Paper prevails in every measure.

There is something about a bookmark sticking out of your novel that entreats one to pick it back up and give it more quality time. Yes it’s helpful to roll over a word for a definition; but life is about tradeoffs and for many the tactile pleasures of paper are priceless.

People approach computers and tablets with a state of mind that is less conducive to learning than the one they bring to paper. Some studies even suggest that people read slower, less accurately and less comprehensively on screens than on paper because our brain processes printed digital and printed text in different ways.

I agree traditional books are better than eBooks, which sounds totally hypocritical of me since I self-published my book through Amazon Kindle and Smashwords – making my book exclusively for the eBook crowd. But despite this, I do think eBooks have a place in this world. I believe eventually, eReaders and tablets will find ways to make eBooks as personal as print books. I don’t know how exactly, because I am not a tech person, but I don’t think eBooks are a flash in the pan. They wouldn’t have lasted this long or have been this successful if they did not have an appeal.

As long as I am a self-published author, I will release my books as eBooks because it is much easier for me. However, I will use CreateSpace for special editions of my work. I am planning to release print copies of my vampire trilogy, The End of Eternity, once I published the third book, which won’t be for some time. Unless, however, technology changes or the self-publishing craze takes a dramatic turn. And it could, as I had discuss in a previous post where I compared the self-publishing excitement to the California Gold Rush.

These are exciting yet uncertain times for readers, publishers and the book industry. I think the HuffPo article mentioned here is showing New Yorkers, well known for reading during their commutes all over the metropolitan area, are an illustration of the uncertain future of books. The final paragraph sums it all up:

NYC subway riders embrace e-readers for a number of reasons, most notably: portability, accessibility and convenience. Is print dead? Not necessarily. Print doesn’t have to become obsolete for digital to flourish; they’re different and complementing experiences. Our world is increasingly immersed in technology. Let’s hold on to this special treasure for a little while longer. At least until the next stop.

The End of Print Books?

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digital revolution, E-Book, eBook, eBooks, Kindle, print books, technology

I’m sure many of you heard of today’s news about how adult fiction eBooks outsold hardcover books in 2011 for the very first time. While this Reuters article claims that print books of all kinds – hardcover, mass market and trade paperback – still outnumber eBooks in sales, today’s report has made it clear that eBooks are here to stay and their popularity could more than likely continue to rise in the future.

As a result, writers and readers across the board are probably wondering if print books will become obsolete in the years to come. For example, take a look at CDs. Ever since the iPod came along and music lovers could download whatever song they wanted off the Internet, sales of CDs went down. I remember going to Best Buy ten years ago and having no problem finding the CDs. There were endless rows of them and I would spend a long while checking out the various artists that were displayed. Nowadays, when I buy CDs for my parents, I have to hunt for that section. Those endless rows of various genres have now been reduced to three or four rows altogether. Even the CD section of my local Target has been rearranged to accommodate the poor demand for them. It almost looks pathetic to even have a CD section in a major store because not too many people need them anymore. Why spend $14.99 on something that you could get online for $9.99? Better yet, why buy an entire CD because you like one song from someone when you could easily get that sole song online?

This simplistic attitude is much like readers who choose to read their stories off eBooks. It is easier to store several books on a device rather than to pack all of them for a trip. It also prevents anyone from knowing what a person is reading because no device advertizes the book cover for the public to see (hence why so many women feel at ease reading Fifty Shades of Grey). Ebooks are also a lot slimmer than a book, the spots to place them are kind of endless. For example, if a woman reads an eBook while traveling to work, she could easily slip the device into her shoulder bag once she reaches her stop. With a print book, she would have to worry about squeezing it into her bag and hope it doesn’t get damaged.

Those are good points, I admit. But there is nothing like holding a book in your hands. The aroma of the pages. The excitement of turning the pages during a suspenseful scene. It feels more intimate, I think, to use a traditional book to do your reading. I don’t think you can get that from a digital screen.

But time will tell. There are some humans who adapt to the changing times and go with the flow. I do think by the end of this decade, books will be like those CD sections in Best Buy and Target. Sad, especially since there is nothing like going to a bookstore and spending a day there. But it is highly possible.

I don’t want to start lamenting over the beginning of the end of books, really I don’t! I do think there is hope that the print book will survive this digital revolution. I may be dead wrong, though. Humans evolve, we always have. And who knows, maybe down the road the eBook will open new doors for everyone – and not just indie authors like me. This is a journey we are all on, and I have to admit, it could be both scary and exciting at the same time. So, let’s fasten our safety belts and hang on tight!