I have never been a fan of e-readers. Just another thing to break down. But give me a book that was my mother’s or grandmother’s and I feel them turning the pages with me.
I'm glad audiobooks were mentioned. They offer freedom to move, and are more of a 'performance' of the book. It is also special when the author is the reader (yay Terry!) and when there are bonus 'easter eggs', like the song More Than The Game embedded. The main disadvantage of audiobooks is when there are many characters, some similar sounding, and the name literally goes in one ear and out the other.... Who said that?? oh well. Luckily, this really isn't an issue with first-person narration.
I second Dave about mentioning audiobooks. For me, I like listening to audiobooks when going to bed. Also handy when travelling. If I wake up in the middle of the night and can’t fall asleep, will listen to a bit more. But I always preview an audiobook first to hear the narrator speak to see if he/she sounds good reading the words and if it’s the author, then bonus. Otherwise, I still buy several physical books each year rather than buying the ebook version and even more physical cookbooks, which I love.
The one advantage you don’t mention about ebooks is the ability to enlarge the print. I’d love to read real books but find it a strain to manage the print size with my fading eyes.
Yes, definite advantage to be able to enlarge the font! My first reading device was a Blackberry Playbook -- how very Canadian, eh? Bookshelves of old leatherbound books make a room cozy, but why is the print getting smaller and smaller in paperbooks?
An outstanding point that I should have included (I'll go back in and add it) because I use that function often as I age. Thanks for pointing this out.
When we sold our farm and downsized to this much smaller house, we lost our beautiful library. We have gradually given away most of our books (to university students and charities) and my recent purchases are read and then shared in our Little Free Library. I miss my old books but find that I can access most texts electronically when I need to. I love gifting the community with new books through the LFL - not something I could do with a kobo. Your newsletters always give me something to think about. With thanks,
Right now, my wife and I are trying to get ready to move, so that means culling books. I'm finding this agonizing, especially for books that have been patiently waiting on the shelf of the unread for years and now have to be told that they are being downsized. If I had switched to e-books, keeping them all would be no problem, so that's another point for the pro vs. con list.
Thanks for the informative piece, Terry. If there's one lesson that stands out, it's that forecasting based on linear projection of current trends is often wrong. Possibly including the return to paper. Who knows how long paper will be cool among the Z's?
I was quite interested in the audio book data and the Substack link. I am not a fan as I find audio books take too much time. However, I know many people enjoy them and it seems to depend on lifestyle (commuting to work, traveling by car, walking). Very interesting column. I do love your books!!
I'm not sure if library purchases figure in to this discussion, however in my pre-retirement Municipal role, I lobbied on behalf of our Library, due to the licensing of e-books. While a physical copy (book or CDROM) would last for many years, the e-book version was priced around 3x, and had an expiry after about a dozen downloads. This was 10 years ago, so my memory is (quite) fuzzy on the details, however this is what precluded the library expansion of e-book collections. Not sure if this has changed. Hopefully this somehow benefits the authors of the material.
Excellent point, Dave. I don't know what has happened on that front since. But a later comment below notes that when Rakuten bought Kobo, you could no longer download library ebooks through Libby onto the Kobo device. That's unfortunate.
This post mirrors my own experience Terry, only about 5% of my books sold are in e-pub version.
I also find, despite the convenience of e-book features, the weight and small screen (I use my iPhone - and find the large iPad too big) are prohibitive.
Very interesting, Terry. Great charts and information. With rakuten's purchase of kobo, we can no longer use the Libby app to download library e-books to our kobo, so that limits usage as well.
I prefer paper but love my iPad when travelling. Also many devices of all kinds break down these days and repairs are hard to come by. My paper books don't break down but I do remember lending one of my hard cover books to my boss and he let his wee kids use it for scribbling. Never offered to replace it, either. I hardly ever lend my books now but still have a couple of trustworthy friends who will care for my books just as I would.
Interesting to see how the comparative sales have changed since e-books came out.
I will always choose physical books over electronic. A book is a sensory experience for me. I need to hold it, feel it, smell the ink and paper. My only problem is having the space to keep my favourite friends that I will return to over and over again.
Fascinating information (and discussion in the comments)! As an English professor (recently retired), I've been deeply attached to the physical book for decades. That said, it's been a painful process to downsize my collection in retirement :-). I'll add that I'm currently reading Margaret Atwood's memoir before bed, at almost 600 pages giving my arms quite a workout: perhaps an e-reader is a good idea for books of a certain length and gravity :-)
Years ago, I crushed e-readers twice that never quite made it out of the way in my bed after I fell asleep. Those were costly roll overs! Since then, paperback pages might dip a little into the bath water at night when I relax in a tub, but the curl merely adds character to a story well enjoyed. And when I travel, I like to take Canadian writers in paperback and when finished, leave them in places visited for others to discover our wealth of talent.
I do love my Kindle - I mean who doesn't love free books? I also love that I can change the display to accommodate Irlen Syndrome as well as enlarging the font for these weary eyes. Having said that - Any book I want to read more than once I buy as a real book. So that includes yours. Ebooks are like popcorn and chips - quickly and easily consumed. But any book worth savouring, has to be a real one.
I read the many books on paper. Scholastic, those of passing interest
or non fiction generally on my phone so l can whip it out anywhere any time. I am reading The Prime Ministers on my phone for example. I did have a kobo. Cannot be bothered now.
I have never been a fan of e-readers. Just another thing to break down. But give me a book that was my mother’s or grandmother’s and I feel them turning the pages with me.
What a lovely way to put it. Thanks.
Wow....I could have sworn they were more influential.
You're not alone.
I'm glad audiobooks were mentioned. They offer freedom to move, and are more of a 'performance' of the book. It is also special when the author is the reader (yay Terry!) and when there are bonus 'easter eggs', like the song More Than The Game embedded. The main disadvantage of audiobooks is when there are many characters, some similar sounding, and the name literally goes in one ear and out the other.... Who said that?? oh well. Luckily, this really isn't an issue with first-person narration.
Good points, Dave. Yes I think a post about audiobooks is something I should consider.
I second Dave about mentioning audiobooks. For me, I like listening to audiobooks when going to bed. Also handy when travelling. If I wake up in the middle of the night and can’t fall asleep, will listen to a bit more. But I always preview an audiobook first to hear the narrator speak to see if he/she sounds good reading the words and if it’s the author, then bonus. Otherwise, I still buy several physical books each year rather than buying the ebook version and even more physical cookbooks, which I love.
The one advantage you don’t mention about ebooks is the ability to enlarge the print. I’d love to read real books but find it a strain to manage the print size with my fading eyes.
Yes, definite advantage to be able to enlarge the font! My first reading device was a Blackberry Playbook -- how very Canadian, eh? Bookshelves of old leatherbound books make a room cozy, but why is the print getting smaller and smaller in paperbooks?
An outstanding point that I should have included (I'll go back in and add it) because I use that function often as I age. Thanks for pointing this out.
When we sold our farm and downsized to this much smaller house, we lost our beautiful library. We have gradually given away most of our books (to university students and charities) and my recent purchases are read and then shared in our Little Free Library. I miss my old books but find that I can access most texts electronically when I need to. I love gifting the community with new books through the LFL - not something I could do with a kobo. Your newsletters always give me something to think about. With thanks,
What a lovely idea!
Right now, my wife and I are trying to get ready to move, so that means culling books. I'm finding this agonizing, especially for books that have been patiently waiting on the shelf of the unread for years and now have to be told that they are being downsized. If I had switched to e-books, keeping them all would be no problem, so that's another point for the pro vs. con list.
Thanks for the informative piece, Terry. If there's one lesson that stands out, it's that forecasting based on linear projection of current trends is often wrong. Possibly including the return to paper. Who knows how long paper will be cool among the Z's?
Excellent points, Jack. All the best with the downsizing. Losing books is painful.
I was quite interested in the audio book data and the Substack link. I am not a fan as I find audio books take too much time. However, I know many people enjoy them and it seems to depend on lifestyle (commuting to work, traveling by car, walking). Very interesting column. I do love your books!!
I'm not sure if library purchases figure in to this discussion, however in my pre-retirement Municipal role, I lobbied on behalf of our Library, due to the licensing of e-books. While a physical copy (book or CDROM) would last for many years, the e-book version was priced around 3x, and had an expiry after about a dozen downloads. This was 10 years ago, so my memory is (quite) fuzzy on the details, however this is what precluded the library expansion of e-book collections. Not sure if this has changed. Hopefully this somehow benefits the authors of the material.
Excellent point, Dave. I don't know what has happened on that front since. But a later comment below notes that when Rakuten bought Kobo, you could no longer download library ebooks through Libby onto the Kobo device. That's unfortunate.
This post mirrors my own experience Terry, only about 5% of my books sold are in e-pub version.
I also find, despite the convenience of e-book features, the weight and small screen (I use my iPhone - and find the large iPad too big) are prohibitive.
On a slightly different note, your thoughts on audio-books books would be interesting to me. No doubt you saw Ken Whyte’s post Friday on the matter. https://substack.com/@shush/note/p-183937620?r=18ib20&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action
Thanks, Doug. Yes, a post about audiobooks is probably something I should pursue. And yes, I read the Shush post you cited. Interesting.
Very interesting, Terry. Great charts and information. With rakuten's purchase of kobo, we can no longer use the Libby app to download library e-books to our kobo, so that limits usage as well.
I didn't know that about Kobo and Libby. That's a shame.
I prefer paper but love my iPad when travelling. Also many devices of all kinds break down these days and repairs are hard to come by. My paper books don't break down but I do remember lending one of my hard cover books to my boss and he let his wee kids use it for scribbling. Never offered to replace it, either. I hardly ever lend my books now but still have a couple of trustworthy friends who will care for my books just as I would.
Interesting to see how the comparative sales have changed since e-books came out.
I will always choose physical books over electronic. A book is a sensory experience for me. I need to hold it, feel it, smell the ink and paper. My only problem is having the space to keep my favourite friends that I will return to over and over again.
I hear you Melanie. There is definitely something about holding a book in your hands.
Fascinating information (and discussion in the comments)! As an English professor (recently retired), I've been deeply attached to the physical book for decades. That said, it's been a painful process to downsize my collection in retirement :-). I'll add that I'm currently reading Margaret Atwood's memoir before bed, at almost 600 pages giving my arms quite a workout: perhaps an e-reader is a good idea for books of a certain length and gravity :-)
Years ago, I crushed e-readers twice that never quite made it out of the way in my bed after I fell asleep. Those were costly roll overs! Since then, paperback pages might dip a little into the bath water at night when I relax in a tub, but the curl merely adds character to a story well enjoyed. And when I travel, I like to take Canadian writers in paperback and when finished, leave them in places visited for others to discover our wealth of talent.
I do love my Kindle - I mean who doesn't love free books? I also love that I can change the display to accommodate Irlen Syndrome as well as enlarging the font for these weary eyes. Having said that - Any book I want to read more than once I buy as a real book. So that includes yours. Ebooks are like popcorn and chips - quickly and easily consumed. But any book worth savouring, has to be a real one.
I read the many books on paper. Scholastic, those of passing interest
or non fiction generally on my phone so l can whip it out anywhere any time. I am reading The Prime Ministers on my phone for example. I did have a kobo. Cannot be bothered now.