Discussion posts are some of my favourite posts to read. New ideas get shared that way, or old ideas are revisited and given a new spin. And of course, I get to be my opinionated self as I hoist my views upon others, while pretending to be objective. Or maybe not. I do welcome alternate views and I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
When it comes down to it, eBooks do entail a whole set of problems, which should deter any sane person from going anywhere near them. Now let me count the ways:
- DRM downright sucks. Unless readers break the DRM on their purchases, they’re locked into particular devices to read those eBooks.
- Terrible formatting makes it difficult to read some eBooks. Ever had what was supposed to be a single page split into 4 pages?
- Lending eBooks to friends either isn’t as simple as with physical books or isn’t possible at all.
- Neither is borrowing eBooks from friends simple or always possible.
- Reselling and buying second-hand is not an option.
- eBooks can’t be opened without an electronic device. Physical books are self-sufficient.
- eBook readers need to be charged.
- While PDF allows for fixed formatting that is always clean, zooming in on PDFs is a nightmare on eBook readers.
- Readers who always have a pencil in hand can’t make their mark so easily.
- Buying eBooks technically means buying the licenses to read them.
- It’s difficult to cite quotes from eBooks in the absence of page numbers.
- Geographical restrictions on eBook stores can limit the access to eBooks. Geographical restrictions rarely are a problem when ordering books online.
- eBooks are dependent on software. Better hope your eBook formats never become obsolete. Physical books on the other hand have survived for centuries.
- Did I mention that formatting can be horrible? Yeah, that’s my main gripe.
Alas, despite all these problems, I still like my eBooks. They’re easily available, as long as I have an Internet connection. Overdrive and Onleihe have great selections of titles through my library memberships, so I can borrow books without ever having to worry about overdue library fines. Lighting conditions have no impact on my reading thanks to my Kindle Paperwhite and my iPad.
If you don’t like reading eBooks, it’s probably not such a great loss on your part, given all these problems with eBooks. In fact, not reading eBooks can save quite the headache. But I also think anyone who has never even given eBooks a shot is missing out.
Do you read eBooks? Why did you decide for or against them?
I literally like both equally… I know that’s sort of weird. It’s just both types have so many pros and cons and I feel like they just even each other out. I like physical books because they remind me of happiness. And my library has a much better selection of them to ebooks. And I can flip back easier if I want to check on something. And NO RECHARGING!! But ebooks are easier for review purposes. And ereaders are just fun!! And I like that I can type notes on the pages I want to remember stuff.
Great discussion!! I guess I just love reading and will do it on any format :)
I agree, all book formats have their time and place. Even mass paperbacks. I’m not a fan of those but they’re good for the beach, where it’s difficult to maintain the pristine condition of books, no matter their format. Haha. I don’t use the notes function much on my Kindle but I do highlight a lot, which I can’t bring myself to do in my hardcopies.
Once upon a time I actually swore that I would never buy an ereader. I thought they were the devil, and were contributing to the downfall of bookstores (which I love with a passion).
But then I discovered blogging, and I decided that I desperately needed and wanted an ereader, for multiple reasons.
However, I will always, ALWAYS prefer reading a physical book. Absolutely nothing beats turning pages, or smelling the paper, or visibly seeing how much of a book you have left to read.
But of course there are perks to having an ereader, and therefore reading ebooks. heaps of book series provide novellas that are only available as ebooks, so if you want to read the extras in that series, yay for your ereader! And then there’s the lack of taking up shelf space, and the lightness in your hand when reading an ebook.
I don’t know .. I don’t think I will ever prefer ebooks over physical books. The whole reading experience is so much more more I guess, when you can hold a book in your hand, and not just an electronic device.
I wanted an ereader since I was nine or ten! I read one of those articles where technology of the past and predictions for the future were depicted. They claimed an ereader would be out in the following ten years, and I was so excited when they finally did hit the market. I didn’t buy one though until last year. I didn’t like the initial clunkiness, was worried about formats and ebooks weren’t so readily available either. But, last year I finally bought a Kindle Paperwhite and I love it :D
Between print books and ebooks, I have a slight preference for printed books because I love seeing them on my shelf and like you, I like touching and smelling the pages. Haha. I say slight because I read a lot on the go, so hardcovers, for instance, have to stay at home because they don’t fit in the bag I’m carrying or I have too much to carry already.
Generally though, I’ll take whichever book format is available to me for the book that I want to read. In the end content matters the most anyway.
I used to not be into eBooks. But after discovering sites like Netgalley, Kindle freebies, and the fact that my library has a wide selection, I’ve grown to love them. :D They’re very useful for when I’m going on vacation and can’t take a whole lot of books with me.
Yes! Convenience definitely is a pro for ebooks! :D
I don’t LOVE ebooks, but I really like them. I think that I will probably always choose a physical copy over an ebook, but I still really like the convenience and the (sometimes) cheap prices! I also like that ebooks allow publishers to give out more ARCs to bloggers because of the lower cost. But yeah, ebooks definitely do suck sometimes. One of mine was so messed up recently that I literally had to stop reading it because I couldn’t understand what was happening! And I also really don’t like the fact that you can’t really borrow a friend’s ebook and stuff like that. I like the library programs, but it’s not the same.
Yeah, formatting issues want to make me cry when I can’t read a book. I do hope that formatting becomes more consistent in future. True that. It’s not the same but it still helps me save money, so I’m grateful either way :)
I’m an ebook reader. Mainly because I don’t have the space to have a ton of physical books, it’s easier to move/travel with ebooks, it’s easier to read while commuting, and it’s typically cheaper. I do LOVE physical copies though and usually try to get them for books I love.
When I buy books, I generally prefer to buy the physical copies too. But yes! It really is easier to carry my Kindle around when I’m on the go. It easily fits into most of my bags. Can’t say that about hardcovers.
The formatting, or lack there of, of eBooks is the main reason why I pretty much gave up on eBooks about half a year ago. Whilst there are a number of benefits to having an e-reader, nothing beats an actual book. The only time I buy eBooks now is for my book club – eBooks are much easier to access on short notice and generally cheaper than actual books (although there have been times when I’ve noticed an eBook to be more expensive than an actual book, I just don’t get that personally). I’d rather a physical book over an eBook any day.
:-)
Most of the time I borrow books from the library, so cost isn’t usually the deciding factor for me. Although, I do buy ebooks when they’re on sale or when I’ve discount coupons. Other than that, I still prefer to buy physical copies.
I refer e-books to physical books nowadays! They are just so much handier to carry around. If it’s a pdf, I always convert it to a mobi file so I never have formatting issues. And I just charge my device during workhours so I don’t really have worries about the battery dying. And if it does, well I just use my phone for a little bit! I’m a convert :)
I tried converting PDF to mobi before. Somehow that didn’t really work out for me. As for charging, I always carry a portable charger for my iPhone but it works just as well for my Kindle, so I bring along my cable if I see the battery’s running low.
I’ll take an ebook over a dead tree book any day (unless the electricity goes out for an extended period and I can’t recharge my Kindle). The only time I’ve had formatting problems with an ebook is with ARCs once in a while. One was so bad I couldn’t even read the book. I ended up buying it after release just so I could review it. None of the other problems you mentioned are an issue for me.
I take whichever format of the book I want to read is currently available to me. I guess formatting for fiction usually is alright. It’s the non-fiction ebooks that often come with formatting problems. Particularly those that contain a lot of images.