a stack of books.
dogeared pages.
nose in a book.
creased spine.
the well worn pages of a treasured favorite.
the smell of a new book.
to judge a book by its cover.
to curl up with a book.
to flip the page.
yesterday morning, on a whim, i decided to do
an impromptu twitter and facebook poll asking :
with all the talk about ebooks, are YOU willing to
read ALL books/novels solely on an ereader?
yes or no?
unofficially (as in don’t trust me to do the
counting at the presidential election =), we
had a total of 211 responses. 186 said no
and 25 people said yes. which makes nearly
12% responding with a yes.
i didn’t include confusing or qualified answers.
i didn’t ask whether they’d consider using BOTH
because i believe this IS where the future will
lead us. the ereading experience complementing
the real book. i didn’t offer this as a choice because
doomsayers are predicting the extinction of Real Books
in the future–and me, stubborn ox that i am,
absolutely refuse to believe this.
i’m a book lover and enjoy reading for the
escapism. but i’m not a book collector. i usually
give most of my books away. so you’d think i’d
be the perfect candidate for an ereader. but to
me, reading a novel is an experience. just as
watching a movie is an experience. i’d compare the
two more than those who say look at the music
industry. books are NOT like music. music, when
downloaded, has the same end result. holding a
book in the hand, is not the same as having an
ipad or whatever.
perhaps it’s just the difference between the
sentimental and the practical. but for me, i’m
on the computer enough as it is, squinting at my
screen. it doesn’t equate to escapism and pleasure
(unless i’m writing my own novel =) for me. i want
something to hold in my hands that i can page through.
something i can look to the back glossary with ease
in the middle of the story. to be able to flip to the
acknowledgment and author’s note whenever i want.
to return to passages i want to reread.
i’m sorry, but i simply don’t want to scroll through
my novels. there is no joy in that for me.
that doesn’t mean that people don’t enjoy the
ease of ereaders. i think they will definitely be
a large part of publishing’s future. but every reader
has a personal idea of what is worth buying in
actual pages (some said non-fiction, some said
fiction, some said most definitely graphic novels
and others were willing to read them on screen)
which, to me, means there will still be a demand for
Real Books in the future.
i think other than distribution, determining the
best price point (which means shaking up all
the price points, from mass market paper backs
to hardcovers) for ebooks will be one of the biggest
challenges. what is an actual story worth if delivered
electronically?
many people polled complained that some ebooks
cost more than a paperback, and the fact that
they have nothing to “keep” after they’re done reading.
nothing to pass on or swap. to place in the bookshelf.
but should a newly released novel be less than the
average $10 cost?
does a real novel cost what it does because of its
pages and cover, and the ink to print it, or
for the actual story itself? i ask from an author’s
viewpoint, is my story worth less because it’s
not tangible in an ebook?
of course, i have no answers. i only pose
opinions and ask more questions. and it’s no
wonder publishing (notorious, i think, for being
slow to change) is scrambling to try and gauge
and wrestle with this Brave New World. i’m hoping
that by the time ereaders have dropped in price to
something affordable to most, that it will be sussed
out. but i’ll still be holding on to my Real Books for
dear life. =)
i had a fabulous time at my first RWA local
chapter meeting this past saturday
and participated on a YA panel with
laura preble, debra garfinkle and barrie summy!
i’ll also be hosting a comic-con panel on
SUNDAY, JULY 25 @ 12pm in ROOM 24ABC.
Blood, Sweat, and Tears: Teen Angst in Young Adult Fiction
Panelists: Nancy Holder, D.J. MacHale, James Owen, Christopher Pike,
Kathy Reichs, Emily Drake, Neal Shusterman and Michael Spradlin
Moderated by Cindy Pon
i just finished shusterman’s Unwind which
i really enjoyed and am moving on to christopher
pike’s Thirst!
14 Comments
Like you, I enjoy the experience of having an actual book in my hands, flipping through the pages, smelling that special book smell. I spend too much time on the computer as it is and I hate scrolling.
“i ask from an author’s viewpoint, is my story worth less because it’s not tangible in an ebook?”
To me, no. I would read the story anyway either way. If it’s well written, well crafted, engaging characters, etc etc, I will enjoy it and value it for what it’s worth even if it’s in ebook form. I’d just probably miss that special book smell, among other things.
I don’t care what anyone says, nothing can replace the feeling of having a book in your hands. It’s not about being old fashioned or afraid to embrace the future. It’s all about the experience, like you say, not just the words you consume.
Gimme the book in my hands. Always. Though I have to admit that ebooks have a certain convenience that “real” books don’t. Still, I like turning pages.
Curious — is the Kathy Reichs on your panel the forensic anthropologist? I heard she was working on a YA novel but didn’t think it was out yet. Oooh, I wish I was going to Comic-Con so bad but can’t make the trip down/couldn’t get in if I wanted to anyhow.
I own a nook, and I really like it. I have also recently started listening to audio books on my phone through Audible/MP3 player. From time to time, I do all three at once. I generally use my nook and Audible as a way to experience books I normally wouldn’t read. This week I will start a Stephen King audio book, read a free book on Japanese fairy tales on my nook, and enjoy Alexandra Bracken’s “Brightly Woven” that just arrived in the mail.
It is exciting since I become involved in what I love most– stories. I do know that neither audio or e-books have the same feeling as a solid book in my hand that I can page through and examine the cover as I learn more about the story. It will always be my preference no matter what, but I love what audio and e-readers have done for my reading life.
I can honestly say I won’t enjoy e-books, and it’s not because I’m a writer. For me, reading is one of the most pleasurably experiences. I seldom read sitting down–reminds me too much of school and work. I usually read on the couch or in bed, twisted or curled up in all kinds of positions. That’s what I enjoy. And the smell.
Even in an airplane where I’m sitting for hours, being able to turn a page, look at pictures, is all part of the joy I get from reading, part of a way to relax. No digital anything can give me that.
I may use an e-reader to store documents for easy reading, but I can’t imagine doing it for pleasure. If books go out, I’ll just have to find a way to print my own. But I won’t have to because I’m sure there are more people like us around.
thanks for all the input, guys!
and michelle, yes, reichs is making a foray into YA! have you read her adult novels??
You are one busy person, Cindy! It was GREAT being on a panel with you!!!
While eBooks will be more the norm I don’t think the traditional book will completely disappear anytime soon. There are way too many people that will not give up the experience of an actual book.
Cindy: Oh that’s AWESOME! You may have a lot of Bones fans in your audience since Kathy Reichs is the person who inspired the main character on the show as well as a producer :) I have yet to read her adult novels since I haven’t had the time but I heard they are good!
hi barrie! ditto!!! thanks for organizing us! =D
dara–i hope so too.
michelle–i’ll let you know how i like it!
I voted in your poll via Twitter some time back. Your book is on my summer reading list — I’m Asian American, so I’m fascinated to see how you incorporated Chinese mythology and culture into your book.
As far as ereaders go, I’ve been checking them out more and more lately. I work as a writer, mostly online, and don’t have a problem with reading on a screen. In fact, I just downloaded pretty much every free ereader onto my new smartphone, just to check out the experience. It’s good, but not great either, especially since I can’t read DRM books on my phone, like those the local library has available in their eCollection.
But, I don’t think I’ll be giving up my physical books any time soon, either. I’ll probably use an ereader for books that I don’t want to keep around (like mass-market paperbacks), or for those books that might only get passed along once (like YA novels my sister might enjoy). Otherwise, I’ll continue to keep physical copies of my favorite manga/graphic novels and contemporary fiction, like The Catcher in the Rye.
Anyway, those are my thoughts! I’m very interested in your Comic-Con panel, so I’ll hopefully have a chance to check it out next month.
lorena, thanks for your very thoughtful comment! and i do hope you can make it to my comic-con panel!
Late replier to this, because I first heard about you, er, two days ago. But I wanted to jump in here and tell you about why ebooks are not only convenient in general but for some people, desperately important.
Finding my mother an ereader has allowed her to keep reading after many print books have fonts too small or unreadable for her. She’s going blind. This being a woman who taught me that the first place to go when upset is a book, that books will always be my best friends. Ebooks — and easy, reasonable access to ebooks — are desperately important to me, because of my mother. The day she confessed she couldn’t read a book I’d bought her because the font was too small, I cried for hours.
I would miss the smell of books, the feel of pages under my fingers, the encouragement to take my time and devour a book. But ebooks are precious to me now.
I don’t think it’s reasonable to have ebooks at the same price as the hardcover. You don’t pay the same for a paperback as you do for a hardcover, or the same for a slim book as for a thick one, or the same for a book with or without colour illustrations. The cost of printing the books should be considered. And with ebooks there’s no way to loan it out, and in some ways they aren’t as convenient as printed books — in some ways, you’re paying as much or more for an inferior experience. Not to mention the large sums you have to sink into getting an ereader to begin with.
I’d still be willing to pay a decent amount of the price for an ebook, myself — authors deserve more payment for the work they do, from the impression I’ve got, not less. But clearly books are valued on how much print and ink they took as well as on the story.
I don’t know if you would know about Cory Doctorow, who puts all his books up for download free. It’s worth looking at his site and reading about why he does that, if you’re interested in the subject of ebooks.
nikki, thanks so much for your comment. i’m so glad the ereader helps your mom. i think that’s wonderful. i do think that in the future, most readers will still buy both, varying in degrees, depending on personal preference.