Format Matters: Ebook Vs Physical Book
Format Matters: Ebook Vs Physical Book
I’m going to be a bit revolutionary today.
To some readers, format matters. I’ve seen ebook only readers, and I’ve seen physical book only readers… People, we shouldn’t be fighting over this! We’re readers, we enjoy things that most of the population can only hope to enjoy–yes, that’s true. However, when you’re judging me for carrying one e-reader versus eight books in my bag, it doesn’t feel like we have anything in common!
I fell in love with paper books, physical books. And chances are, so did you. We got our little golden books primed and prepped and then went to the school library on a certain day of the week and we probably learned how to use a card catalog. If we went to college, we had to spend a mint on textbooks we would probably only use a finite number of times. And as adults, we bought books for book clubs, or because we wanted to support an author at a signing or because we received them as gifts. They’re all over the house, and even in spots you wouldn’t normally see books at–they’re great as door stops, conversation pieces and that perfect way to push up that wonky shelf with those plates we never use.
However, ebooks can be just as awesome. They come out on the same day, and you can be lazy enough to just push the power button versus finding pants and driving to a store or library to pick it up…. Yes, pantsless reading people. We’re advocating that as a thing.
Sure, you have to charge ereaders, but if you want to read a physical book in the dark or during a power outage, you’ll have to find a book light that requires power to read–which by the way, you can read a charged ereader in a power outage–HA!.
Yeah, ebooks don’t have the physical feel or smell that you find in those old, lovely books, but places like Etsy sell ‘old book smell’ candles. Candles are known to be one of the top ways to create ambiance. And you won’t have to worry about an errant page getting blown into the candle and starting a fire… Mostly because ebooks don’t have errant pages.
You sometimes save money on the ebook version, which means you have more money for your book habit in other ways (hello Bookstore!).
eReaders are not going to lead to awkward or any conversation about the book you’re reading (I’m not shy about ANY book I read–including that Amish Vampire Romance novel I read, but if you don’t want someone to know what you’re reading, an ereader can be great)–for some reason our culture has been okay with ignoring people on devices, but if you open up a book and try to read it, everyone starts questioning you.
Okay, finally, if you’re still not convinced, please take a deep breath and repeat after me:
REAL BOOKS ARE NOT GOING AWAY IF PEOPLE READ EBOOKS!!!!
That is not what we are championing here. This post is specifically to talk about the fact that readers can enjoy books of EITHER type and still be readers and be awesome. Do you ever stop to think about the shade people who started reading paperbacks got when the paperback was introduced? Those hardcover people were probably like ‘We’re better than you because this hardcover was more expensive’ and ‘You have to wait a year for the book to come out in your format, hah hah hah!!!’
Jean Luc Picard has physical books in Star Trek. And I have a ton of books on my bookshelf… Therefore, I am confident that books are not going away in either format.
Either way, I thank you or stopping by–and look forward to interacting with you. This is part six of a week-long challenge (Getting Your Blogging Groove Back Challenge) by the ProBlogger podcast. To listen to this episode, or others, please click this link to ProBlogger. Thank you for reading Format Matters: EBook vs Physical Book… Are you a hardcore ereader or physical book reader? Let me know here in the comments below!
Sharren K. Grant
August 8, 2016 at 6:13 pmI loved your article as I ask myself this question all the time. I would call myself a dedicated physical book reader, and I’ve even gone so far as to say I’d never buy an e-reader. However you offered up some very valid points in its defense, so I am definitely willing to change my thoughts on the matter. I think you’re right on the money when you said readers can enjoy books of either type and still be awesome. Well done!
Jules
August 12, 2016 at 5:22 pmI have to be honest and say, I have not yet taken to the idea of an ebook. I was recently sent a pdf version of a book to review and after the first few chapters found it a bit frustrating. I like to make notes as I go but was unable to scribble with my pencil in the margins. It was also difficult to remember where I was up to without my bookmark. I ended up printing out the whole book and am now a much happier reader! Yes, I know that a pdf has more limitations so maybe I can do these things with an ebook but I was also missing that feel and sense of where I was up to. Something you only get with the physical book. At this point in time, I am definitely one that still prefers the old school way!