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dstuttgen said:My wife and I have hundreds of books on our bookshelves and I have this thing, I like to have a hardcover of the books I especially enjoy (mostly classic literature) but as I said in an earlier post, when I received my Kindle 1, I never looked back. Now I do all my reading on my iPad 2 in either iBook or Kindle for iPad. I do read in Stanza, too (on my iPad).
My library/office (which sadly needs a good straightening)
<img src="http://www.ipadforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=4462"/>
With the recent news of Borders' impending liquidation, I was wondering how many still pick up a paperback book versus an e-reader? I, for one, don't read on my iPad. Or have purchased a Kindle or Nook. I still enjoy the aesthetics (the smell of old paper and ink, the way it fits in my hand) of an actual paper book and consider it a piece of art.
What about you?
It doesn't seem logical to me to try so hard to separate "generational issues" from "individual comfort zones." They seem pretty closely related to me. One very often arises out of the other.
Not at all. Some people, no matter what generation they belong to, quickly adopt a new technology, and immediately incorporate it into their lives. Other people resist it and come up with very interesting, but historically dubious, explanations to explain their reluctance to adopt new technology.
Actually since getting the iPad I have actually been being hard cover of the ebooks I really like. I have been slowly getting rid of a lot of my paperbacks especially the ones that are not in that good of shape and replacing the paperbacks with ebooks.
It has been a good visual improvement to our library. My wife wasn't a big fan of how my scifi/fantasy book shelves looked full of paper backs but now since I have replaced a lot of the really good ones with hard covers I don't get nearly as many complaints.
Very interesting that you are replacing your paperbacks with ebooks. I hadn't considered this before, but I understand the logic behind it. It is interesting to see that it is not simply ebooks vs physical books, and to learn about the different choices people make.
For those who are still holding onto "paper" books, I suggest you read this article:
~ edited by Moderator SP. No links to blogs/websites. Read the rules please.
Yes, I wrote it. Professional writer, futurist, troublemaker, that's me. I'm also right often enough to have a lot of people paying attention to what I'm saying. I also have been talking to a lot of other writers about the contracts they are signing, and I'm convinced that the major publishers are a bunch of leaches sucking the life out of the writers they are signing.
If you don't believe me ask yourself why J.K. Rowling didn't bring her EBooks to market through her publisher? Simple. Money. J.K. has more negotiating muscle than most of us, but even she has her limits. By doing this herself she can keep 70% of the royalties. So could any average writer. I don't know how much J.K. could make through her publisher but average writers only make 14.5%!
Edited ~
And that is why publishers refuse to let writers retain EBook rights. It is easy money for the publishers, and so what if they rip off the writers, why should they care? It is profit for them, and they are responsible to their shareholders, not to the writers. If you don't believe me, read their SEC filings at:
Http://www.sec.gov
Wayne
Books are fairly recent inventions, and paperbacks are even more recent. But it is typical that people want to think of the technology that they grew up with as natural or authentic, and newer stuff as somehow suspect or provisional. But it is a faulty nostalgia. I'm sure that there were people who revered scrolls and thought that this was the best way to preserve information and literature. It will be interesting if we are around to see what next develops.
Books are fairly recent inventions, and paperbacks are even more recent. But it is typical that people want to think of the technology that they grew up with as natural or authentic, and newer stuff as somehow suspect or provisional. But it is a faulty nostalgia. I'm sure that there were people who revered scrolls and thought that this was the best way to preserve information and literature. It will be interesting if we are around to see what next develops.
Clarify please.
A guy named Gutenberg started it all, essentially, with movable type in the year 1400 or thereabouts. Before that, books were rare and costly because a thousand copies meant monks or workers in Narnia had to duplicate each volume in pen and ink.
Not sure why you think books are " fairly recent inventions..." Perhaps I am not following your reasoning.
I don't really get the romance of the paper book thing. They're dirty & dry out your hands. Also I'm on lists that talk about books so the subjects I read about have broadened tremendously. I'm reading more often too. Not so sure if I'll continue reading on the Kindle device as I mostly read those books on the iPad now because I like the Kindle reader best (dictionary!!!). The point for me is to read. Not so much what electronic device. It's like the iPad: I'm curious to find out stuff & now I can do it any time, anywhere. Love that to bits.
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