When it comes to reading ebooks, the world can be divided into two types of people: those that do and those that don’t. Many people declare that they prefer reading printed books and love the look and feel of them. Others have never tried to read ebooks, fearing the strange new concept of reading novels on an electronic device.
I know a number of people who would like to move to smaller homes but feel unable to because of their large book collections. There are significant advantages to be gained by using ebooks and very few disadvantages. I have become a great fan and encourage everyone to give it a try. Here is a list of the main benefits, if you are not already convinced.
The Reading Pleasure Benefits
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You no longer need to struggle with holding a heavy book, keeping the pages open and having to find your place when the bookmark falls out.
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You can increase or decrease the font size, and that means you may not need to use reading glasses.
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You can quickly navigate back to the table of contents and other parts of the book, and your place will be retained.
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There is a dictionary feature to instantly check on the meaning of words.
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Reading devices are light and portable, fitting easily into a small bag, so you can carry your ebook with you at all times.
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One device can hold and manage several books at the same time and also have the next books you propose to read.
The Health Benefits
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Printed books will be covered in dust, pollens and bacteria, even after cleaning. Ebook readers can be kept clean and hygienic with a quick wipe. Their use helps to prevent the spread of disease and produce a much healthier environment.
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You will no longer need to cart heavy bags or boxes of books, helping to prevent orthopaedic injuries.
The Environmental Benefits
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Significant resources are needed to produce and transport printed books, including the trees used to produce paper and the machinery involved. That also generates pollution and waste. Ebooks require very few resources to produce.
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Printed books require substantial amounts of storage space. Ebooks require no physical storage space.
The Financial Benefits
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Ebooks are generally less expensive than printed books, with many available at very low cost.
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Ebooks can be delivered almost instantly, and the cost of that delivery is almost negligible.
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You can access a vast range of books from around the world.
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When you travel, multiple books can be stored in one small device, greatly reducing the weight of your luggage.
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There is no need to have rows of bookcases in your house. Ebooks can be stored in a cloud, helping to simplify and unclutter your life and decreasing the need for storage space in your home. That is particularly advantageous for older people who need to downsize.
There are some reports suggesting that the sale of ebooks may be in decline, although that may be based only on book sales from traditional publishers. It will be interesting to see how ebook sales progress in the near future. In the past I was dubious, but I became an instant convert after reading my first ebook and truly believe the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.
Amazon:
Now that I have to travel a fair bit, I must say they are life savers, as otherwise, I’d have to be dragging tonnes of books with me. And there are so many free e-books on offer too! Thanks so much!
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Absolutely, Olga – 1 kindle compared with 10 books and it’s easy to see the advantages.
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You almost convinced me, Toni. But electronic devices bother my eyes after a while. And I wonder how their disposal affects the environment. They’re certainly not biodegradable, but are they recyclable?
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Thanks Tina – let’s hope that in the future, they’ll have devices that are fully recyclable.
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Great post Toni. Yes, there are huge benefits to ebooks, I agree with all your reasons. But for me, there’s still a huge place for paperbacks. All my books on the craft of writing are purchased in paperback. I need to be able to flip back and forth freely, dog-ear pages, highlight, etc, with resourceful books. 🙂
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I agree Debby – print books are great when we need to go back to them time and again. It will be interesting to see what the future holds. x
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For sure. But I’m sure there’ll always be a place for both, or who knows, maybe some newer invention down the road. 🙂
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Reblogged this on Adventures and Musings of an Arch Druidess and commented:
And if you have eye issues, you can adjust it to see better, whether you need it brighter or bigger, it’s easier on the eyes than a physical book.
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Thank you so much for sharing that!
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Sharing your awesome post, Toni! My thanks to you and to The Story Reading Ape too. 🙂
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Thanks Bette 👍😃
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Thank you so much, Bette x
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Reblogged this on Wendy Unsworth and commented:
Toni Pike is a guest on The Story Reading Ape today with something to say about ereaders. Like many book lovers I was sceptical about this new form of reading at first but i am a convert! I travel around a lot and the Kindle is so convenient. I don’t even have to decide which books I want to take beforehand. And, honestly, once a story has me in its grips I don’t see any kind of ‘book’ at all – just the ‘world’ I have been transported to.
Here is what Toni has to say –
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Thanks for reblogging Wendy 😃
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Thank you so much for sharing that, Wendy – and for your great introduction. Agree wholeheartedly with all your comments.
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I love I can bump up the font on my iPad Kindle but I hate that I need to remember to recharge it.
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Yes, Vivian – the need to recharge devices is something that annoys us all – perhaps manufacturers will come up with a longer life on those batteries!
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😄
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A kindle makes life bearable for any reader with eye problems, even if they are temporary ones, thank god and the eye surgeons.
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Agreed Jemima 👍😃
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Very true, Jemima – that makes a very valuable invention.
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And another argument against an e-book-reader is for me:
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/clean-reader-allowed-censor-ebooks/
It is far too easy to tamper a book. Would you be happy as an author if your choice of words was replaced by what somebody else thinks appropriate? I would be livid. Do not read what I have written if you cannot digest what I have written. Do not search for other words. My texts live through my own words.
And how much more must it mean to authors, not just now-and-then-writers ….
If I am unhappy with a book and the description of violence in it – then I have two options: I can choose not to read that scene and move on until I reach a page where the story moves on – or I can abandon the whole book altogether. What I cannot do is change the text. I can condemn the book for the violence. That is my opinion. Free speech. But I cannot change the book. On an e-reader there was this app where it was possible – and you all know, if it was possible, somebody else will find a way to do it again!
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I give you the advantages of e-books – they are easier to handle, when you have a big volume to read, you do not have to drag several books around, when you reach the end of one, just one device with several books to read, inbuilt dictionary etc. etc.
BUT
I look at a screen all day and a lot of hours at home (and I am not a TV-watcher, at least not much). I am glad for the few minutes of reading something that is NOT on a display. And I like to see the progress of my bookmark through the book.
There are some sinister side-effects to e-readers, too. While you will find it easier to buy a new book, at least Kindle comes with a lot of control by amazon. That goes so far that they can revoke a book from your reader! Yes, you read that correctly: You BUY the right to read it, not the text. You cannot be sure it will be available for you to read again. http://www.pcworld.com/article/168654/kindle_e_book.html
“Yes, Amazon refunded the money for the books — but that’s not the point. When one purchases something, one acquires the item, and assumes ownership of that item. That item is there.
This unusual maneuver, which Amazon says occurred because Orwell’s publisher changed its mind about offering the electronic version of these titles, is all the more unsettling simply because readers already purchased the books and had their ownership of the item revoked. In the Orwell book case, the item was simply no longer there — it was as if those Kindle users never owned it.”
And – I cannot pass a read book on to friends of mine. Which is a shame as my friends usually love to read the books that I read (our tastes are rather similar). With a real book I just hand it out to them and it is passed along in my circle of friends. Then I can still decide to send it over to my cousin or a friend who lives further away.
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Reblogged this on Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life and commented:
Toni Pike is a guest on the Story Reading Blog today with the benefits of reading Ebooks.. I certainly was a bit hesitant at first as I still enjoy reading a printed book but recently I picked one up and found the print so small that I found difficult to read.. certainly I know many elderly people who have stopped reading books because of this and so readers loaded with favourite books would make a great gift for senior members of the family. Thanks Toni…
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Thank you so much for sharing that, Sally, and for your wonderful introduction. I agree – ebooks are ideal for older people, as almost all of us require reading glasses. x
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Pleasure Toni.. x
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I truly love my Kindle!!!!
Yes, the feel of a real book is something else, but the convenience is immeasurable!
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I agree, Ritu – can’t understand why some people won’t use them.
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I am a true convert!
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The downside of eBooks environmentally is that ereading devices, even with recycling, take a terrible toxic toll on the environment, and that will never change. It gets worse with the constant rush to upgrade devices. This is only mildly counteracted by the toxic cost of printing ink on the environment, which we rarely consider in the cost of disposing of books and periodicals.
The upside of eBooks to me is no longer discovering my precious books dragged from the shelf to the litter box, or the jackets and pages shredded, or the pages wet with kitty pee. Cats have no respect for books and when you rescue them, as my wife Carol and I do, books become a major casualty of compassion.
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Very hard, when you put it like that, Phillip, to decide on what is best. Perhaps we ought to start finding a way to make non-toxic devices.
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Reading e book isn’t germ free.
Have you seen the fingermarks
the saliva and tea.
The streaky screen
Sat on your knee
Has the squeeze
From a spot
A drip from
a sneeze.
No they have a place
But not for me
An E reader
isn’t to be.
😇
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Ha ha – good points and great poetry.
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There is more, if you come over you may find something that suits.
Short stories and “Flash”
poetry and rhyme
responses to prompts,
some of them mine.
Biscuits and tea
But hidden away
Are pieces of
“ME!”
Whoops must be the effect you have on me…😇
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😀
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Thanks for posting this, Chris
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Thank YOU for sending it to me Toni 😀
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