That said, prithee, inform me: do you own an e-reader of some type?
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13 hours ago
Monday, June 21, 2010
Prithee, Inform Me: Do You Own an E-Reader?
I like to keep track of trends in the industry, mes auteurs, especially ones associated directly with consumers. Sure, it's nice to know what agents and editors are buying, but it's often more interesting to see what people like you and me are, by and large, bringing to store registers or purchasing on-line.
That said, prithee, inform me: do you own an e-reader of some type?
That said, prithee, inform me: do you own an e-reader of some type?
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I don't have a standalone e-reader device. I have the Kindle-to-PC app, and I've downloaded several nonfiction books to it. LOVE having that option!
ReplyDeleteI haven't purchased a standalone e-reader yet because I'm waiting to see what the industry standards will be. I might purchase next year. If not, the next.
I absolutely intend on purchasing one. I just don't want to buy one that goes the way of the Dodo in two years. I love the idea of e-readers, and, frankly, would be thrilled if I could convert every book in my house to digital. An e-reader may not look as good on the bookshelf, but man, it would be easier to move!
I went with "no, but I may in the future." I really do prefer paper and ink, but I'm old enough to have learned to never say never.
ReplyDeleteI am going to buy one this afternoon. Barnes and Noble just dropped the Nook to 149.99.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a standalone e-reader, but I've got the B&N Reader for my laptop, which is working well for me. Eventually, I'd love to get a Nook.
ReplyDeleteI would love an e-reader. I have a math/computer sci degree (and used that degree for ten years), so I'm all for electronics. But that also means I have insights into how software works, how easy it is to lose electronic data, and how little it costs to create downloadable files. So I have Opinions on how much an e-book should cost...and, right now, I think they are overpriced. So I'm going to continue to utilize my library until things settle down and the prices stabilize. Then maybe I'll get my long-awaited gadget. :)
ReplyDeleteAlong Melissa's lines, the question doesn't specify whether you mean a single-purpose ereader. I use B&N's ebook app on my phone/computer, and my wife owns a nook so I answered yes.
ReplyDeleteI said that I plan to buy one in the not-too-distant future. I'm just not sure if it will be a single purpose e-reader like the Kindle and Nook or a multifunctional device like the iPad that happens to have an e-book app.
ReplyDeleteI voted No, never, only because I tend to invest in technology a lot and from experience, I know that just like a computer, camera, camcorder, software, headphones, Ipod, anything electronic...it will need to be updated, fixed, or replaced at some point. Maybe from user error, maybe not.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I can see where these devices would work for agents and publishers, or some traveling business people.
Let's see if they last longer than the Palm Pilot.
I have a nook that I love. Basically because I can take my entire TBR pile with me wherever I go, so I can pick and choose which books to read. Sitting at a doctors office doesn't seem like a good time to read The Pool of Two Moons, so I can pick something else without having to weigh my bag down with four or five books.
ReplyDeleteIt also sucks, as it's really damn easy to buy more books than I really *need* at that point in time.
I like the tactile experience of books and magazines and newspapers. I like the smell. I like reading something that isn't on a screen.
ReplyDeleteMy kids got me a Kindle for Mother's Day. I do like it (easy to have lots of options if I'm out somewhere) but I still find I've bought more paper books since I got it than e-books.
ReplyDeleteI love it but we don't have an exclusive relationship ;)
I have both the Kindle and B&N ereader software on my computer. I really want a Nook, but can't justify spending the money on it just now.
ReplyDeleteDo you own one Eric?
ReplyDeleteI have one, but I don't use it very much any more, and when I do, it's most often for reading longer stuff from the Internet than it is for books.
ReplyDeleteI wrote about the experience here, but since then I've probably used it even less than I did previously, in part because I didn't realize how often I flip back and forth between pages -- which is a nightmare on the Kindle, given how little text it displays and how long the refresh rate is.
Eric,
ReplyDeleteYou're in sales. I'm in the A/V world. These days when you buy a Blu-ray DVD, it comes with a "free" digital copy of the movie for loading onto your computer, iPhone, etc. Why not do the same thing with books? When you buy a hard copy, you get a digital copy as well, for the convenience.
I would pay a nominal premium for this, and it would only entice me to buy more books. More importantly, I would buy more NEW hard copy books in order to get the digital copy, whilst my book shelves continue to swell. And we're all in love with our book shelves, aren't we? I will never give that up. But I would love the convenience of bringing 50 digital books on the next vacation.
I don't have an eReader yet, but I will buy one. Again, coming from the A/V world, I'm waiting until technologies are standardized - so that I can buy any eReader and read any ebook from any outlet. Until then, I'm happy spending my book money on actual books.
I have a Kindle and I love it. It's easy to use and I like reading it more than some of the others. It doesn't hurt my eyes. Plus I like being able to shop wirelessly. My kids play sports and I can't tell you how often I've been trapped with nothing new to read.
ReplyDeleteMarissa, I agree! I love my Kindle because it's portable and I don't have to lug several (okay, several hundred) books on long flights or vacation or even to the doctor's office. Plus, I read (and write) a lot of romance novels. As the mom of three young girls, it's sometimes a little easier to read from the Kindle than to explain some of the covers ;) I don't find the flipping back and forth too bad- jseliger, are you bookmarking places in your books? If you do, it is a lot easier to flip back and forth. Granted, you might not know what it is you want to return to at a later point until you want to do it, but all in all, I don't find it too bad in the grander scheme.
ReplyDeleteZeifus, the idea of a digital copy of the book is BRILLIANT, but then paper books would go up in cost, as you mention. It follows though- when you buy a CD, you can download it to your computer or iPod and then take it with you, essentially having your cake and eating it too. The reason I'd love this is because many of my friends swap books, and I'd like to be able to do this and still use my Kindle (I love my friends dearly, but no way am I giving them my Kindle to borrow, haha!).
I;ve said this before- although I own the Kindle and love it, I am 50-50 on using it vs. paper. At the end of the day, whatever's cheaper is what I'll do. If I can get a book with my Barnes and Noble card for less than the download, then the hard copy is just fine. I like the ease of the Kindle, but not so much that paper books will fall by the wayside for me anytime soon.
I picked up one of the Sony Touch readers last month after they got a price drop. I've read two books on it so far and I quite like the thing. I thought the transition would be more difficult. I do still buy paper books sometimes though.
ReplyDeleteI own a nook - just got it in February, so if I had taken the poll 6 mos ago, the answer would have been "No, maybe some day." My only frustration is the inability to get ALL my books on it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a timely post! I just bought a Kindle this weekend. Oddly enough I was totally against the ereader phenomenon when they first came out, but so far I love my Kindle. What swayed me? The cost of books, the convenience and my belief that this is where publishing will be shortly...the huge pub house is going the way of the dodo. (Sorry Eric! You can come work with me :) ) I still LURVE my paper books, and won't give those up for books I really love, but I don't need a paper copy of every YA fic book I want to read or trashy beach novels or anything like that. I'll save my paper for timeless hard backs.
ReplyDeleteI've had a Kindle since they came out and now find it irritating to have to read a hard copy of a book. Key reasons why I love my e-reader:
ReplyDelete1) My eyesight, which has always been bad, is worse than ever and reading books with small type and/or too little leading is incredibly painful.
2) Because I can hold my Kindle and turn pages with a single hand, I can read while doing so many more things (e.g., brushing my teeth, walking around the house, etc.).
3) My hands don't hurt from holding a book for hours at a time.
4) I can read for free samples that are long enough for me to decide whether I want to read the entire book.
5) I can get a book instantly when I decide I want it (no trips to malls or waiting for mail deliveries; hence no gas or postage expenses, either).
6) If I don't know a word, I can look it up right away, without having to search for the dictionary and thumbing through its pages of tiny type.
7) I never lose my place when I fall asleep reading.
8) I can now travel with as many books as I want.
There are other reasons, too, but those are the main ones. My only major complaint about the Kindle is that I can't "lend" a book to friends.
I don't own one yet, but I am open to the idea when I can afford it. See I buy all my books used off of Amazon and used book prices are way better than e-book prices. That is the sole reason I'm holding out. If they fix that, I'm all in.
ReplyDeleteJust got a Nook for Father's day! I've had it for one day, downloaded one book, and absolutely love it so far.
ReplyDeleteBN is running a great deal right now so we got the Nook at a discount and a fifty dollar BN gift card. We took the money we saved on the sale and put it into the two year (bumper to bumper) maintenance and replacement plan. Hey, I've got Grandkids so the survivability rate for anything in my home is less than fifty percent.
Zeifus said (re: free digital copies with purchase of paper copies)
ReplyDelete"I would pay a nominal premium for this, and it would only entice me to buy more books."
Same here.
In New Zealand we've been a bit behind the 8-ball when it comes to eReaders. We can buy them from overseas, but then have major issues accessing the affiliated stores to purchase and download books. When I enquired at the Sony Store a while ago about the Sony eReader, I was told "there's not a big enough market in NZ and it won't be made available here." Sheesh.
ReplyDeleteWe're finally catching up with the rest of the world now that Whitcoulls has done a deal to sell the Kobo Reader. But I'll stick to my iPhone for now. It's brilliant!
I do not have an eReader, I really, really like books. Especially used books. Cheap used books. I've read off my mom's kindle before, and I didn't love it.
ReplyDeleteI have a Kindle and it's working fine.
ReplyDeleteI ordered another Kindle for my husband just last week. We'll share books because you can download to multiple devices when using the same Amazon account.
I also have the PC apps for every reader type I can find. Since my books are in several eformats, I need to at least look at them in the different formats.
I don't know whether this counts. I have a PDA. Remember those? I had to replace mine recently and when I went to Best Buy and asked for one, they just looked confused. "You want a phone, right?" No, I did not want a phone. They did have a few left, hidden away in a dusty corner. Anyway, I have read books on it.
ReplyDeleteWaiting for the price to come down. I like the basic model, just for reading -- the iPad looks nice, but is too costly for us right now.
ReplyDeleteKindle or Sony reader -- most likely will be the type we purchase - when it's the right price.
I love the feel of books, to hold the weight of the words. I can't imagine reading off of an e-reader any time soon, if ever.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I do a lot of work on my computer; maybe one day I'll have a smart phone and those things are designed to be multi-multi-multi-functional. When I read a book, it's a reward for finishing my work, and a good break from staring at screens. Why would I want to curl up with more technology?
I know a lot of people say e-readers are good for lightening one's load, but my purse is usually relatively empty; I hate to put more things in than I need. But a novel fills out what would otherwise be a very empty shoulder bag nicely. Sometimes I bring a book along with me for just that reason!
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