Others have talked about electronic readers, some with
enthusiasm and some without. I was slow
warming up to the concept, but eventually I could see where one would be an
advantage in some situations. Then my
husband gave me a Kindle for Christmas.
The tiny keyboard drives me nuts and I'm much too slow looking up
references I can flip to in seconds in a paper book. From a reader's point of view, I'll admit I
prefer holding a real book in my hands, but I've learned to love my Kindle.
It's definitely nice to slip my e-reader into my purse
before a trip to the doctor's office, my hairdresser, or any of those places
where I may be stuck with an indeterminate wait. No more leafing through boring old magazines!
I think I've been a judge in some category for the Whitneys
since the awards academy was started. It was nice this year to be able to read
so many of the nominees on my small light-weight e-reader in an easy chair with
my feet up instead of being trapped at my computer to read the electronic
submissions.
Our family has a favorite vacation spot high in the
mountains in Idaho. Unfortunately the
only wifi connection is in the ranch house and I dislike hauling around a stack
of books along with all of our vacation gear---but I like to read while on
vacation. This year I'll take along my
Kindle, all preloaded with books, to read wherever I like.
As a writer, I was leery of having my books posted on an
e-reader site. Because books are
generally cheaper there, I worried my royalties would drop. Not so.
I've found my royalties are just fine.
It's true my publisher gets a larger cut than I do for my books they
post, but my share is comparable to my print royalties. For my oldest books, which I'm posting myself
since they're no longer in print and my publisher has returned the rights to
me, my royalties are wonderful. Without
the e-reader market, I'd be earning nothing on these older, out-of-print books.
One of the nicest bonuses for readers and writers with the
proliferation of e-readers is the availability of books which are not carried
in local bookstores. The difficulty of
members of the LDS Church, who live outside of the areas served by LDS
bookstores, finding affordable LDS books has long been a problem. Now with e-readers these people, whether they
live in Maine or Hong Kong, have access to the new LDS books as fast as those
who live along the Wasatch front without paying horrendous postage costs.
I'm not an all or nothing person when it comes to e-readers
versus print. I'll cheerfully take both.
(This month's Wish List contest ends Monday!)
(This month's Wish List contest ends Monday!)
9 comments:
I love my Kindle for many of the same reasons you have stated. I especially like that I can read a very large book with getting a cramp in my hands holding it.
I was resistant to switching to Kindle at 1st, but after a year I am totally sold. I like being able to go to amazon and push a button and have the book I want right there in seconds, and usually before our LDS bookstores get them. It also saves gas money, since I am one of those non Wasatch Front readers, that live quite a ways from an LSD Bookstore. I do still have a pile of paperbacks to read, and I love the feel of them in my hand.
My only real problem with Kindle books is you can't get them signed at a booksigning.
I completely agree with this! I love a paper copy of a book and will never give that up, but for traveling etc. I love being able to just pull up a book. They even have the apps for my cell phone so no matter where I am I can be reading a book.
I love my Kindle, but I also love holding the books for real. But the Kindle makes it so easy to travel with 10 books.
I really, really want a kindle. I have the app on my phone and it was wonderful while I was on vacation last week. Very convenient. But I do love the feel of holding books, turning the pages, and smelling the paper and ink. I love both. :)
I've had a Kindle for a year and it is loaded with books. I still buy books to share with my daughter.
We were given a Kindle for Christmas and it is great for all the reasons you listed. But I love my books still and the Kindle will never completely take their place.
I love my kindle. I remember as a child thinking "what if books went digital someday and no one ever made books anymore?" That thought terrified me as a 10-year-old! But now I appreciate having less to store, carry, or hold. My favorite part is that as a mother I can read and nurse a baby- the kindle can be mostly hands free. I also love that I can set it down and walk away and pick it back up and never have to remember where I was or use a bookmark that little hands pull out. I miss "real" books because they are easier to leaf through and find details that I want to double check. I also like that I can lend "books" to others so my investment in a book seems like it goes further even though it costs a few dollars more. Overall, I don't think of digital books with the terror I once did!
I'm another reader who has been reluctantly pushed into the techo age. I have found my Kindle useful and like its small travel size, but my crazy side misses the page numbers. I decided that for enjoyment reading it is great, but for books subjects like the self-help types it is frustrating to try to find a section you want to reread. It is also a little disconcerting when I try to reach up and turn the page at the top corner...only to find you are using the Kindle. And although reading in the bathtub is just as risky as using a book, I now switch from books and my Kindle often.
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