I’ve written frequently about my dislike of the e-book idea. But now Amazon have published details of their new UK version of Kindle with its library of 400,000 books to purchase and over a million for free, is beginning to exert an appeal.
But, but, but – what about other shops? What will become of my favoured store, The Book Depository? What happens to all those lovely book design, and the people who illustrate and set so many beautiful physical volumes? Do I want Amazon to be in even more of a monopoly position? The whole thing worries me. But, the advantages can’t be ignored either. Hmm. I’m going to have to think about this and also read some of the 1000′s of articles published on the topic.
A COMMON READER IS FALTERING
My blog is having problems. I’m getting a lot of server errors when I publish and I know some people are finding it hard to leave comments. I’d be grateful if anyone who experiences problems could mail me and tell me what they are please? I know its a nuisance but it would help me a lot. Thanks in anticipation.
LOL Tom, I’ve been resisting too but this latest release is starting to make me think – and, I do think it would be very handy for travelling. The other thing I’m thinking is that when it comes to downsizing I’ll be ready if I slowly make the transition before hand. I think – though haven’t decided yet – that I’ll be dipping my toes in the e-Book waters soon.
(BTW This post fired up immediately as it should … )
Sue – thanks for the post – glad the comment system worked.
I’ll probably put the Kindle on my Christmas list – that way I won’t feel so guilty if my wife buys it for me without me knowing!
More and more bookbloggers are succumbing to the temptation but I am going to hold out. For the reasons you’ve stated and a multitude of others. To me, reading in such an organic ritualistic experience. Ereaders seem so cold and impersonal. I’m always the last to jump on the bandwagon so it may be years before I even comparison shop– But, I am intrigued that my co-blogger posted that the Kindle feels like a paperback– that surprised me. I like the idea of free public domain books too. (but I can get those and new books free at the library)
Tom, I don’t think eReaders are an either/or proposition. I picked up a Sony eReader about a month ago and while I’ve read a couple of books on it, I still pick up “real” books and read those too. I find that having an eReader has made reading things that are in the public domain a lot easier, and I’ve been able to make use of my public library’s ebook selection too for certain newer titles. But when it comes to book buying, I still support physical books!
I never thought I’d like an e-reader but last year I bought a kindle due to the fact that many of the classics I want to read are OOP. I’d bought a few very pricey editions of these OOP volumes and some were full of errors. One was even the product of an overworked copy machine–I even got a copy of part of the hand holding the book on the xerox machine.
The final deciding factor was all the free classics–Balzac…how could I resist? I use both the kindle and regular books.
Like most avid readers, I was concerned about the e-reader experience, but the kindle is so intuitive, I didn’t even notice that I was using it.
There is one big advantage that I found when it comes to reviews, and I didn’t think about this until the situation came up. I was writing a review about something or another and wanted to work in a quote by another author. I couldn’t remember the exact quote, but I could remember the book it was in. I simply searched the book on the kindle, and bingo, I had the quote.
Tom, I’m thisclose to getting an ereader – most likely the new Kindle that just came out. I figure I can use it for those books that I do want to read, but that I don’t want to purchase and add to my overstuffed bookshelves. Plus, all those free classics – how can I resist?
Nadia – Yes, the new Kindle is the ereader which will finally persuade me I’m sure. I’m going to get Father Christmas to give me one I think. The free classics is definitely the clincher. Thanks for visiting
Guy – Thanks for the comments – very helpful. I am pleased to hear that you didn’t notice you were using it. With a million free books online its going to be pretty addictive I think. And for a reviewer – I’m wondering whether I’ll be able to use it to provide quotations from what I’m reading, or will I still have to type them out? All will be revealed i.d.c I suppose
Steph – I’m sure you’re right – its not either/or. Our public libraries in the UK don’t have an e-books solution yet, but hopefully next year. Thanks for vistiing
Lesa – I’m not an early-adopter either. I didn’t get a CD player until about ten years after everyone else. However, the Kindle is getting quite cheap and I think its going to make a great Christmas present – if for the free books alone. Thanks for visiting
Unable to access your previous post for commenting, Tom. Pity, as I was taught by Gabriel Josipovici yonks ago, & have one or two things to say. Lovely pix, tho’! You SHOULD be out there – Cuckmere Haven’s heavenly in the sunshine!
Kindle et al? Question’s academic for me: couldn’t justify the spending; but I can see the attraction for e.g. long journeys (meaning you can have lots of books with you without carrying extra weight).
Minnie – I would much rather that e-readers had never been invented then I wouldn’t have the set of dilemmas I struggle with. Technology races on and some things are good others less so. Thanks for visting
I, too, was unable to access the last post and just wanted to say that I’m a big fan of Josipovici’s literary fiction and would warmly recommend it. As for ereaders, I’m not interested. I think there are huge problems in the fact that many use different platforms and you can’t share books between them. And they are still extremely expensive with notable technical issues. I think the whole problem is that they are being marketed as the ‘answer’ to the problems of the book trade, rather than a new gadget that might intrigue some people or have some limited advantages. When CDs were new, sales were soon growing at 30-40% more per year. That’s why this big fuss over increase in ebook sales annoys me – it’s still nothing like the growth in CDs, however much they try and talk it up.
Tom: as you read, let’s say a Balzac, you may come across a quote that you’d like to use. You have the option of making a note or highlighting. Then when you are done reading the book and want to review, you can access the notes and highlights very easily. You still have to type out the quote in the review, of course. I really, really like the kindle. I wasn’t sure to be honest. It’s very intuitive to use.
The one thing I would say is spring for a cover. I had one that opened like a book (very nice) but now I have one that zips shut for more protection.
litlove – thanks for your views on e-readers – an interesting comparison with CDs. I discovered that if I bought a Kindle, I would only be able to buy books from Amazon – what a great marketing wheeze that is! Imagine if a CD player only played CDs from one record label? And other, freer, platforms have DRM systems in place so you can’t lend a book to a friend, quite apart from donating it to a charity shop when you’ve finished with it. This is a serious deterioration in the product’s capabilities.
Guy – thanks for the response. The advantages are vast, but then so are the problems – I like to pass on books to friends, relatives and charity shops – I can’t do this with and e-book. BUT, what fun to have up to 35,000 books on one device. Despite my reservations expressed below to litlove, I expect I’ll end up with one sooner or later.
I think it’s the future–at least to some degree or another. I can’t see myself buying new books on it, but who knows what our choices will be in the coming decades.
E-readers will wipe out the used book market if e-books dominate. Publishers should take that into account when they argue over prices. As it is now, if you can stand to wait for a hardcover, the value typically drops like a concrete block within 6 months. So I can buy older used hardbacks for pennies (plus shipping). Not so with e-books. In the long term view, surely publishers would benefit.
Honestly I was surprised at how easy the kindle is. No Mr. Big isn’t paying me. I sat down with the manual and had the moves down pat in a few minutes.
The kindle recently updated so now I have the capability to create ‘collections’. I’ve had lots of arguments with myself over this or that collection. Anyway, very intuitive.
BTW you can get Tristam Shandy free on the kindle. When you search on the kindle books, it gives you the option to search for the lowest cost first. So free comes up fast instead of wading through pages.
Oh I too have been facing the same dilemma – To get a Kindle or not. I love the feel of a book when I read, the smell of the pages, savoring the print… I have been wondering how an electronic version would alter my experience and I too haven’t been able to decide. But I see a lot of positive comments here to your question and maybe I should give the e-reader a chance…
Guy – great! My wife has agreed to buy me one for Christmas – a bit of a wait. On the new one you can tweet extracts from the book you’re reading, so perhaps that would be a way of getting the text to insert into a review
Birdy – Hopefully I’d get as “lost in a book” on the Kindle as I would with a physical book. I can just see the benefits of going on a trip and having all my reading material on one little device!
Thanks for visiting
As much as I love the old-fashioned romance of books, I’m not above trying new, convenient technology. If e-readers truly made for more comfortable reading than books did, then I might switch. But I’m not buyin’ it right now. I already spend 90 percent of my waking hours glued to a computer screen and my poor eyes can’t take any more of that.
Lija – I know the feeling. Its not so bad for me now, but until three years ago I was in the same position. It can’t be good for the eyes can it!
It’s definitely not an ‘either or’ situation for me. I buy so many books that it is getting ridiculous- we have one room as a library and bookcases spread throughout the house. I am now trying to only buy hard copies for a specific reason- very special book, love the cover etc. So I recently bought a hard copy of ‘To kill a mockingbird’- great book, great cover. However, I have decided that my prize long/shortlist books I will read on an eReader. I have Sony Touch- if I had realised that there would be glare off the touch screen i’d have gone for the Pocket, but it’s fine. I actually do most of my eReading on the Kindle App on my iTouch. It’s great!
ETA: I haven’t noticed any eye strain at all using my iTouch and I read on it all the time.
India – sorry for not replying to your comment earlier – I’ve been away. Thanks for the comment. Its always useful to have a variety of views on this topic. I think I’m going to have to go “e” before too long. So lovely to carry all those books around with you on one device!