e-books, hardbacks or paperbacks our thoughts.

I have to say I'm pretty 'old-school' on this one - I can't ever see myself with an ereader. There's something about the book as an object, having it sat on your shelf and the tactile experience of reading it. I've seen a lot of readers but can't get into them.

Then again I still use my cassette walkman, so maybe that says it all...
 
I still use my cassette walkman, albeit for radio. When analogue gets turned off it'll become obsolete :(
 
Well unless, God forbid, I become blind, I will always be a true book reader.

I usually only get the Trade Paper Backs which aren't quite so heavy as a Hardback. There is just something special about the feel of the cover & turning the pages!

I might have to get more bookcases but I would rather that than an e-reader or a kindle.
 
thaddeus6th said:
I still use my cassette walkman, albeit for radio. When analogue gets turned off it'll become obsolete :(
Click to expand...

Tho the youngest I was the first one in my family to get a CD player way back when-they were all like oh it'll never replace vinyl or cassette tape (I never had a record player, buying my albums on tape)
Now they all use CDs and mp3s!
 
Rosemary said:
I might have to get more bookcases but I would rather that than an e-reader or a kindle.
Click to expand...

I'd love to get more book cases, but until i win the lottery and buy a big house with a personal library, im afraid I may have to go down the ebook route :(
 
Not always. ebooks can cost as much (and sometimes more, I think) than real books, plus there's the up-front cost of the reader. However, there are tons of free classics and it's definitely more manageable, so it's swings and roundabouts I suppose.
 
Thaddeus is right Biodroid, They are frequently more expensive than the hard copy. Typically the same as the hardback until the paperback is released then they drop but not necessarily below the paperback. I rarely finder a cheaper location than Amazon to buy them from (though not always) and they do tend to have them at a lower price than the hard copies.

Also, bizarrely, they do go out of stock. I suspect that the distributor has to buy a fixed number of licences and when they have all sold it is "out of stock". The worst for this in my experience is the BookDepository. I recently checked them for Alastair Reynolds books and they had all of them listed and every single one was listed as out of stock! You can ask them to notify you when they get more in, but I'm afraid I simply buy elsewhere.
 
Hmmm, that's off putting. You'd think that as there's no physical book, there's no need for sales people or warehousing it would be a lot cheaper. :(
 
I imagine the costs are hugely lower, so if they keep the price the same it's a nice juicey profit margin.

Reminds me of sofas. Sofa stores often have massive sales, which make me think: "If you can afford to cut 50% off the price, how much price-gouging goes on when there isn't a sale?"
 
According to Bookseller (I am sad) the paper bit of the book only makes up 10% of the costs. So don't expect the e variety to be cheaper. With a two bed flat there is limited space for shelves and all I can say about my kindle (and the sony, until it was thieved) is don't knock it til yave tried it (tish boom).
 
But the paper bit also has the costs of storage and transport and can suffer shrinkage. ebooks can't.

[Also, is it meant to be ebooks or eBooks, and if the former, should sentences starts 'Ebooks...'?]
 
I think it's "eBook" thaddeus6th, like eMail but I could be wrong. My friend bought a Kindle and reckons it's the best thing he has done as he now can have space as he reads fast and buys a lot of books that take up space. He read the LOTR trilogy in 2 days just to give you an idea but he said it was hard going because of the old fashioned style or else he would have done it in a day.
 
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Lacivetta said:
According to Bookseller (I am sad) the paper bit of the book only makes up 10% of the costs. So don't expect the e variety to be cheaper. With a two bed flat there is limited space for shelves and all I can say about my kindle (and the sony, until it was thieved) is don't knock it til yave tried it (tish boom).
Click to expand...

Exactly. All the books on my groaning shelves upstairs I could fit on my eReader! Space is at a premium here and if I read books and they don't move me they go on bookmooch.com
 
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Ah, very interesting links, Lacivetta. Didn't know about VAT either.

Slightly staggered at the cost per page of changing a document into an eBook format.
 
thaddeus6th said:
I still use my cassette walkman, albeit for radio. When analogue gets turned off it'll become obsolete :(
Click to expand...

I have a feeling it's not going to be as simple as that. I could see an analogue underground beginning in Britain, especially if there is a big opposition to the demise of analogue. There might be from older listeners/viewers, for instance.
 
thaddeus6th said:
Ah, very interesting links, Lacivetta. Didn't know about VAT either.

Slightly staggered at the cost per page of changing a document into an eBook format.
Click to expand...

Thanks - the changing pages to eBook format staggered me slightly. I understand editing (I do some as part of my day job), I understand that it's skilled work and think it should cost money. I don't know what goes into changing a file format, but I suspect it's money for old rope once some software has been written. EDIT: 'im indoors, a computer programmer of many years (and well paid) experience thinks the file conversion charges sound like money for old rope too.
 
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Ah, good to hear what you and your gentleman friend think. Hehe, if it is money for old rope, perhaps the two of you could collaborate and charge a decent (but lower) price for such a service?

It baffles me, as a technically clueless fellow, just how/why something like that should be difficult and expensive.
 
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