E-books: To own or not to own...

[Anna Symon]

http://www.economist.com/blogs/babba.../11/steal_book

*I should confess right up front that I love hard copy books. I love the feel of the pages, the smell of the paper and ink (and potentially the coffee that was spilled on the cover ages ago). So, while I like the idea of the kindle's (and others of its kind) compact/travel friendly usability, in the end I just love the sensation of a hard copy book between my fingers. So, I haven't caved and bought a kindle yet.

And this article isn't really helping to change my mind anytime soon...

The article brought up the good point that we don't really "own" this type of electronic media (e-books). We don't have the right to sell it or pass it along to a friend in the same way we would if had we bought its hard copy counterpart. I never really thought of this, but now that it has been brought to my attention, I don't really like the idea of it. If I purchase something, I want the rights to do with it what I please (within reason, obviously). For me, one of the great joys of books is the ability to pass them along to a friend once I'm done with them. But with these devices, you can't pass anything along without giving them the kindle and effectively losing your entire reading source.

So what if Amazon will let me loan out an e-book "for a whole 14 days. Just once, ever, per title. If the publisher allows it." That seems like a horrible marketing strategy. When I see something with so many limitations on it, I am more wary of the product (*think of those pharmaceutical ads that say, "ask your Dr. about brand X... unless you are a living, breathing, human being, in which case brand X may not be suitable for you"*).

I understand the internet and its litany of networking opportunities opens up these e-books to be more widely shared than conventional books. But there has to be some happy medium where buyers aren't completely devoid of privileges and publishers/authors aren't completely devoid of profits.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Are you happy with you kindle/ipad/etc?

[Sydneyb]

Welcome Anna...

I too love the texture and experience of a book. But, being pragmatic, I like having a library (and all my daily newspapers and blogs) at my fingertips. I find it amazingly convenient not to carry the paper from one location to another.

I've tried several versions of electronic books (Sony, Nook and the Kindle) and have happily settled on the new, smaller Kindle with the reading light built into the hard cover.

One nice extra that I didn't even know until I tried to buy a book I'd purchased for someone else: if you buy the hardcopy for someone - even when its delivered to a separate address -becomes part of your electronic library and can be downloaded to your kindle from the Amazon site. Pretty cool perk.

[Chiara.Delano]

Anna

I recently purchased the latest model of the Kindle and its very handy for travelling which I do a lot of. Takes up almost no space at all and v light! Doesn't bother me not having books around!
Having had a play around on the Ipad recently I will also be getting one of those, maybe when the next model comes out, I think in January 2011

[charlestudor2005]

I agree with the others: I'm a bit of a (fiction) bookworm, and have always loved the feel of books. But traveling a lot, I invested in the (old style) Kindle. I love this ebook.

I, too, am appalled that you can't "gift" your ebook to another. I will say that if you have several Kindles on the same account (for instance, before I bought mine, I bought one for my daughter) both Kindles have access to the same library.

I think eventually, there will be a "used" ebook market, just like there is a used hard copy market. For this to work, the ebook involved would have to get a cut of every transaction. And, they would have to believe that it would produce income they otherwise would not have realized.

Or, in the alternative, they might give you the option of purchasing the ebook at a higher price with the right to sell/gift the ebook to another.

Bottom line, there is the capability of a secondary market out there. And I believe it will eventually be realized.

[davec.0121]

I'm a traditionalist (or Luddite, depending on how you look at it), but I much prefer a real book or newspaper to reading off a screen. It's hard to describe why; maybe it is the feel of the paper and the appearance of the print. Sometimes I flip back and forth, particularly if it's a non-fiction book. I also do a lot of professional reading, in which case I'll frequently print out the article so that I can make notes on the pages, flip back and forth to different points, tables, graphs, etc.

Although I read a lot of my news (especially foreign sites) on the internet, one of my favorite things is to drink coffee and read a real newspaper or book for a couple of hours. It's just not the same with a computer or a ebook.

And I've never had a book run out of battery power.

At the end of the day, my preference for print is essentially atavistic.

[charlestudor2005]

Originally Posted by davec.0121

And I've never had a book run out of battery power.

However, I've run out of power while reading a book. lol

[BTW, the Kindle seems to have a pretty long battery life, especially if you turn it off (as opposed to putting it to sleep) in between readings.]

[Anna Symon]

Originally Posted by davec.0121

I'm a traditionalist (or Luddite, depending on how you look at it), but I much prefer a real book or newspaper to reading off a screen. It's hard to describe why; maybe it is the feel of the paper and the appearance of the print. Sometimes I flip back and forth, particularly if it's a non-fiction book. I also do a lot of professional reading, in which case I'll frequently print out the article so that I can make notes on the pages, flip back and forth to different points, tables, graphs, etc.

I am similar in that I am an analytical reader, I mark up my articles and books. Underlining. Highlighting. Notes in the side margins. I am guilty of it all, especially if I am reviewing research articles. Interacting with the text helps me retain the information, versus passively reading it.

Originally Posted by davec.0121

Although I read a lot of my news (especially foreign sites) on the internet, one of my favorite things is to drink coffee and read a real newspaper or book for a couple of hours. It's just not the same with a computer or a ebook.

I couldn't agree more. One of my favorite pastimes is sitting in my overstuffed chair on rainy days, drinking hot chocolate, and reading a book. For me, the physical book represents pleasurable reading. Not something I have to do, but something I want to do in my spare time.

Originally Posted by davec.0121

And I've never had a book run out of battery power.

Very true, although I empathize with Charlestudor2005 in that I too have had the power go out while reading a book. I love escaping to the country, but it seems the further away from urban areas I go, the more undependable modern conveniences become. No light, no reading.

Originally Posted by davec.0121

At the end of the day, my preference for print is essentially atavistic.

I must agree with you, it seems the preference for hard copy anything these days will soon be considered an archaic form of communication. I am waiting for the day one of my peers will announce that they are conducting a study on the ancient ritual of letter writing. On second thought, I am sure someone, somewhere has already done so in one form or another :-)

[Anna Symon]

Originally Posted by Sydneyb

One nice extra that I didn't even know until I tried to buy a book I'd purchased for someone else: if you buy the hardcopy for someone - even when its delivered to a separate address -becomes part of your electronic library and can be downloaded to your kindle from the Amazon site. Pretty cool perk.

That is a cool perk, it provides the opportunity to have the benefits of both! :-) Do you think they will continue to do this or will they stop after a while because they are essentially giving away a free book each time?

Thank you for the insight!

[WTF]

Originally Posted by Anna Symon

That is a cool perk, it provides the opportunity to have the benefits of both! :-) Do you think they will continue to do this or will they stop after a while because they are essentially giving away a free book each time?

That is like asking if a blacksmith will quit giving away a tire evey time ones buy a horseshoe...

[Anna Symon]

Originally Posted by WTF

That is like asking if a blacksmith will quit giving away a tire evey time ones buy a horseshoe...

This can only be an applicable analogy if the blacksmith saw an increase in horseshoe-buying customers owning cars as well. Why would the blacksmith give away for free what he could charge customers for (i.e. the customer would need both horseshoes and tires)?

Similarly, why would amazon continue to give away e-books with every hard copy book purchase when more and more people are owning kindles? If they ceased this activity, consumers would be required to purchase the e-book separately, potentially doubling Amazon's revenue (yet incurring the wrath of many customers).

:-)

[Guest050715-1]

I’ve been given two. I find that e-book readers are great dust collectors. Definitely, I’m a horse of a different color. I don’t have TV; I read. I not a big fan of digital anything. I have a purely mechanical grandfather clock that I wind everyday.

[pjorourke]

Originally Posted by Sydneyb

One nice extra that I didn't even know until I tried to buy a book I'd purchased for someone else: if you buy the hardcopy for someone - even when its delivered to a separate address -becomes part of your electronic library and can be downloaded to your kindle from the Amazon site. Pretty cool perk.

Kewl! Thats like the best of both world. You buy the hard copy and get an electronic one too.

[AM]

Give me a hard copy of a book any day.....along with a man who reads them.

[pjorourke]

Originally Posted by AM

Give me a hard copy of a book any day.....along with a man who reads them.

Oh admit it. You just like hard things.

[charlestudor2005]

Originally Posted by OliviaHoward

I have a purely mechanical grandfather clock that I wind everyday.

I bet that really gets the pendulum going...