The countdown is on! The paperback version of What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast — which bundles my 3 ebooks on time management, packaged with some time makeovers and tips — will be out on August 27 (Amazon link here; B&N link here).
I don’t know why the launch of a physical book somehow feels more real than the launch of the various ebooks. I remain partial to books on paper — those with a spine and pages I can dog-ear or scribble in the margins of, with words I can easily underline. I spend a lot of time in front of screens. I like taking a break from screens when I read. Which is not to say I don’t find my Kindle incredibly convenient. I do. But I like to read on paper, too.
We’ll see how the whole industry shakes out on that subject. I imagine that in a few years, most content will be delivered electronically. Those of us who want print books will print the electronic content at home. We’ll have our own print-on-demand devices for doing so. There may be collectors’ editions of hard-bound books, done up especially nicely, but those will be sold at a higher price point.
What percent of your reading do you do electronically, or in print?
I’ve been waiting to read WTMSPD series until your collection comes out in print – can’t wait!
I do read ebooks on the Kindle app on my iPhone, but most of my reading is still in print. There are two reasons: first, on any electronic device, I tend to wander. Back to Facebook, check my email … it’s just not as much of an escape for me as it should be.
Second, I’m a heavy library user. And while I know libraries are working on elending, it isn’t there yet.
But mostly it is about the way a book anchors me, narrows my focus to the words on the page. I like that, and I don’t feel like I have that electronically.
I’d have to look at my (paper) reading log to be sure and I have a cranky girl in my lap, but I think 90% of my reading (just over a book per week) is via Kindle. I am tempted to write a mega-comment– what works on Kindle and what doesn’t (I can’t read Shakespeare on my Kindle at all), my intermittent worry that I’m reading more shallowly on the Kindle, etc. Maybe that’s a blog post of its own. Maybe you could host a linkup for people to chat about e-reader pros and cons!
I sold my Nook because I hated it so much. I do sometimes buy Kindle books and read them on my phone or computer, but I MUCH prefer print. I think we absorb much more when we read on paper. Screens=scanning.
Congratulations!! I actually prefer the print versions of “reference”-type nonfiction books, like time management and parenting ones. It’s much easier for me to flip through and find a section to reread.
With the e-versions, I can’t seem to remember *where* exactly I read that section on blah blah. I know you can bookmark in the Kindle software, but I don’t often know at the time I’m reading that I’ll want to return to that later.
I do most of my reading on my Kindle these days. I don’t have room for more physical books, and I don’t get to go to the library that often when I could actually browse for a book for myself. Plus, I’m on a short things kick- short stories, novellas, long articles- and those things are easier to find on the eReader (although not as easy to find what I want as I’d like). The other thing that makes me strongly prefer my eReader is that it lets me make highlights without feeling like I’m defacing a book- a big hang up for me, since my dad was a librarian!
@ARC- have you tried using search on your eReader? I’ve not used it much because I usually have a highlight that takes me back to whatever section I want. I wonder if it is good enough to help?
@Cloud – So I’m embarassed to say I haven’t poked around enough in Kindle to realize there WAS a search function. (!!!) Yeah, that would probably work 🙂
I’m usually reading on my phone, so no idea if the Android app has all the bells and whistles, but I assume that it has something as basic as search. Thanks 🙂
I do about 70% on my kindle and 30% on print. The only reason I use print anymore is if I borrow a book or use the library.
I’ll be interested to read the inevitable research on how screens (and the different types) affect the way we process reading material. On a device, I focus much more on content, but not as much on structure. Also, not all screens are alike — there is a big difference between reading a backlight screen and an e-ink device.
I do most of my pleasure reading on a Nook with glowlight. Because of the light features, it is so convenient and hard to pass up. Professionally, I kill a tree daily. I prefer to read, outline, and edit on paper.