Comments on: MIND MELD: SF/F Reading And Buying Habits In A Digital World

By: Anthony

Anthony — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 03:49:37 +0000

I would say that I am largely still a paper book purchaser. Like others have said, I love the smell of new books and old books, the feeling of the paper in my hands, and the ease with which conversations are started over someone seeing a cover and asking or commenting about the book in hand. When I have the Nook with me, I don’t seem to get as many “what’s that about, then?” comments.

That said, I went from “I’ll never use an e-readers” to being glad I have one. I use it for my office book club’s selections, I use it to proofread the ebook edition of Lightspeed magazine, I use it to read magazines I can’t get in print (Crossed Genres, Nightmare, Apex, the usual suspects). Percentage-wise, there are probably less bought-but-not-read books on my Nook than there on my shelves.

By: Dan Geiser

Dan Geiser — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 19:52:24 +0000

In a strange way it’s semi-comparable to DVD Viewing vs. Theatrical Viewing of movies. Sure I’d prefer watching every movie in the theater and it’s the better of the two experiences but if time and/or convenience and/or price and/or another attribute to be named later are important I can make due with watching the DVD on my little TV at home.

I will always love the printed book but I get *so* much more reading done on my Kindle.

By: Sue Coffman

Sue Coffman — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 21:05:31 +0000

I’m a luddite, I still read mostly (95%) physical books. I agree with Daryl Gregory and Marie Brennan; I like to look at my shelves of books, I enjoy the covers, good or bad, and I just like the whole experience of reading a physical book. I’m also an office worker, so I tend to steer clear of screens when I have time for recreational reading. I do own a kindle, for convenience. Like Kristine Rusch, if I’m reading a massive book, carrying it on my kindle is ideal, but I still buy the physical book for my collection. All in all, the full experience of the physical book still works best for me, although I do understand the appeal of electronic reading. Interestingly, my 18-year-old niece recently told me SHE prefers to read a physical book, despite the fact that she has a kindle and uses it constantly. She likes the instant availability of ebooks, as well as the convenience, but she also enjoys the inherent beauty of the physical book reading experience.

By: Sam M-B

Sam M-B — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 16:07:57 +0000

I think I’m finally going to dip a toe into e-readers, via a Kobo, and see where it goes. I used to have a “high and mighty” anti-ebook, “ahhh…. the smell of real paper, the weight of the physical book in your hands” vibe going, but then a couple of years ago I realized that I was already going the vast, vast majority of my “reading” (80 or so of the 90 or so books a year) in digital, via audiobooks. I do tend to keep my bookshelves growing with a physical collection, even for those books I pick up in audio. Not sure I am going to be that interested in buying a book 3 times though, once for audio, once for the e-reader to pick up on spellings or quick re-reading of a section, and once again for the collection.

By: Peter

Peter — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 13:08:53 +0000

I have a smart phone, kindle, iPad, and laptop. For casual reading, I prefer the Kindle. I don’t like reading from a phone or even a laptop (I have a desk job as is). The only time I read physical books is when they are from the library or if it is a book that I would want for a bookshelf (recent purchases were Gene Wolfe’s new edition of Peace and LOA’s Philip K Dick collection). I would consider buying newer books in hardcover, but normally I am just eager to read them and download them from Amazon. I’m trying to reduce my physical book collection at the moment, giving hundreds of books to our local library.

By: Carl V. Anderson

Carl V. Anderson — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 12:03:00 +0000

Your P.S. is so true X2.

By: Carl V. Anderson

Carl V. Anderson — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 12:02:09 +0000

I am a passionate advocate of the book as physical object and always have been. Books with their cover art and design, font choices and format are like small works of art. I enjoy their feel in my hand and the smell of the ink and paper and I like all the little extraneous details you find in the front and sometimes back of a physical book.

In December of 2012 I purchased a Kindle Fire HD with the sole purpose of keeping up monthly with magazines like Lightspeed and Clarkesworld and to read the then-advertised episodic release of John Scalzi’s The Human Division. I honestly thought I would use it for little else. I was so wrong. Since January 1st 11 of the 16 items (books, magazines, short stories, novellas) that I’ve read have been on the Kindle. It shocks me to see that. I love reading on the device. It is handy for going back and forth to work vs. taking physical books and trying to take care that I don’t damage them in any way (yes, I am that kind of book person).

I’ve also purchased things and read things that I probably would not have come across without an ereader.

I’ve certainly spent more money this year already with the Kindle because of the ease with which I can give into temptation. One click and I have a new book right there in my hand.

I agree wholeheartedly with Marie Brennen’s statement that a book purchase provide one with both a physical and ebook copy, at the very least it would be nice to see that happen when one purchases the physical copy of the book. I think it would continue to encourage the sale of physical books which might prolong the death of brick and mortar stores for a time.

I have done the same thing Kristine Kathryn Rusch mentions which is to buy both a physical and ebook copy, especially if the book itself is huge and cumbersome to carry around outside of the house. I may read the ebook copy at work during breaks and read the physical copy when I am at home.

I won’t stop buying physical books and my preference in the comfort of my home library is to sit with a ‘real’ book in my hand, but having an ereader has certainly expanded the scope of what I read and how much I read.

By: Paul (@princejvstin)

Paul (@princejvstin) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 11:18:14 +0000

My buying habits have strongly turned toward ebooks. Unless a book would be ill served by my black and white kindle (e.g. Marie Brennan’s new book) or I have a prospect of making the book an artifact…I’d prefer an ebook.

By: X2-Eliah

X2-Eliah — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 09:29:41 +0000

Ebooks have been a very major thing for me over the last few years. Before going e-book, I used to either order books online or tell the local bookstore what I was interested to have and see if tey could get some stock in. Given that I was interested in original-english works in SF field, and being in a non-english country, well… It was not all that common to get anything in the bookstores.
And since delivery from amazon took at least a week, I was fairly, er, strict with what I bought.

With e-books, well, there is the benefit of lower cost, sometimes. But mostly it’s the instant delivery that really matters to me – I’m much more inclined to try out new stuff and take a risk. Overall I think I’ve got some 50/60-ish paperback SF/F books and 140 books on my kindle.

Oh, also it does make things much easier when you have to travel/move. Much, much easier.

P.S. Final benefit – holding a kindle for 6-7 hours (a good reserved reading session, imo) is much less tiresome than holding a 1000-page brick of a book.

By: Mieneke van der Salm

Mieneke van der Salm — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 07:49:47 +0000

Just to add, Angry Robot does send out paper ARCs to the Netherlands, but they were the only publisher with such a programme as the Robot Army I could think of off the top of my head at the time of writing. Now of course Gollancz has just announced their Gollancz Geeks initiative and there are probably more like-natured initiatives I’m unaware of!