Eight Reasons Paper Books Will Become An Endangered Species
If you’d asked me last year whether ebooks would ever fully replace regular books, I would have told you there was no way. Both my husband and my mom insist they prefer “real” books. I’ve only seen one person in my town with an e-reader.
And then I got a Kindle for my birthday.
While I still don’t think paper books will ever go extinct, I do think ebooks are eventually going to put “real” books on the endangered species list.
(1) The Kindle Lets You Highlight Passages and Write Notes
I took my Kindle to church last Sunday and typed notes on the passage my pastor preached on.
Big deal, you say. I can highlight my paper books and write notes in the margin. Yes, yes, you can, but if you’re like me and hate to deface a book or you’re worried you’ll want to change the note later, you won’t write in a paper book. The Kindle lets you erase or change a note or highlight whenever you want.
(2) You Can Buy A Book In A Traffic Jam
Don’t mock it until you’ve been sitting in a traffic jam for three hours with no end in sight, you’ve finished your current book, and your only other option is to listen to your husband yell at the other drivers about why there’s no reason for traffic like this when you have 12 lanes.
My Kindle came with EDGE technology that lets me buy a book anywhere a cell phone would work at no additional cost. In a traffic jam. In an airport. In a park. Instant gratification.
(3) You Can Get A Cover With A Built-In Light
With a regular book, you need to have a light on to read, which can really annoy a spouse who’s trying to sleep (take it from the spouse who’s usually the one trying to sleep). You can read your Kindle in places where you’d otherwise need to hold a flashlight (I hate trying to hold a flashlight and a book). You can read it in the car—where an overhead light would bother your driving spouse—or on a plane if your overhead light isn’t bright enough. I know you can also buy lights to clip on to paper books, but they’re not as stable and damage the pages.
(4) E-Readers Are Perfect for Small Hands
Even by female standards, I’m small. I’m 5 foot 2 inches with hands like a child. Thick books (*cough* Games of Thrones *cough* Harry Potter) are uncomfortable to hold. They’re heavy and just plain awkward for me. Obviously this isn’t a deal-breaker, but if there’s a better way to read, why not take it?
My Kindle, even wearing its leather cover, is the perfect size—thin, small, and light. I can hold it comfortably for hours.
(5) No Need for a Bookmark
Ever had a bookmark slide out on you, leaving you scrambling to find your page again? Hate to wreak your pages by turning down the corners? My Kindle holds my place, saved automatically. On every book.
(6) Ability to Change Font Size
Setting aside the fact that I’m getting older and my eyes aren’t what they used to be, some books are printed with font that’s just too small to be comfortable even for fresh eyes. My Kindle lets me select the font size I prefer, along with margins and line spacing.
(7) An E-Reader Helps You Pack Light
My husband loves to tease me about the amount of luggage I bring regardless of where we’re going. Even if I’m only away for a weekend, I want to take at least four books with me. With my Kindle, I can take thousands if I want in less space than one average book takes.
(8) The Next Generation Is Tech Savvy
This is the number one reason paper books will become an endangered species. The next generation is used to gadgets. They love them, crave them, in the same way that a lot of us long for some of the simplicity that’s been lost. Very few of them are going to feel the same loyalty to “real” books that my mom and my husband do. (Plus, my Kindle feels like I’m holding a real book, and the leather cover smells wonderful. Just saying.)
In fact, I can only think of three reasons why ebooks might never fully replace paper books.
(1) Sand, water, and electronic devices don’t mix.
(2) When you’re in the middle of a page-turner, and the battery on your Kindle dies . . .
(3) Will the ebooks of today be compatible with the Kindle of a decade from now?
Do you have a Kindle or other e-reader? Why do you love it or hate it? If you don’t own one yet, what’s stopping you?
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May 23, 2012 @ 08:29:09
Hi Marcy!
What a timely post! I’ve had my 3G Wi-Fi Kindle for 2 1/2 yrs. I love it for many of the reasons you mentioned above: can take tons of bks on a trip, make notes & share notes, easy to buy bks or games or get free bks/games, change fonts, lightweight & not awkward to hold, etc. Most of the times, I don’t buy ebooks that are reference bks, b/c sections I use often, the bk already opens up to that page. Another time when I buy the bk over the e-bk is if the bk is a classic or is written in another language. Buying good translations or good classics with repectable introductions is more important to me than e-bk.
I still like to hold actual bks & like the way they smell, but they also use a lot of trees. That’s why if I don’t get an e-bk, I usually buy a used bk. But I must admit, e-bks have a lot of advantages over regular bks. When I first got my kindle, I said I would mainly use it for all those paperbacks I read while sick in bed or read on trips. I still follow that policiy; but price also is playing a factor. If bk is cheaper as an e-bk and it’s a reference, I will usually buy it as an ebk. If I can find a used copy of the bk itself, even a fiction paperback, then I will buy the paperback. So, I guess price also plays a big fctor both ways (e-bk over paperback & paperback over e-bk).
Monique
(p.s. While commenting using my phone, your blog post pages don’t accept my url. Do you mind if I leave it here? If you mind, please feel free to edit this comment: http://www.bendsintheroad.com) Thanks!
May 23, 2012 @ 13:03:41
Another one that I could think of as not being great for an ebook is cookbooks. That said, if I had an ipad and a stand where I could prop it, I probably wouldn’t mind using it for recipes.
I agree – price plays a huge factor. I don’t think that ebooks should cost as much as paper books. I believe in fairly compensating an author for their work, but I also believe in being fair to the purchaser who really doesn’t have a physical product with an ebook.
I welcome anyone who can’t get their URL to enter correctly to just leave it at the bottom of their post. No problem there 🙂
May 23, 2012 @ 08:35:46
I love my kindle. read a ‘real’ book the other day and it was a pain. They don’t stay open on their own. They don’t sit up in bed, they weigh a ton to carry, etc etc. In Jan in Maui, didn’t see people reading books on the beach – they were e-reading. luv it
May 23, 2012 @ 13:00:19
Being able to prop my Kindle up somewhere is a huge benefit for me. So is being able to click to the next page using only the hand holding the book. I didn’t realize how much I liked having the ability to use just one hand and leave the other free for petting the cat, snacking, or reaching for a drink until I got my Kindle.
May 23, 2012 @ 08:40:18
I have a Nook, and it’s similar to the Kindle except for the note taking feature. That would be really cool. I love my Nook, and it makes reading a regular book very clunky. My mom loves the ability to increase font size and now has a tough time reading print books.
I agree with your last reason – the next generation has been raised on technology, and they will push ereaders to the next level.
I also think price is a big issue. I stopped in Barnes and Noble the other night (we were nearby) and browsed through some of the books on my list. All were 10.99 and up. After getting such good deals through my ereader, I had no interest in spending the money. If I can’t find the ebook version for a cheaper price, I’ll go to the library.
Great post!
May 24, 2012 @ 14:35:05
Price is a big factor for me too. Less expensive ebooks mean that I can buy more books than I otherwise would. I find myself reading more than ever before (in a good way, not in a neglecting-my-work kind of way 🙂 )
May 23, 2012 @ 09:03:05
I totally want to get an ereader, but you hit on my biggest reason not to. My favorite places to read are 1. the bathtub, and 2. by the pool. Ereaders don’t work there. So, I’m waiting for the waterproof version. And I want one that is compatible with all ebook stores. I’m sure they’ll have that eventually. And then I’ll be buying one!
May 23, 2012 @ 09:19:02
I don’t know that they’ll ever come out with one that’s compatible with all ebook stores until someone invents one independently of also selling books. For example, I’ve read that Amazon actually takes a loss on some of their less expensive Kindles because they know they’ll more than make the difference back in the amount of books each person will buy. So the Kindle is actually a vehicle for them to sell something else. Fortunately most book come in multiple formats eventually.
I’m right with you on a waterproof version. I think it’ll come.
May 23, 2012 @ 10:11:24
The future compatibility issue is my biggest concern about ebooks. With so many proprietary formats out there (and the fact that you don’t actually “own” an ebook, so you cannot say to a friend “Here, this was great! Read it” without having to purchase another license for most ebooks I find them a bit less convenient (though the “big book issue definitely does come up)
Another reason to be a bit concerned… While paper books do use trees, most of those trees are grown and harvested specifically for that purpose or use pulp from mills that cannot be used for other purposes.
On the other hand, ebooks (and most tablet-like devices such as Driods and iPads, etc.) have intricate circuitry that requires so-called rare-Earth minerals, many of which are being strip-mined out of rainforests and other fragile ecosystems. Nor is the industry making these devices clean…
A paper book is actually “better” for the environment. Actually several thousand paper books are better for the environment than one ereader since the lifespan of these devices hasn’t been proven to reach that far. And of course there are other factors such as convenience and space that I am not taking in, so the scales keep tipping back and forth.
It’s a personal decision. I have the Kindle Reader software on my computer because I don’t actually own a device, but I would love a tablet PC someday. I make no judgements on anyone who chooses one. Just noting, that convenience may be coming with hidden costs. Kind of like fast food….
May 23, 2012 @ 13:22:34
Not having the rights to sell/trade/gift eBooks is one of my primary grips too. Perhaps someday there will be a work around for that which isn’t piracy.
I think you just made me really glad we’re fairly low tech Eden! That Man has a Droid for work but the rest of us are real basic, LOL
May 24, 2012 @ 15:06:51
It’s very interesting to hear the other side of the “ebooks are better for the environment” debate. With the way the world is now, technology is an essential facet of life, so I think the best we can do is push for manufacturers to be as responsible as possible.
May 24, 2012 @ 21:27:29
I understand your point about e-book readers but would be interested in knowing more about the strip mining and minerals you’re talking about with references to source material. In addition, e-readers have only been around for 5 years or so and the technology is pretty new. At it advances, hopefully the environmental impact will be reduced as well. Also, there aren’t just several hundred or even thousands or millions of books, there are billions and billions of books in paperback and hardback, scattered across the world in libraries, bookstores, offices and homes with more being produced every day. At least electronic devices might slow that process a bit and make better use of resources longer term. Not a perfect solution but nothing really is when it comes to consumption.
May 23, 2012 @ 10:16:17
I think of the durable cameras that Fisher Price came out with for kids. They could be dropped, tumbled down the stairs and some of them took good pictures too. They come in kid friendly colors and designs. if they create a kidproof ereader – I’d be in.
I still read both. But I definitely buy less print. I buy the ones I know I’ll love and want to keep or trade. I do them becoming more popular esp. as more tablets are sold.
May 23, 2012 @ 11:24:26
One of my good friends has this electronic “book” for her kids where they can touch the screen to make things happen. It’s very basic, but if they came out with something like that for children’s books, I imagine it’d be hugely popular. That was her children’s favorite book because they could interact with it.
May 23, 2012 @ 12:08:52
I LOVE the idea of an e-reader. I use the iPad for mine. But here is my gripe… Where it can take me a couple of days to read a book I am really into (paperback), it will take me forever electronically. My eyes get tired after a few pages of reading and I have to shut the thing down. I also like being able to randomly flip to various locations.
So, yes – great for all those reasons you mentioned. As long as you are reading straight through and it doesn’t make you want to go right to sleep after four pages of reading. 😐
May 23, 2012 @ 13:05:44
I’m interested in what the background on your ipad looks like. I only have experience with the Kindle, and I find the greyish background they use and the lack of backlighting to be easier on my eyes than a computer screen. I’d like to get an ipad in the future, so you may be getting an email from me before I do with some questions 🙂
May 23, 2012 @ 13:19:22
The iPad would be like reading on a computer screen Marcy. The Kindle is eink which is like reading on paper. Now Amazon also has the new devise which is more like the iPad and that would be again like reading on a computer screen, but if you want color that current is the only way to go.
May 23, 2012 @ 13:21:08
Thanks 🙂 I’m actually happy to give up color because I find the e-ink to be easy on the eyes. I don’t like reading on a computer-type screen after working on a computer all day 🙂
May 23, 2012 @ 13:17:03
LOL…I was the same way. Then I got a Nook for my birthday and even more recently a Kindle. As I get older, I’m actually finding the eReaders are better for my eyes simply because I can adjust the font size, and with eink tech it’s like reading on paper.
All that being said, it frustrates me that once I’m done with an eBook I can’t give it to a friend or sell/trade it. Sure, I can loan it out for a couple weeks but I think that’s limited to once per book. So if I never plan to read it again, it either sits on the devise (or my computer’s hard drive) or I have to delete it. And heaven help me, I think I’d have to buy it again if I needed to reference it after deleting it!
May 23, 2012 @ 13:23:20
As a reader, I enjoy borrowing and lending books. As a writer, I can see how not being able to lend a book could be beneficial. A library lends out books, but the author can sign up for a program that actually compensates them (I’m blanking on the name), plus the library frequently needs to replace copies. When a friend lends you a book, the author gets nothing for their work (unless they make a new fan, which is a definite bonus).
May 23, 2012 @ 15:11:19
I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Kindle for all the reasons you listed and beyond. I adore the dictionary function as well because I often read books outside my “norm” and sometimes the terminology is a real issue. With the build in dictionary, it’s so easy to look up a word and keep going…
I also find you get plenty of notice when the battery is starting to run low so no need to ever have it go “dead” in the middle of a good part.
I got my Kindle over a year ago and haven’t looked back. Hubby sometimes claims he thinks I’m having an AFFAIR with it…LOL!!
May 24, 2012 @ 15:09:28
I love the dictionary feature too!
I’m terrible about recharging the battery when the Kindle notifies me. So I guess I can’t blame my Kindle for that 🙂 I’ve been meaning to get an adapter so that I could recharge from the cigarette lighter in the car on long trips. When we make the 11 hour trip to visit my husband’s family, I tend to end up with a dead battery.
May 23, 2012 @ 17:44:38
I adore my Kindle, much to my surprise. I can sweat all over it at the gym, toss it into even my smallest purse and pick up where I left off on my iPhone if I forget it at home.
All of that said, I love having hard copies of special books, such as autographed my favorite and autographed fiction and certain cookbooks. I know they have some sort of cyber-autograph function for e-readers, but it’s not quite the same. 😉
May 24, 2012 @ 15:13:54
I never even thought about autographs. The Kindle-graph feature isn’t nearly the same as a real autograph, so anyone who wants a book as a collector’s item would still need to get a paper copy. But that’s why I think they’ll become endangered rather than extinct 🙂
May 23, 2012 @ 22:09:51
I moved into e-books a while ago for all the reasons you have here. For me, convenience is the number one best thing about e-reading.I love it!
May 24, 2012 @ 15:10:00
Absolutely agree 🙂
May 24, 2012 @ 00:02:29
I received a Sony E-Reader last year, or was it two years ago for my birthday? I do think it’s a great toy, but when I go to pick it up and read from it, the battery needs recharging.
I’m sticking to books.
Great post, Marcy.
May 24, 2012 @ 15:10:49
I guess the really important thing is that we’re all reading 🙂
May 24, 2012 @ 09:34:35
I have an Ipad. The backlighting give me little headaches when I read too long. I think I want a Kindle for just reading.
I read both paper and ebooks, but ebooks a little more.
May 24, 2012 @ 15:11:32
If you have a problem with the ipad backlighting then a dedicated ereader is probably a great choice. Mine seems to be easy on the eyes, which means no headaches.
May 24, 2012 @ 12:27:19
Guess I’m going to have to break down and read the manual. After about nine months, I just learned how to go back to the beginning of a book…without clicking the back button five thousand times. I also didn’t know about the ability to take notes, and sometimes knowing how to change font sizes would come in handy.
Definitely with you on the big books. I now own a Kindle thanks to hard cover David Baldacci books that weigh thirty-seven pounds.
Debra hit on my biggest reason for still preferring paperbacks…the ability to flip back to previous pages easily (without having to memorize the book to do it…because you have to memorize something for the Kindle to find it…oh wait…that’s the Ctrl/F thing in Word, sorry).
Natalie…a DICTIONARY in a Kindle??? Where?
Yes, I do like my Kindle. I love the fact that I can just buzz over to Amazon and get what I want, when I want, and I can even do it in my nightgown. But I have a HUGE collection of paperbacks and I’ll probably always prefer them.
May 24, 2012 @ 13:53:47
To save you a little time, if you have a “keyboard” on your Kindle, the button to change font size is right next to the spacebar. It looks like a big capital A and a little capital A together.
You can take notes just by starting to type, or if you want to highlight you can hit the menu button and choose “add a note or highlight.” Then click the center of the weird square-like button to start the highlight at the right spot.
The dictionary is easy. When you’re reading a book, just move your cursor to the word you want defined and the definition pops up at the top of the screen.
May 24, 2012 @ 20:32:37
Thank you, Marcy! My Kindle does have a keyboard so I should be able to play around with all of this stuff and pretend that I’m tech savvy now. 🙂
May 24, 2012 @ 14:52:01
I have a Kindle and I like it alot, but I still prefer paper books. When I travel it’s nice to have an entire library at my fingertips, but that’s about the only time I prefer the Kindle over the paper books.
I like to flip back in the books to something I read previous (because I sometimes can’t remember stuff) and compare pages side by side. I have an uncanny knack for finding mistakes in books, like in almost every book I read. I sometimes flip back through the pages to find discrepancies. I know I’m a weirdo, but I do that in almost every book I read. For instance in a book I recently read, one of the secondary character’s hair color changed. I thought I was imagining it, but when I flipped back through the pages I found it and compared the two pages side by side. You can’t do that with a Kindle (that I’m aware of anyway). You can go backwards, but not compare two pages side by side.
So that’s my weirdo reading habit that keeps be loyal to paper books. Plus I like to look at the covers on paper books. Reminds me of who the hero is or what the town might look like in the author’s imaginary world.
Patricia Rickrode
w/a Jansen Schmidt
May 24, 2012 @ 20:59:26
Just got a Kindle Touch. I didn’t think I would since I still have books upon books on my shelves that I want to read. That said, I hope paperback books and hardcovers continue to find homes. I’m much rather curl up with paper than a hard tablet/e-reader anytime. It somehow makes me feel more grounded.
May 24, 2012 @ 21:18:40
I own a second generation Kindle (no fancy color screen here) and when an app for Kindle was released for my iPhone, I immediately downloaded it. I adore my ebook reader! Generally I prefer my iPhone because of the portability and back light now but even before that my Kindle went with me everywhere. Since getting my Kindle in 2009, I read more, I can read anywhere, and it’s easy to have access to books. Considering I average 1 – 2 books a week (minimum – that gets as high as five some weeks), not having to carry around books, no longer forgetting to bring a book when I’m in a hurry, no visiting bookstores or libraries every week (only visit when I want to, about once per month or so), no return deadlines or late fees, and having access to any book I want even at 2 a.m. in the morning is AWESOME!
Some strange (and not so strange) places and instances I’ve used my ebook reader – in line at Subway, at the gas station while pumping gas, in a parking lot waiting on someone, at a traffic accident, before or after a meeting (cracking open a book would be unprofessional. My iPhone is more discreet). Standing in line at the pharmacy. Heck, being in line anywhere – doctors office, store, school campus, traffic you name it. On the subway. At the gym. At the pool (just don’t drop it). In a long hot bath. During a therapeutic massage. At the airport. Long car rides. In bed anytime.
No more lugging around heavy books. No more dog-eared pages. No more lost bookmarks or lost reading places. No more lugging around a dictionary for the occasions when I don’t know a word or want to make sure I remember the definition correctly. Easy to reference highlights for future discussions/blogging/social media etc. Easy to find a title I’ve read and recommend to another. No more storage space for books. No more figuring out what to do with all the books I’ve already read and run out of room for. (I used to give books away to random strangers as soon as I finished reading it. I frequently got some strange looks I can assure you.) Knowing I’m not impacting the environment as much because one more book doesn’t have to be printed for me.
Since buying my kindle, I’ve bought two paperback books. Both are reference books that sit on my bookcase. In those three years, I’ve read over 200 books. Do I miss paperback books? NOT A CHANCE!
May 27, 2012 @ 15:58:23
I love my Kindle and like you, I’m buying a lot more books now as eBooks are cheaper. I have over 100 unread books waiting for me, all books I really want to read. But I’ve also become more fickle with finishing and hop more often between books.
Despite the Kindle, I will always have a special relationship with real books. I prefer to read non-fiction in book format because my Kindle is a really basic and flipping back to the index is difficult. With non-fiction and books I study for writing craft, I want to be able to jump to any page I want very easily. And I have an excellent visual memory of what stuff was on which page. That doesn’t apply at all to Kindle books.
I also dislike taking notes with Kindle. Pretty notebooks are my weakness and there is just something magical in scribbling notes long hand. I can also make amazing discoveries in my huge stack of random notes, things I didn’t even remember writing down 😛
May 28, 2012 @ 15:03:21
I adore my Kindle and am actively ridding my shelves, closets, nightstands, etc. of the paper books which have loaded them down. Time and technology march onward, and since I’d rather read books than sniff them, I’m happy to join the eBook revolution. A friend shared her water-proofing trick with me: put the Kindle inside a ziplock bag when you want to read in the tub.
Hard bound books are destined to become collector’s items, and no one will miss paperbacks. Long live the forests!
Callie
May 28, 2012 @ 15:07:47
That’s a great tip! My parents used to do something similar with their cell phones when they went canoeing. I didn’t think to apply something similar to reading a Kindle in the tub.
May 29, 2012 @ 22:25:03
Was going to suggest the plastic bag trick but someone beat me to it. One of the biggest thing that tipped the scales for me was moving out of an apartment and into a studio apartment and from the studio to a house in another state. Much as it pained me to do so, the vast majority of my paperbacks were thrown in the dumpster behind the studio, as I was just done shuffling a hundred and some odd pounds of book. Another point is being able to pick up one item and have my book and music library with me, rather than grabbing the book I want, hoping I won’t change my mind, and also having to track down my mp3 player.
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Aug 03, 2012 @ 23:21:47
I”ve published ebooks, but I’ve held out on an ereader. Until they can make an ereader that sounds, looks, feels and smells like a real book, I’ll hold out as long as I can 🙂