Should I buy an Ebook reader?

Question

I love to read books, and i feel I'd be best served by an ebook reader, but the thing that bothers me is that Ebooks are so expensive already! and they aren't even hard copies, which kind of makes them pointless?
On the other hand, they're ultraportable.
Someone please help me make my mind up.

Answer 1

I think that you should also consider the 'enjoyment' factor of an ebook reader. Wherever you go, you are taking with you a personal library of all your favourite books and titles. You cant do that with a regular book. There is also the intellectual factor, having an ebook might encourage you to read more titles, more often and in more places. Hence, there are psychological/intellectual benefits to having access to all your books on the go. I think that ebook readers are expensive, but when you consider the enjoyment you would get from it and the intellectual stimulation, I would say that the one-off cost was a small one. Some books are much cheaper in their digital format, so you might even save money in the long run. I wouldn't say that a lack of 'hard-copies' makes them pointless. The worst case scenario is your ebook reader fails, and so does your amazon cloud where all your books are stores, and you loose everything. That's worst case scenario and how do you recover from it? Well, you just buy more books lol. Inconvenient and expensive, but a worst-case scenario so unlikely that it wouldn't dissuade me from buying the reader in the first place. Also, phone directories used to be only physical 'books' but now they are online in a digital format. Being digital doesn't make it pointless. Go and buy one, it's a life-enhancing purchase which is intellectually stimulating. A lot more useful than a foot-spa or a new tv!

Answer 2

I highly recommend a Kindle Paperwhite. More people own Kindle ereaders and I think Amazon is the first target for ebook publishers. In addition Amazon has many ebooks that are Amazon exclusives. Save up and get the Paperwhite. I have owned unlit non-touch Kindles prior to the Paperwhite and the Paperwhite is MUCH nicer. Now I can read when riding at night in a car as well as in full sun and any light in-between.



Ebooks are only expensive if you have expensive tastes, if you MUST read bestsellers or what's new and hot. Unfortunately SOME major publishers are greedy and charge more for ebooks than the cost of a paperback even though ebooks have no printing or transportation costs. My solution to that is I won't but their ebooks. if I ever really want to read that book I will wait 6-12 months and get a used hardcover on Amazon for a few bucks.



I am a voracious reader and most of my reading is indie and new author ebooks from Amazon. I pay from FREE to $2.99



This site points out the latest free ebooks at Amazon - there are TONS

http://www.dailyfreebooks.com/



And Amazon has its own Top 100 Free list (Top 100 in each category) on the same page as their Kindle Best Sellers list.



Because I read so much I also joined Amazon Unlimited ($9.99/mo). Over 700,000 of the ebooks on Amazon are part of Kindle Unlimited and I can borrow as many of those as I want, any time I want, up to 10 at a time.



I highly recommend Kindle Paperwhite.



And just because you have an ereader does not mean you have to read every book on the ereader (although you will want to). if a book you want is too expensive, borrow it from the library or buy a used paperback or used hardcover. You could also check http://www.overdrive.com/ - search for your zip code below the banner on the right - maybe a local library supports ebook lending via Overdrive (though that usually does not include hot new bestsellers).



And btw - these are nice Paperwhite cases on Ebay - sturdy covers and gives a margin of case edge beyond the edges of the Kindle - should help protect it if accidentally dropped.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/321098002310

Answer 3

Have you tried reading an ebook on your computer or smartphone? It will give you an idea of what it is like to read ebooks on a tablet reader.

If you have an ipod or nexus 7 you already have a tablet that ebook reading apps like kindle can be downloaded to.

If you like classics most books in public domain are free from Project Gutenberg http://www.gutenberg.org/



I own a nexus 7 and a kindle. I like the versatility of the tablet but I don't really read much so being able to listen to a podiobooks.com , librivox.org book or use the audible app is a plus for me but if I was more of a reader I think paper white would good.



There is no reason to stop using paper books if you have an ebook reader. There are a lot of good indie authors who do have reasonably priced ebooks. I know some people who download and read the ebook preview before deciding if they wish to buy the paper book.

Answer 4

I dithered for years. I finally bought a Kindle several years ago on a whim, and haven't regretted it. Amazon has lots of deals where the Kindle version of the book is cheaper than the print version. This does depend upon your taste, though. Best sellers aren't cheap, but there are a lot of cheap mysteries, thrillers and horror and romance novels. I pick up tons of them for less than $1 each. And books in the public domain (published before 1923) are free and legal. Many libraries loan ebooks and support Kindles as well, so I load library books on mine of a regular basis. I have thousands of books loaded on my Kindle and I can carry them all in my purse. It's great for travel. It's also great for reading big books. A while back I bought The Passage by Justin Cronin in hardback. It's around 1000 pages and is big and heavy. It definitely doesn't fit in my purse and is hard to lug around and hard to read on the bus. I finally got the Kindle version.



For me, the biggest issue is space. My husband and I have over 5000 physical books. We have no more space in the house. We have books in boxes piled on top of each other because there's no more space for shelving. My electronic books don't take up any space, so that's a huge win.

Answer 5

It's only the new and popular releases from big publishers that are expensive. A few years ago, all their releases were expensive, and then the US Department of Justice found out that was because of an illegal conspiracy between the publishers and Apple to keep ebook prices artificially high. The publishers paid big fines and promised not to do it again, and so by and large the retailers are free to sell ebooks at whatever price they think is fair.

Answer 6

For me the decision is simple:



Do I really want to keep the book?



For reading huge volumes of material and enjoying a good book for entertainment you can't beat an e-book.



If you need a text book for repeated reference and you plan on having it for the next 50 or so years there's no beating a well made hard backed book properly looked after.



So e-books can replace magazines/newspapers/journals and the majority of paperbacks that are read once or twice then discarded or ignored.