Are you buying more Kindle books or real books these days?

[Quixote1818]

Poll question: Are you buying more Kindle books or real books these days?

Just curious how Kindle books are competing with real books. For anyone out there who does not know what a Kindle books is, they are electric almost like a computer screen and you buy books to download onto them.

Also, if you do have a Kindle do you still buy regular books if the book is visual based with lots of art or photography?

I don't have a Kindle yet and tend to prefer real books but it's nice that fewer trees will be cut down because of Kindles.

[LeftyMom]

1. I only read real books BUT if textbooks start getting put out on that thing I'll buy one in a minute

Carrying around umpteen heavy textbooks, trying to figure which ones I need on any particular day and which I can leave at home or in my car, etc, sucks. Having them all in an electronic format (and searchable!) would be nice.

[Quixote1818]

2. Thats a brilliant idea. I am amazed they haven't done it yet. nt

[stray cat]

11. They are working on it and their larger size should accommodate text books and pictures

[kiva]

12. I was talking to a textbook rep about this the other day.

Since Kindle doesn't allow users to highlight, I don't know if textbooks would work well on that media. Have you considered buying e-books? One of the books I use in class is available as an e-book, and several students have bought it in that format. Of course, you'd need a laptop in class, but that still would be easier to lug around than several books.

[LeftyMom]

18. I don't highlight, writing in books drives me nuts.

I already carry a laptop around to classes, but my understanding is that the ebook reader screens are designed to be easier on the eyes. I wouldn't want to spend several hours reading off of my laptop screen if I could help it.

[Captain Hilts]

14. They'll probably charge just as much. I always wrote in textbooks anyway. nt

[Book Lover]

22. Prices are a *little* lower

but since the cost of the paper, printing, and binding is not the majority of the cost for any printed textbook, taking those costs away doesn't reduce the final plant cost anyway. I'm not defending the criminal overcharging overall, but that's the (sad) truth of it.

[Captain Hilts]

27. Textbooks are a huge racket. Disgusting. nt

[Book Lover]

21. We have vague plans for releasing on the Kindle platform

From what they tell the regular employees, the tech involved in displaying figures for the vast majority of our books is just not there; any e-reader is better for upper-level text-exclusive or text-heavy books. Textbook companies love PDFs, because it's easier to control visual output and it's already tied in with how we make books. And also because the industry is invested in CourseSmart.

Just curious: have you ever tried using the looseleaf versions? The idea is that you keep your book at home and only carry the pages with you that you need.

[LeftyMom]

23. Only for a lab science course where the book was consumable.

I haven't had many instructors who were in the habit of saying in advance what the assignment is, so I don't know how well that would work for me overall. But for the few who write up the whole course's assignment list in the syllabus (and I adore them, and wish there were more of them, because advance planning makes my life easier) that would help.

Overall the moving texts around issue isn't the end of the world, I usually just leave them all in my car and get them out as I need them. But putting it all on one lightweight object I could just throw in my bag would be ridiculously convenient, so I'd move over to that format ASAP.

[kentauros]

32. The same goes for technical reference manuals.

You'd probably see more engineers in the field if they could take their reference libraries with them ;)

[lazarus]

3. I'm buying a Kindle next month

There are a few authors I will always buy in hardcover (Steve Brust, Stephen R Donaldson) but for the most part I'll likely shift over to the Kindle. We've run out of room.

[Skittles]

4. I have to stare at a computer screen for hours and hours at work

when I'm home I want a real book

[lazarus]

5. actually

the Kindle and other e-readers use e-ink technology. No backlight, you still need a lamp to read. It's really like looking at a book, nothing like a computer screen.

[Skittles]

6. I've seen it

not impressed

[lazarus]

7. okay

I haven't actually held a Kindle, but I did look at the B&N Nook last weekend, and was impressed with the technology of the display. But to each their own. :hi:

[kentauros]

31. I am impressed with it :)

I've known about e-Ink since their inception, but still don't have the money for a reader. Plastic Logic was supposed to have a literal notebook-sized reader out by now, but I think they've changed their name and pushed release back a little more.

And if I could convert all of my books, other than the signed ones, into electronic format, I would :D

[stray cat]

10. Thats what I thought - but the kindle is not a computer screen - easier on the eyes than a book

[hobbit709]

20. It's a flat panel display with a cpu running it.

so how is it different? Just because its the size of an large calculator, doesn't mean it's not a computer screen.

[stray cat]

25. Try reading it and then prove the eye strain is the same as your computer screen

[hobbit709]

26. The kindle is adjusted for the reading level

Computer screen settings can be changed-the standard default settings are not the best for everything. I have a 23" HD screen with colors and level settings tweaked for my eyes and I get no eyestrain.

[crispini]

29. It's not backlit

that's the big difference there. You can't read your Kindle in the dark. You can do that with your PC.

[Captain Hilts]

15. Same here. nt

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

8. I have the Kindle app for the iPhone and I love it

The price of a Kindle edition is much less than a paperback or hardcover. I'm currently reading Under The Dome by Stephen King and I'm enjoying it tremendously because I can sneak in a couple pages in the bathroom or on the go or while I wait at the doctor's office without having to carry it with me.

Since I don't read books with lots of graphics, I'm fine with Kindle editions. Even with I Am America ... and So Can You!, which has graphics, it wasn't a problem with the iPhone Kindle app.

[pink-o]

33. That App is why I bought my IPhone last year!

I've been reading ebooks forever, on my Palm TX, and before that, on an HP Jornada. Listen, when one travels as much as I do, taking books around is not a fun thing to do. The ebook formats allow you to take enough reading material for long bus and plane rides, and never worry about running out. I also have a battery pack for the IPhone, so if I'm on that flight to Australia, I can pretty well continue reading the book for the duration.

And I love reading in the dark! You get to curl up in bed, and sneak a few pages of a great mystery without disturbing the other person beside you. And if you do run out of books, you can pretty well download another one anywhere you find wireless.

I get the idea of people being resistant. I still buy books I want to loan to others, or I want to keep to look back on later. But I've loved ebooks for just about the length of this century, and there's plenty of free lit, just like in the library. I highly recommend it!

[tonysam]

35. You never really own these "books."

I prefer tangible items.

[stray cat]

9. Whenever possible I buy a kindle version - much lighter weight and easier to read than hardcovers

the only thing that doesn't work well is books bought because of their pictures. Also, hardcovers are usually a lot less expensive for the kindle version.

I also have kindles for family members on the same account so if I order a book everyone else owns it and can read it at the same time.

[Call Me Wesley]

13. I still have a lot to read on my Kindle,

and I especially like the ability that I can read the many PDFs I gathered over the year without staring at a flickering monitor with backlight. That's the big plus; the e-ink is great and easy on the eyes.

It's about convenience. With the Kindle, I have an amount of books ready to read, but my real books still outnumber my e-books by thousands, which then becomes also a storage problem or a few days of sorting through them and give some of them to charities.

There are books I want in hardcover and only accept to have in hardcover, but I also have a few on my Kindle that I also have in hardcover, because I can clip notes on it and search through them easily.

To answer the question about art/photography books: No, don't get visual books for the Kindle, you'd be disappointed unless it's in harsh black and white, then it might be readable. Like a book with old maps or something like this. It can display dithered greyscales, so basically you can look at pictures, but you have to make a lot of compromises.

The answer is definitely: Both.

[CatholicEdHead]

16. I will do Kindle when you pry the printed paper from my

cold dead hands. :evilgrin:

[stray cat]

17. I seriously don't think anyone will bother - so its likely a safe threat

:hi:

[Heidi]

19. What CMW said, especially about art/visually-oriented books which are MY main purchases.

His Kindle was his main Christmas gift from Ginger and me, but I have no desire to own a Kindle. Most of my expensive book purchases are art books, and I wouldn't even expect the two books at the top of my list right now to ever be Kindle friendly (and even if they were, I wouldn't fully enjoy them on a Kindle).

My husband talks about convenience, but in my studio, convenience means it's on my shelf in my studio where I can easily pull it down and enjoy it, refer to it or show it to a guest or client. I can't imagine doing that with a Kindle. Plus, I love the EXPERIENCE of, especially, these sorts of books: the smell of the pages, the tactile sense the paper (goofy stuff like estimating its weight, the printing process, and I can't imagine a Kindle conveying these to me).

Top of my list, and not Kindle friendly: http://www.amazon.com/Peter-Beard-Nejma/dp/383650877X/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b

See what I mean?

[Biker13]

30. Ah, Heidi

A woman after my own heart! Thank you for mentioning the SMELL of books!

Actually, Biker13 and I were just discussing this yesterday. We're both heavy readers, several books a week, and we both prefer the "real thing"!
Of course, we're both over fifty! But Biker13 reads a lot of philosophy, and is a constant highlighter. Plus, I love the look of floor to ceiling bookshelves, filled with books!

[fishwax]

24. I don't have a kindle, but I do sometimes read books electronically through project gutenberg

:)

[crispini]

28. I read Kindle books on my iPhone

I *am* buying more "new" books via the Kindle. I'm a notorious cheapskate and so I usually go to Half Price books for my entertaining reads. However, the ease of getting my books and the instant gratification means that I am buying many more of my "fun" books via the Kindle.

There's still a lot I won't buy electonically, though -- books on design and reference type books mostly.

[tonysam]

34. REAL books. Always.

I can't stand virtual stuff. I want the real thing, whether it is books, music for the most part, and video.

[Terra Alta]

36. I read regular books for now

But am seriously considering getting a Kindle or some other e-reader soon. E-readers are the wave of the future, and I believe by the end of the century they will completely replace regular books.

[bookworm65t]

37. I'm a traditionalist

But I can't afford Kindle right now. Plus my eyes get irritated if I'm in front of the TV or screen for long periods

[lazarus]

38. it's a different kind of screen

no eye fatigue. It's not backlit, it uses ink. Looks just like the printed page.

[gmoney]

39. Kindle is for "read once" books I'd say, not keepsakes

If I was the type to devour Stephen King or John Grisham novels on the airplane, then a Kindle might make sense for saving costs and reducing paper use, possibly better portability.

But a book I know I'm going to want to keep around, I'd like the option to get a printed version.

[Texasgal]

40. As much as the Kindle

intrigues me, I think I will stick with pages... I have a hard time thinking I can read a computer screen for as much as I read.

[quakerboy]

41. When they make a kindle type dealie that can hold up to

my pocket as well as a book, then we will talk. Portability and durability. If a book comes to conform to the shape of my leg or gets a bit dogeared, its generaly more than salvageable. Electronic devices, as I have proven with more than one phone, are not. And I assume the bigger the screen, the easier to damage.

[rcrush]

42. I'd buy kindle books if someone bought me a fuckin $350 Kindle

I cant wait until Kindles are $20 on Ebay.

[Skittles]

46. or if I could by half-priced books at Half-Priced books for Kindle

[sakabatou]

43. Other: Audiobooks

[jobycom]

52. Yeah, me too. Easily listening to twice as many audio as reading print. nt

[qnr]

44. I find this question annoying. I have thousand's of ebooks, and numerous

ways of reading them on the go, Internet Tablet, Sony Reader, and more ... but no "Kindle." I also manipulate photos and images quite often, yet "Phhotoshop" never enters the picture. Other examples abound.

To me, it's like asking all of DU whether they drive their Fiat to work, or take the bus.

[wickerwoman]

45. I read PDFs from Project Gutenberg and google.books

but I've resisted buying Kindle because I resent their pricing structure. They are saving a mint on production, distribution and marketing costs and almost none of that is passed on to the consumer. Why should I pay $6.39 for a Kindle version of a book that costs $7.99 in paperback (and which I could get at the used bookstore for $1.50 or the library for free)? They're saving a hell of a lot more than $1.60 on that Kindle file but rather than acknowledging it, they choose to bleed people dry.

And that's on top of the $260 reader itself. Forget it.

I actually like bringing cheap books on airplanes and leaving them in the seat pocket for the next person.

Plus I'll bet anything that Apple will fold an e-reader into a later version of the iPhone or Tablet and Kindle will be left high and dry.

[carlyhippy]

47. I am starting to get into audiobooks

my attention span just is not long enough for me to sit down and read a book anymore, which is really sad :(

[Call Me Wesley]

48. Check out audible.com

If you sign up, you get some credits - which were enough for me to get two audiobooks for free. And every month you get new credits, so I have around six audiobooks right now, all for free.

[carlyhippy]

49. awesome! Thank you, will check it out!

Carly

[Call Me Wesley]

50. I just checked and I can get three more. ;)

Look through, there are good free ones, too. :hi:

[Call Me Wesley]

51. Scratch that!

I just found out that they charged me monthly, and therefore I got the credits. Next time I'll read through better. But I guess you can still get the free ones. :(

[jobycom]

54. You can fit them into a jog or drive nicely, too.

And some of the better ones bridge that gap of wanting to see a good dramatization of a long book but not wanting to see what a movie director will do to it. Jim Dale, for instance, reads Harry Potter better than any of the movies showed it, complete with distinct portrayals of each character.

Another great reader is Simon Vance/Robert Whitfield (I found out embarrassingly that they are the same person). Listen to him read Dickens, and you'll probably realize you missed a lot when you read it yourself. He can put a nuance or emphasis on a text that brings out a deeper meaning than you might realize reading it.

I second Audible, btw. For a monthly fee you can get one, two, or three books, and have access to free options (including the NYT or WSJ), as well as bargain prices sometimes. I've picked up some very good audiobooks for 4.99--cheaper than I can get them at Half Priced Books, sometimes.

[Bluzmann57]

53. I rarely actually buy any books

The public library is free and my sister works at a local library, so I get advance notice when new stuff is released. And I'm not all that technologically advanced. Hell, I finally got a portable MP3 player to download music onto. Only about six or seven years late.

[Scout]

55. not interested in other than real books

i watched as professional typesetters went out of business with the "desktop publishing revolution" ... "i have a pc and pagemaker, now i are a professional typesetter and i can save money making my own files for my book"....

not interested in helping the demise of the printing profession as well.