Getting back to paper books...

[Barbara1955]

E-Book Sales are your friend. IF you are paying More for e-book than a PB then you not very patient. I put mine on WL and check Daily. Just got a e-book that dropped to $3!! So instead of paying PB price in stores of $10 that e-book cost $3! MOST of my 1500+ e-books were FREE or No more than $5.

[Tarana]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

You have my complete sympathy. What needlecraft can you still do?
Alas my hubby won't build me a new house so we can't discuss your collections.

I can still do quilting. Knitting is limited to simple socks and the norwegian sweater pattern I've done several times. I work on finishing my final 3 afghans on good vision days. I can still do granny squares and such, just nothing complicated, so no point in keeping the books.

I should add that I do occasionally buy a paperback that is not currently in ebook and send it in to have it converted to pdf, which I then convert to epub using ABBYY Transformer. If I can't read, I use the text-to-speech option on my Fire.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by Tarana

I can still do quilting. Knitting is limited to simple socks and the norwegian sweater pattern I've done several times. I work on finishing my final 3 afghans on good vision days. I can still do granny squares and such, just nothing complicated, so no point in keeping the books.

I should add that I do occasionally buy a paperback that is not currently in ebook and send it in to have it converted to pdf, which I then convert to epub using ABBYY Transformer. If I can't read, I use the text-to-speech option on my Fire.

Ah, what you still do sounds just beautiful, especially the sweater. I don't know if you suffer from dry eye as part of your eye problems, but if you do, cod liver oil and sweet potatoes have really helped my dry eye. Maybe it will mean more good days! xxoxoxo

[sufue]

I only buy two types of books in paper: (1) technical books (textbooks and the ilk) where the figures and equations are an integral part of the content and where the ability to rapidly flip back and forth between tables, figures and text on different pages is necessary, and (2) fiction titles that are either not available as e-books, or outrageously priced as e-books and not likely to go on sale in that format. The latter go straight to a scanning service, and although pdf is not my favorite reading format, it does work for me on a couple of my phone apps.

Other than that (and I'm not sure really even whether to count the 2nd type since I'm not reading them in DTB, just buying for conversion) I haven't bought a DTB in years.

[leebase]

Never. I HATE having to read paper books now. Sure, I MIGHT pay a quarter for a paperback book at a garage sale. But buying new books, it would not matter to me if the ebook was more expensive. In my mind, ebooks are worth more.

[barryem]

Originally Posted by NickyWithNook

I can't change the font or type size on a paper book, and I have to hold open a book which, depending on the size, is not something I care to do. I am not moving back to paper books, nor will I.

I read paper books for years, starting in the 1940's, and never once had any desire to change a font. On my Kindle I set the font where I want it and leave it alone. The only time I've ever changed it is when Bookerly became available. Oh, and a few times I've changed it experimentally. But only for short periods.

Barry

[crich70]

Originally Posted by cfrizz

The same is true for me as well. Being able to adjust the font means I will not go back to paper.

And ebooks take up a lot less physical space than a paper book does.

[Ripplinger]

Originally Posted by cfrizz

The same is true for me as well. Being able to adjust the font means I will not go back to paper.

This is one of the main reasons I'll never go back to paper books as well. Aging eyes (that were never very good to begin with) and being able to adjust the font makes the difference between struggling with a paper book or enjoying reading again. That and the space issue plus being able to carry multiple books with me in less space than 1 paper back book means never going back for me.

[cfrizz]

Originally Posted by crich70

And ebooks take up a lot less physical space than a paper book does.

Also totally true. I now have 1478 books on my pc, ereader, phones, mp3 player, and tablet. If I had that many books in my apt., there would be no room for me.

Ereading got me BACK into reading after nearly a 10 year absence from buying and reading books that I had trouble seeing and storing.

For those years, I read fan fiction on my pc by copying the stories into MS Word and adjusting the font to the size that was right for me. Then saving them to my pc.

Oh yeah, and thanks to Calibre, I have a good chunk of those fan fics converted into epubs and also on my readers!

[LadyKate]

Originally Posted by 49Kat

I've been finding that sometimes the cost of paper books, even brand new, ends up actually being less than the ebook version. And in some cases I am able to buy the paper book for substantially less than the ebook if I am willing to purchased used and/or through a marketplace seller.

So I balance between the ease and convenience of having books I want to read on a compact electronic device, vs having more physical 'stuff' in my life.

Is anyone else finding themselves purchasing paper books again? I went for a couple of years at least of not buying any at all, and recently I've bought a dozen in the past 3 months. Not only that, but some of them are paper versions of ebooks I have because for some reason, when I am reading books whose subject matter I am studying, I prefer the paper version. Re one author whose ebooks cost as much if not more than paper versions, I have decided to purchase the paper versions, in as good condition as I can get.

I still think it's highly unreasonable for ebooks to cost as much or more than the paper versions, but so far that seems to be the way things are trending.

I am wondering, how are used book sales legal when the author does not get any royalties for these sales.

As a purchaser of a paperback has the option of selling that paperback to a used book dealer or exchanging it for another book at a used book dealer, I think the ebook price should reflect that non-transferable fact, it is even difficult to let a friend read your ebooks unless you have a dedicated "friend device".

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by LadyKate

I am wondering, how are used book sales legal when the author does not get any royalties for these sales.

As a purchaser of a paperback has the option of selling that paperback to a used book dealer or exchanging it for another book at a used book dealer, I think the ebook price should reflect that non-transferable fact, it is even difficult to let a friend read your ebooks unless you have a dedicated "friend device".

That was taken to court many times long ago and the courts decided resale of books was allowed. And yes, the author gets nothing. The publisher gets nothing as well. It's just one of those things. There are those who are already fighting to be able to "resell" ebooks. Some want to resell them "one time only" other want to resell multiple times.

It's very difficult to be an author/creator/artist!

[crossi]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

That was taken to court many times long ago and the courts decided resale of books was allowed. And yes, the author gets nothing. The publisher gets nothing as well. It's just one of those things. There are those who are already fighting to be able to "resell" ebooks. Some want to resell them "one time only" other want to resell multiple times.

It's very difficult to be an author/creator/artist!

So? Toyota gets nothing if I resell my car. Why should books be different?

[leebase]

Originally Posted by cfrizz

Ereading got me BACK into reading after nearly a 10 year absence from buying and reading books that I had trouble seeing and storing.

Me too. While thankfully I don't have quite the eye troubles you describe...there is no doubt that I am reading for pleasure again - far more so, due to ebooks.

It's not that I hated paper books before ebooks. It's all I knew. But once i was able to read on my phone, and then on an iPad...I've never looked back.

Now I DO change the font size. When I'm tired, I make the fonts bigger.

Now I DO change night/day modes, and with Marvin I customize to just the "easy on my eyes" color combination.

Now I NO LONGER need space for all those books. I have away something like 3 large 50gal garbage bags filled with long read and unlikely to be reread books to a friend.

Now I have whatever books I want to read with me at all times.

Now I can get a new book in a matter of seconds no matter what day of the week or time of day.

On it goes.

Paper books no longer fit into my reading life style. They are a hassle I try to avoid.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by crossi

So? Toyota gets nothing if I resell my car. Why should books be different?

I didn't say it should be different. I said it was difficult to be a writer.

The ebook reselling presents more of a problem since the ebook never wears out (and a car and regular book does). It would cripple an author's ability to make any money unless the reseller always paid something to the original artist.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by LadyKate

I am wondering, how are used book sales legal when the author does not get any royalties for these sales.

As a purchaser of a paperback has the option of selling that paperback to a used book dealer or exchanging it for another book at a used book dealer, I think the ebook price should reflect that non-transferable fact, it is even difficult to let a friend read your ebooks unless you have a dedicated "friend device".

It is because when you sell a car, book, kitchen gadget or bed or a big box of latch hook stuff, you no longer own the object and the original seller got the price they wanted for it in the first place.
On that last item, make me an offer. I am actually getting rid of that.
Once you buy an object, you own that object and can do whatever you want with it.
Except make copies and sell the copies.
The thing is if I sell you my truck, I no longer own that truck or the book or the tiara pan that came with a cake mix years ago.