Shifting back to physical books...

Ninjalawyer · 09-13-2013, 10:23 AM

Just like the title of the thread says, I've slowly been shifting my reading back to physical books lately. Has this been the case for anyone else?

It wasn't an intentional thing for me; over the last few months I just seem to have stopped impulse buying so many ebooks and buying more physical books. Before, if I heard about a book that sounded interesting, I would head to Kobo to check the price and see if a coupon code applied. Usually the price would be fairly low and I'd buy even where a coupon code didn't apply (it usually did). Now though, the price on Kobo and other ebook stores is typically higher than the price of the physical book, and I can't even remember the last book I wanted to buy that was eligible for a Kobo coupon.

Here's a couple recent examples:

The Fault in Our Stars - $15.99 for the epub (Kobo), but $10.99 for the hardcover at Costco.
Fooled by Randomness - $16.99 for the epub (Kobo), but $15.00 for the paperback at Chapters.ca
Embassytown - $12.99 for the epub (Kobo), but $6 from a Coles (local bookstore) for the hardcover (this one is a little unfair since the hardcover was obviously overstock)

I realize it has always been the case that sometimes epubs would cost more than a physical edition. However, lately it seems like everybook I'm interested in is priced higher for the epub than the physical book.

ProfCrash · 09-13-2013, 10:27 AM

Nope. I don't like reading paper books. They are heavy, bulky, and uncomfortable. As long as the prices are what I am comfortable paying, I am fine with it.

I have felt this way from day one but I know many people feel differently.

usuallee · 09-13-2013, 10:31 AM

Yeah, I've found myself drifting back towards physical books in recent months. Now that I've had an ereader for nearly 3 years, some of the novelty has worn off, and maybe some nostalgia for dead tree books has crept in. So I've found myself buying some hardcovers and paperbacks but still buying plenty of ebooks as well. Maybe 60% ebooks, 40% physical. Real books, even paperbacks, seem now to me like an aesthetically pleasing luxury item.

Plus you're right, on price books are very competitive, especially factoring in used books. And also, the fact that I can get just about any physical book through interlibrary loan, whereas my library's ebook selection unfortunately seems to consist mainly of young adult paranormal romance.

meeera · 09-13-2013, 10:37 AM

If I can't get it at the library (including the ebook selection), next stop is luzme.com . TFioS is currently $3.99 at a few US stores, and $10.99 CAD at Sony Canada.

BWinmill · 09-13-2013, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ninjalawyer

Just like the title of the thread says, I've slowly been shifting my reading back to physical books lately. Has this been the case for anyone else?

I've been going back and forth for a few years now. For the most part, I prefer reading on an ereader but price is an issue. That's particularly true since the vast majority of books that I've bought in the past have been second hand.

One thing that I would suggest doing is making the library your friend. You are likely paying for them through your property taxes, and they are there for everyone to use. This is true for ebooks and pbooks.

Jdschi · 09-13-2013, 10:41 AM

I went back to pbooks as well for a while.
I bought my first Kindle only at the beginning of last year and after the initial excitement, I somehow read less and less on it. I started to buy pbooks again, because if I buy them used they are way, WAY cheaper than ebooks.
Lately, I have started to read ebooks again, though - I think I got an ebook bundle from somewhere, remembered how nice ebooks are and then realized I could actually read on LCD screens - since then, I'm back to reading ebooks but I might throw in a pbook once in a while just because it is cheaper..
Also, I just have to think about having to move apartments again in the near future and ebooks are suddenly even more appealing...

Chi Cygni · 09-13-2013, 10:44 AM

I am an expat in Belgium so if I want or not I either read ebooks or nothing. I cannot just walk into a bookstore and buy books as I don't read neither in French nor Dutch. Ereader is really a God sent thing for me.

That said, I prefer ebooks. I don't see myself going to a bookstore back in my country and suddenly start buying paper books (what's with the horrible font they use here and there?) The case I bought for my Kindle and the automatic light on gives me the feeling of reading a real book anyway.

elemenoP · 09-13-2013, 10:49 AM

I never stopped reading pbooks; in fact I intentionally look for a pbook to read after I've read a few ebooks. Someday the type on pbooks is going to be too small for me to read comfortably, and I dread that day. As far as pricing, I sometimes find used books for $3.99 or so with Amazon Prime free shipping. I love that! Just as I love finding a good promotion on an ebook. You sited The Fault in Our Stars as an example. On Amazon US, the ebook is $3.99 right now.

eP

jgaiser · 09-13-2013, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

Nope. I don't like reading paper books. They are heavy, bulky, and uncomfortable. As long as the prices are what I am comfortable paying, I am fine with it.

Yep.. Same here. If the prices for an ebook are too much higher than the pbook, I end up buying neither.

Too many advantages to ebooks for me to return to paper.

DiapDealer · 09-13-2013, 11:28 AM

For me, the attraction of the ebook is almost 100% about the ability to hear about, become interested in, locate, purchase, and start reading all in the same hour.

"What am I in the mood for?"
"Oh, that's right... it doesn't really matter. I can be reading almost anything in the world in a matter of minutes!"

That is an added value I'm willing to pay extra for (even if I'm rarely asked to do so).

Doesn't mean I have the least trouble reading a pbook if that's the only option available.

calvin-c · 09-13-2013, 11:28 AM

To me it's the 'story' that's important, not the book, so I buy where I find it cheapest. Of course I'm practical-I don't spend a lot of time searching if the 1st place I find it has a reasonable price. Other than used books that meant ebooks until about 5 years ago, pbooks since, and now back to ebooks in the past year.

soulfuldog · 09-13-2013, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

Nope. I don't like reading paper books. They are heavy, bulky, and uncomfortable. As long as the prices are what I am comfortable paying, I am fine with it.

I have felt this way from day one but I know many people feel differently.

This is true for me too. I prefer just about everything about ebooks, easier to hold, read & store, convenience of buying etc. Despite that, the only difference is I'm still price sensitive so unless I really, really want the book, I'll only buy it if its cheaper than the physical book.

So in the examples posted, I'd only buy one of them.

The Fault in Our Stars £4.99 ebook, £3.49 paperback
Fooled by Randomness £7.99 ebook, £6.99 paperback
Embassytown £3.59 ebook, £5.75 paperback

Prestidigitweeze · 09-13-2013, 11:36 AM

85% of the books I want to read aren't available yet as e-books. That's the main thing.

Of those books, about 50% aren't easily adapted to the epub format (bilingual editions, intricate layouts, macrostructures dependent on page flipping, extensive footnotes, etc.). That's incredibly sad. I worry about the survival of elaborately designed books.

Even so, I read ebooks predominantly at this point and strive to replace as many of my physical books as I can with electronic editions.

Here's why:

Space. I've lived in houses so cluttered with books that getting to the front door was like crawling through a crowd of teetering fragile pagodas. I can't ever do that again. It just isn't healthy.

So, yes, I prefer physical books in terms of the variety of formats. But their physicality is a tremendous burden and, what's more, ebooks are as slender and hypoallergenic as the e-reader one chooses and strives to keep clean.

Lyor · 09-13-2013, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meeera

If I can't get it at the library (including the ebook selection), next stop is luzme.com . TFioS is currently $3.99 at a few US stores, and $10.99 CAD at Sony Canada.

I agree with Meeera, on using luzme.com. I have enough books in my to read library, that if something catches my interest, I simply set an alert in luzme.com. If/when I get a price drop alert, I evaluate it to determine if it is at the price I am willing to pay, if not, I simply just leave the alert in place and wait.

jersysman · 09-13-2013, 11:47 AM

Nope, sticking with ebooks. If the ebook I want is too high a price, I just move on to something else on my TBR that is at a better price.

09-13-2013, 10:23 AM	#1
Ninjalawyer Guru Posts: 826 Karma: 18573626 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Touch, Nexus 7 (2013)	Shifting back to physical books... Just like the title of the thread says, I've slowly been shifting my reading back to physical books lately. Has this been the case for anyone else? It wasn't an intentional thing for me; over the last few months I just seem to have stopped impulse buying so many ebooks and buying more physical books. Before, if I heard about a book that sounded interesting, I would head to Kobo to check the price and see if a coupon code applied. Usually the price would be fairly low and I'd buy even where a coupon code didn't apply (it usually did). Now though, the price on Kobo and other ebook stores is typically higher than the price of the physical book, and I can't even remember the last book I wanted to buy that was eligible for a Kobo coupon. Here's a couple recent examples: The Fault in Our Stars - $15.99 for the epub (Kobo), but $10.99 for the hardcover at Costco. Fooled by Randomness - $16.99 for the epub (Kobo), but $15.00 for the paperback at Chapters.ca Embassytown - $12.99 for the epub (Kobo), but $6 from a Coles (local bookstore) for the hardcover (this one is a little unfair since the hardcover was obviously overstock) I realize it has always been the case that sometimes epubs would cost more than a physical edition. However, lately it seems like everybook I'm interested in is priced higher for the epub than the physical book.

09-13-2013, 11:28 AM	#10
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 28,039 Karma: 199464182 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	For me, the attraction of the ebook is almost 100% about the ability to hear about, become interested in, locate, purchase, and start reading all in the same hour. "What am I in the mood for?" "Oh, that's right... it doesn't really matter. I can be reading almost anything in the world in a matter of minutes!" That is an added value I'm willing to pay extra for (even if I'm rarely asked to do so). Doesn't mean I have the least trouble reading a pbook if that's the only option available. Last edited by DiapDealer; 09-13-2013 at 11:30 AM.

09-13-2013, 11:36 AM	#13
Prestidigitweeze Fledgling Demagogue Posts: 2,384 Karma: 31132263 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: White Plains Device: Clara HD; Oasis 2; Aura HD; iPad Air; PRS-350; Galaxy S7.	85% of the books I want to read aren't available yet as e-books. That's the main thing. Of those books, about 50% aren't easily adapted to the epub format (bilingual editions, intricate layouts, macrostructures dependent on page flipping, extensive footnotes, etc.). That's incredibly sad. I worry about the survival of elaborately designed books. Even so, I read ebooks predominantly at this point and strive to replace as many of my physical books as I can with electronic editions. Here's why: Space. I've lived in houses so cluttered with books that getting to the front door was like crawling through a crowd of teetering fragile pagodas. I can't ever do that again. It just isn't healthy. So, yes, I prefer physical books in terms of the variety of formats. But their physicality is a tremendous burden and, what's more, ebooks are as slender and hypoallergenic as the e-reader one chooses and strives to keep clean. Last edited by Prestidigitweeze; 09-13-2013 at 11:39 AM.

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09-13-2013, 10:27 AM	#2
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	Nope. I don't like reading paper books. They are heavy, bulky, and uncomfortable. As long as the prices are what I am comfortable paying, I am fine with it. I have felt this way from day one but I know many people feel differently.

09-13-2013, 10:31 AM	#3
usuallee Media Junkie Posts: 278 Karma: 2039392 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Pennsylvania, USA Device: Kobo Libra H20, Kindle PW	Yeah, I've found myself drifting back towards physical books in recent months. Now that I've had an ereader for nearly 3 years, some of the novelty has worn off, and maybe some nostalgia for dead tree books has crept in. So I've found myself buying some hardcovers and paperbacks but still buying plenty of ebooks as well. Maybe 60% ebooks, 40% physical. Real books, even paperbacks, seem now to me like an aesthetically pleasing luxury item. Plus you're right, on price books are very competitive, especially factoring in used books. And also, the fact that I can get just about any physical book through interlibrary loan, whereas my library's ebook selection unfortunately seems to consist mainly of young adult paranormal romance.

09-13-2013, 10:37 AM	#4
meeera Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,715 Karma: 66666666 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Libra 2, iPadMini4, iPad4, MBP; support other Kobo/Kindles	If I can't get it at the library (including the ebook selection), next stop is luzme.com . TFioS is currently $3.99 at a few US stores, and $10.99 CAD at Sony Canada.

09-13-2013, 10:41 AM	#6
Jdschi Connoisseur Posts: 51 Karma: 109342 Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Germany Device: Nexus 7.2, PW2	I went back to pbooks as well for a while. I bought my first Kindle only at the beginning of last year and after the initial excitement, I somehow read less and less on it. I started to buy pbooks again, because if I buy them used they are way, WAY cheaper than ebooks. Lately, I have started to read ebooks again, though - I think I got an ebook bundle from somewhere, remembered how nice ebooks are and then realized I could actually read on LCD screens - since then, I'm back to reading ebooks but I might throw in a pbook once in a while just because it is cheaper.. Also, I just have to think about having to move apartments again in the near future and ebooks are suddenly even more appealing...

09-13-2013, 10:44 AM	#7
Chi Cygni 秋子 permanently lurking Posts: 839 Karma: 6587575 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Europe Device: Oasis 3, Pocketbook Era	I am an expat in Belgium so if I want or not I either read ebooks or nothing. I cannot just walk into a bookstore and buy books as I don't read neither in French nor Dutch. Ereader is really a God sent thing for me. That said, I prefer ebooks. I don't see myself going to a bookstore back in my country and suddenly start buying paper books (what's with the horrible font they use here and there?) The case I bought for my Kindle and the automatic light on gives me the feeling of reading a real book anyway.

09-13-2013, 10:49 AM	#8
elemenoP Wizard Posts: 1,717 Karma: 3790058 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: NYC Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Sony 650	I never stopped reading pbooks; in fact I intentionally look for a pbook to read after I've read a few ebooks. Someday the type on pbooks is going to be too small for me to read comfortably, and I dread that day. As far as pricing, I sometimes find used books for $3.99 or so with Amazon Prime free shipping. I love that! Just as I love finding a good promotion on an ebook. You sited The Fault in Our Stars as an example. On Amazon US, the ebook is $3.99 right now. eP

09-13-2013, 11:28 AM	#11
calvin-c Guru Posts: 787 Karma: 1575310 Join Date: Jul 2009 Device: Moon+ Pro	To me it's the 'story' that's important, not the book, so I buy where I find it cheapest. Of course I'm practical-I don't spend a lot of time searching if the 1st place I find it has a reasonable price. Other than used books that meant ebooks until about 5 years ago, pbooks since, and now back to ebooks in the past year.

09-13-2013, 11:47 AM	#15
jersysman Wizard Posts: 1,747 Karma: 3761220 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Pennsylvania Device: T1 Red, Kindle Fire, Kindle PW, PW2, Nook HD+, Kobo Mini, Aura HD	Nope, sticking with ebooks. If the ebook I want is too high a price, I just move on to something else on my TBR that is at a better price.

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