Thursday, September 12, 2013

Now, THIS is interesting

A post at GoodEReader.com shows results of a survey of British travellers: they'd rather haul paper books on holiday than an e-reader (not just sort of either: 71%!)

The full post.**


This is fascinating! You'd think the most logical place to use an e-reader would be on holiday. It has  all the advantages: you can take a lot of books without weighing down a suitcase; you can take a variety of titles.  And yet, there it is: they "like the feel of a real book"

Well, me too.

I had a Kindle for reading manuscripts. When it broke or wore out after three years, I didn't replace it.  I actually went back to reading manuscripts on my laptop and editing on paper as often now as I do on screen.

And I read paper books. I have a gazillion e-titles somewhere on my laptop. I've read about three of them.

For a long time I thought I was just an old fogey.  (Get off my publishing lawn you electronic urchins!) Maybe there are a lot more of us out there.


Are you reading ebooks more than paper?
What do you pack on vacation?





**hat tip to ShelfAwareness for the link!

42 comments:

Charmaine Clancy said...

I was going to say something about that, but then I saw Nathan Fillion...

Oh yeah, I used to pack my luggage so full of books I wouldn't have enough room for my clothes. I was always in a panic that they type of book I felt like reading would be the one I left home. Of course everywhere I go actually has bookstores... So I do love my Kindle when I'm away from home. I also like it for short reads. I'm not so keen on reading a long piece on a computer or iPad because it's too harsh on my eyes.

I do still read books to (and audiobooks). I'm probably reading a few more paper books lately because I've only just discovered the joy of borrowing from the library.

Yvonne Osborne said...

I read more paper books than electronic. It irritates me to not have page numbers and pages I can smell and bend, even though I know I'm not supposed to. On vacation I took my journal, maps, books and....Yes, my Kindle. But then I forgot my charger. It's comforting to have something that doesn't need batteries and electricity with all that entails.

french sojourn said...

Living in France, I find kindle is the only way to go.

Using an American address account allows me to get instant Amazon U.S. titles.(Near impossible to source and expensive to buy here)

I don't bother my wife as I read into the oui (sic) hours.

And I love to browse the free book section daily (bookbub) trying to maintain a book every four days.

I do love it when guests bring hardcovers/paperbacks as it adds to our library.

"c'est la vie"

Cheers Hank

Melissa said...

I tried to read Dracula on an ipad but gave up. A story such as that is meant to be read as a hardcover book with big thick pages that almost creak as you open it. I bought an edition the next day.

Sadly, I actually make ebooks for a living but usually revert to the printed when it comes to my own reading.

Chris Desson said...

I have an e-reader I only use for reading blogs because it hurts my eyes to stare at the screen for too long... my e-book library is collecting virtual cobwebs. Apparently, I'm not the only one who packs paper books for trips.

Unknown said...

I much prefer the feel of a book in my hands. Somehow, there is something sacred about it. Around a year ago I realised if I bring another book into my home, I'd have to move my fridge outside. It was simply a space problem. I also (ashamedly) buy more books than I get around to reading.

So, having dipped my toes into e-reading when travelling, I started buying ebooks instead of hardcovers and paperbacks. It took a while to get used to, but it really did solve a problem.

That being said, I still prefer the magic of a good story within the covers of a well-bound book. And Charmaine, I tried audiobooks. I really did. But I never make it beyond the first couple of chapters. I fall asleep ...

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

I tend to read physical books at home and when traveling. Picking what to bring on a trip is way harder - and more important to me! - than figuring out what clothes to take. :)

I do read more on my iPad/Kindle app than I used to, but it's mostly shorter things, like story collections that I can dip into and out of.

Anonymous said...

I received an eReader as a gift, and it was okay. So my husband wouldn't feel like he wasted his money, I used it for a couple years (while I also kept reading real books) Now that I feel the statute of limitations has run out on the eReader "gift" I only buy real books and there's something about taking my current read plus scanning my TBR pile to figure out what to pack. I don't mind the extra weight, it's worth it to me.

Jane Lebak said...

My daughter brought her ereader on vacation with her, and while she was using it, the thing connected to the hotel's wifi and updated its own software, locking her out of all the DRM-free books she'd paid for. This is a known issue with that particular brand of ereader, and the manufacturer doesn't seem to care. (We'd disabled its ability to reach our home network, but we can't turn off wifi permanently on the unit.)

So she was stuck the few reading paper books she'd brought until she got home.

The danger of electronic glitches (or "undocumented design features" like that one) is a good reason to bring paper books on travel.

nightsmusic said...

I'm too tactile of a person to NOT read 'real' books. I do have a Nook HD+ and I buy eBooks when they're $0.99 to $2.99 but I still prefer holding a book. I take my Nook with me rather than my laptop when I travel, a couple of paperbacks and then have my eBooks as back up.

Terri Lynn Coop said...

At home I am firmly on Team Kindle. I love samples and short works. However, I recently took a long trip with two 3+ hour layovers each way and a bus trip (who thought it would be so hard to get from Kansas to Petaluma.)

I packed an electronics bag with my Kindle, iPad, and mp3. On the voyage, I found that I spent so much time in electronic blackout on the planes that I was quite bored and envious of those who had paper books.

So from now on I am a hybrid. Digital for most of my reading, but old school analog for those awkward and inconvenient parts of the trip.

Terri

Unknown said...

Real books. I have a Nook and I like to test out new authors with it, but once I find a newbie I like (Brad Parks, I stalk him now), I buy their real books. Preferably signed.

When I travel it's real books all the way. Open the cover, read the book. No worries.

Amy said...

I totally rely on my Kindle while traveling. Much better than packing 6-8 books, which is what I used to do.

Adele said...

I bought an e-reader when they first became available. It came stocked with 100 copyright-free books and I figured it was worth it just to have the books.

It's been gathering dust for a couple of years now. I couldn't skip back and forth the way I do with paper, and even with the type on the smallest setting I was flipping the page every couple of seconds - and I'm not a speed reader. It was good for the couple of long bus trips I took it on. But I just got back from two weeks in Europe and I took hard copy.

DeadlyAccurate said...

I did take paper books when I went to Belize last year, but it was because I didn't want to worry about the humidity ruining my iPad. Otherwise, it's ebooks all the way. I'm slowly getting rid of my paper books and replacing my favorites with the ebook version. The only time this year I've read a print book was when I was one jury duty and couldn't use an electronic device in the waiting room.

J. F. Margos said...

I have a Kindle and I quit using it. I read real books only. I don't need 240 books on my vacation. I only need the few I'm going to read then.

Also, there was a great article in Scientific American about how we process e-reading vs. paper reading and the net was we process the latter much more efficiently and retain it longer. I couldn't agree more.

MAGolla said...

Over the last month, I went on vacation to Florida, and then to Canada. I took my Kindle both times, but I was in the middle of reading City of Glass(paper) when I went to Canada so I took that book too.

In Florida--Disney World and Universal Florida--I spent my downtime reading on my Kindle. I took it to the pool in a Ziploc bag to prevent any H2O damage. I managed to read three books.

In Canada, the weight of the City of Glass was more than my full computer. I almost didn't take it, but I wanted to finish reading the story.

I prefer my Kindle for the simple reason of weight, especially when airlines have become so picky about the issue.

The problem with the Kindle is the fact that you can't read during takeoff up to 10,000 feet and during landing and taxiing to the gate.

I prefer taking the Kindle on trips, but I would suggest a fallback (paperback, magazine, etc).

DeeLancaster said...

I have lots of both. Nonfiction ? Paper all the way, I make notes, fold corners, highlight, flip back and forth. Fiction I can go either way. My favourite authors I tend to Get the paper version but the ebooks are just so easy to download,I can feed my addiction without any body knowing. A trip to the book store is harder to hide.

Pepper Smith said...

I tend to buy books only as I have the money and the need for something to read, so it often depends on how much I have available to spend and when the books I want to read come out. If I can buy more of what I want to read in ebook form, I'll go that way, but I've also just bought six paper books in the last few weeks, so obviously I'm comfortable with either.

Elissa M said...

Funny, no one here seems to do what I do when traveling: buy books on the trip. Yes, I take one (or two or three) along to start, but that never stops me from buying more. I love visiting bookshops wherever I go.

Oh, and I always read "real" books. I've never had any technology issues with plain ink and paper.

Unknown said...

I have a Kindle for emergencies. If I forgot to bring a physical book with me, at least I have a backup.

<3,
-J

Steve Forti said...

My Kindle collects so much dust. I'm firmly on Team Actual Book. I travel all the time for work, and do so much of my reading on airplanes. I'd hate to have to shut off a Kindle during restricted times. And it just feels better. So all hail the paper book!

Christine Finlayson said...

We have a Kindle, but I've never read a book on it (I'd have to wrestle it away from my husband first). When we travel, I bring a stack of paperback books--usually used ones from the $1 or $2 bin--and then leave them behind as I read them. I've found that other travelers are happy to have them, and it "preserves" space in the suitcase for the things I want to bring home.

Colin Smith said...

I have an iPad, and I embrace digital literature; but I'm married to paper. :) There's nothing like the smell of a book, the feel of pages, the satisfaction of a well-stocked shelf. And don't get me started on series books, with matching spines... *sigh*!

I've read ebooks, and I've enjoyed them just as much as paper books. I acknowledge all the advantages of ebooks. But given the choice, I'll take paper.

Now, excuse me but the gramophone needs winding... :)

Anonymous said...

I have a Kindle, but I really do love 'real books', too. But as many mentioned, it's easier to have more choices on hand with the Kindle. I take it with me to places I might not normally carry a book, and read for 5 or 10 minutes if I can. To solve the 'feel' issue, I got a lovely cover from M-Edge - it has leather binding, cloth feel front and back hard covers, and my own pictures on it. It feels like a book, and was very inexpensive.

Geek Amicus said...

I'm a hybrid. If I travel, it's Kindle all the way -- except for that paperback in my carry on for takeoffs and landings.

My problem is that I just can't decide in advance what I'm going to be in the mood to read. If I had to cover every contingency, I'd have no room in my bag for things like clothes.

The Kindle app on my phone is also gosh darn convenient for those times when I have an unexpected wait. It was awfully convenient when my hour commute this afternoon went to three hours due to the weather.

On the other hand, I LOVE bookstores. I despise shopping and shun the mall, but a bookstore is about as close to utopia as it gets. You can't (okay, maybe you can, but I can't) be in a bookstore without wishing they had carts for all those seductive books that just flaunt all those sexy blurbs at me. Yeah, I have no willpower.

Unknown said...

PAPER! I'm on a computer all day for work and all night for writing, blogging, reading news. There is nothing more relaxing than curling up with a book for pleasure.

Shannon Young said...

I use my Kindle every single day when I'm at home. I both read and buy way more books than I used to before I got my Kindle (all books are 'real' no matter what format they're in).

Like French Sojourn above, I live outside the US and love being able to access any book any time. Imported English books are expensive here in Hong Kong!

However, I'm more likely to read paper books while traveling because they feel more relaxed to me.

Kate Higgins said...

I figure anyway to read a book is good. I read paper books, kindle books, on my computer and listen to (unabridged) books on CD when I'm in the car (Washington State frowns on reading while driving and using the cell phone at all).
A kindle is the only way to go out outside and when I read in bed. Have you ever had a thick paper book hit you in the nose when you fall asleep? Kindles hurt a lot less. And my kindle saves the page I was reading and turns off the light. And yes it does sit on the pile of 'real books' by the side of my bed.
As far as I'm concerned anyway to read is the best way to read and not open to critique.

Kate Higgins said...

Oh geez, it's hard to read your own comment and realize that you just wrote a comment on an editor/agents blog and screwed up the punctuation...and you can go back and change it...sigh

Kate Higgins said...

"can't"...can't go back and change it...I'm going to bed...

Valerie said...

I got a Nook about two or three years ago, and at first I read on it all the time. But in the past year it's done nothing but sit on my bookshelf.

My husband and I recently went to the beach and I took my mass market paperback of George R.R. Martin's Storm of Swords!

Kimberly King said...

That is such a relief to hear. When I heard rumors that paper books were eventually going to phase out, I was devastated. I am DEFINITELY a paperback book girl. I hate reading screens, because I stare at the computer all day long. It's comforting to hold a book, because there's this great way it becomes a part of me.

Kitty said...

I've had a Kindle for 3 years now, and I still prefer the hard copies. I love their cover artwork and being able to easily thumb through their pages. The more I use my Kindle, the more I love real books. I hadn't used my Kindle for several months, and when I did I discovered it had problems. I can't scroll through the listings and I can't turn it off. So, I shoved it in a drawer and went back to books.

Unknown said...

I wish I could be like all these print book lovers, but I only read on my iPad now. Or sometimes on my iPhone. I got over Kindle and Nook and e-ink a few years ago. I can't even imagine the hot hells of carrying books on vacation with heels to pack. And what about if I want to buy something new to read on vacation if I get bored. Click, smile, and I start reading something new.

Christina Auret said...

A few years ago I had a choice between buying another bookshelf and buying a kindle. The cost was about the same, but I really did not have space for another bookshelf (my one bedroom apartment already featured a great many bookshelves and freestanding book piles/mountains).

I bought a kindle and I have never looked back. Buying eBooks on amazon works out significantly cheaper than buying from retail outlets in South Africa (50 to 70% cheaper). Being able to buy a book as soon as it comes out and not 2 months later is also a plus. So is being able to fit more than 500 books into my handbag. I love my kindle.

This does not mean that I do not buy real books, but these days I almost only buy non fiction in that format.

I have traveled locally and internationally with my kindle and never had any problems. The convenience factor has been huge, especially as I can easily read 2 or 3 books a day.

Jennifer R. Donohue said...

While I haven't taken a Real Survey™ of my library's patrons, and while our spandy new ebook and downloadable audiobooks have met with a good reception, I can confidently say most of them still want physical books (and audiobooks!) to take on vacation.

Unknown said...

I always take at least one paperback which is a serious reduction from the 8 or 10 I used to take before I got my iPad and its collection not only of kindle books but also audiobooks.

Standback said...

I'm not sure what "71% of travelers" might indicate. For example, I'm much more interested in segmenting the survey by number of books purchased/read yearly. People who only read novels on airplanes won't buy a Kindle or figure out their tablet's e-reader app just for the trip; people who read constantly might. Age is also incredibly significant; I'd venture to guess that the younger you go, the more comfortable with digital you are.

Standback said...

Personally, I've been with a Kindle for over a year now, and I'm ridiculously pleased with it. I'm Israeli but read in English, so my local bookstore isn't too great on variety nor on price. E-books let me read a huge amount and variety of material, and the convenience is incredible. I'm also getting more exploratory in my reading habits, sampling a lot of stuff I wouldn't normally pay paperback price for or want cluttering up my sagging bookshelves with afterwards. I'm finding free classics and online magazines, enjoying promotional content, and so forth; e-books have been absolutely terrific for that.

So all in all I'm very pleased. That said, some things I'll only buy in paper; others I'll get in paper once the e-book's already grabbed me. Paper has its place, but digital does too.

(Now if only they'd get rid of that irksome DRM... :-/ )

Crafty Green Poet said...

I don't have an e-reader. When i go on hoiday i take several paperbacks and end up leaving most of them in the hotel or in 2nd hand shops

Anonymous said...

I'm a high volume reader, so the Kindle is basically a necessity of life. On a "normal" day I read about one book - if I'm on vacation with not much to do, this goes up to three or more. I have epic back problems and carrying around that many books isn't easy.

We still have a load of books, but we live in London and space is at a premium, so we've been weeding down our collection to physical books we love and digitizing the rest. My favorites I have in both formats, and I very very rarely crack a physical book any more.

I also love the instant gratification of being able to buy books instantly if I read the first and loved it.