Do you usually purchase digital or physical books? Why?
Do you usually purchase digital or physical books? Why?
Do you usually purchase digital or physical books? Why?
Yes, because I like reading.
But seriously, ebooks... maybe 8.5 times out of 10. E-ink screens are amazing and just as good as paper, but having your books also available on your phone, and thus always in your pocket, is transformative. So, digital on a platform that syncs between devices. (Bonus points for accomplishing this with an open-source app.)
Do you have any app that you suggest and any store where to actually download the file? Right now I buy physical — I love the feeling of paper — but it’s annoying that I can’t read when outside
I love the Moon+ Reader app. Tons of features. I like that it has a dark mode and you can set the brightness very very low (on OLED) so reading in the dark at night is comfortable.
Not OP but KOReader. It's an open source e-reader software which runs practically everywhere, even the low-end Kobos. Tons of features. Good UX. Seemless integration to popular hardwares.
Sometimes. I prefer to use libraries with Libby.
If my library doesn't have an ebook available, I'll get an electronic version. Paper books don't make a lot of sense to me: I only read them once, I rarely lend them out, they seem like a waste of energy for what is essentially just data.
Paper books have a romance. The idea of having a stocked personal library is cool, it just doesn't fit my lifestyle, personality, or budget.
I've bought physical books then bought digital because I usually poop at work and that's the best time for a quick read
My boss makes a dollar
I make a dime
That's why I read in the shitter on company time
I just keep a book in the bathroom.
I have a complicated series of motions that I've developed from a young age to make sure I don't contaminate a book with the bad hand
Paper books have a romance. The idea of having a stocked personal library is cool, it just doesn't fit my lifestyle, personality, or budget.
Totally fair of course, but just as a suggestion for others who want to own books on a budget, I suggest thrift stores (like for clothing). They usually have a whole section of use books for very cheap.
And of course there's used book stores.
It isn't the price of the books, it's the price of the space and furniture to showcase them in an appropriate manner.
🏴☠️
If you're spending money on a book you may as well get a physical one.
Physical, i need paper i need it. I cannot read on electronics the words arent real they arent real books; the knowledge is forbidden to me
It actually feels like that lmao
Purchase? Sailing the high seas... I mean libraries. Libraries have all the best books.
Physical books, all the way. I'm a techie, through and through -- I'm a computer programmer by trade, and as soon as I can convince these stupid smart bulbs to work with Home Assistant I'm very excited to have a smart home -- but I'll take a physical book over a digital one any day of the week. If I must read something on a computer, I pirate it. Physical books are easier on the eyes (and e-ink displays, though they've made massive strides over the last several years, still lag well behind their old-fashioned counterparts in terms of color rendering (and in some cases even black-and-white readability) and are still prohibitively priced), and more importantly, you can't put DRM on a piece of paper. I'm a huge believer in owning what I buy.
I go to the library because my city spends an insane amount of money on our libraries, so they’re actually far superior to book stores.
You can do both physical and ebooks at the library
I’ve cleverly managed to avoid the original question! 😈
But I mostly read physical books
I've tried digital books, but I've found that physical books work much better for my brain. I retain more information and can "get lost" in the story, whereas, for some inexplicable reason, digital books being read on a screen kind of "flatten" a story for me. It's almost like a 3d vs 2d experience for me.
No this totally makes sense to me.
It doesn’t impact my experience of the story, but there is something to having the next page hidden behind the turn and knowing that it’s right there. When I read an ebook it’s like reading an article. The sensation is different and it loses a touch of excitement without that tactile feeling of ‘the next page’. Pages don’t matter in ebooks either. You adjust the text size and the ‘page’ count is suddenly radically different. I measure my progress in chapters or percentages now.
It makes sense to me why that wouldn’t work for some folks.
Have you ever used an eink reader, or just a tablet or something? The difference is night and day for me. The first time I used an eink reader I thought there was paper covering the screen at first.
I have! But unfortunately, I had the same result as if it were my phone/tablet. I really wish I understood why it was like this for me so I could maybe work on it, but I guess I'm just one of those "need-to-physically-turn-the-page" people :/
I buy physical usually.
I feel, i tend to abandon ebooks a little more often. Somehow i feel more committed to actually read most of my ever growing stack of books someday.
Ebook-reader are great nonetheless.
eBook reader with free books.
Ebooks. Can store more on a reading tablet, easier to transport most of the time, sometimes lighter than physical books, hold my spot easily where I left off, can read in darker places, easier to store. Still have physical but liking digital more. Use an eink display tablet. Buy the books then download epubs or PDFs.
digital, I don't mind physical but I just don't have the room where I live for a ton of books.
Making a calibre server has elevated my reading more then I thought possible. It's like I have a library everywhere I go.
I work at a computer and find it easier to continue using a screen for reading
However I do also purchase some paper books for when wanting to disconnect for a while
That's funny I also work at a computer but usually can't wait to get away from it at the end of the day.
I will say that monitors and eyeglasses have gotten really good at reducing eye strain from reading on a monitor. I remember getting a headache as a teen from the old CRTs lol
Same! Damn, nowadays I hate staying in front of a screen
I adore my Kindle. One of the few things I don't think Amazon has fucked up. I can get just about any book from anywhere on a whim usually for cheap.
Digital. I can adjust fonts/sizes, search for content, skip around, and whether I have 10 or 10,000 books, I can carry them around in my pocket.
Physical. Hardcover if it exists. I like to collect them
I go through spurts of reading, and I had been putting off ebooks because I like to own the physical books and have them fill up a shelf etc.
I recently got a Kobo and it's been amazing. Definitely been reading more, and as others have mentioned, it's so great when travelling. I've got a little camera sling bag that I carry when travelling, and it just manages to fit in there so I can have a quick read when I'm waiting for something/got some down time etc.
I’ve never heard of kobo, just looked it up. So it’s a kindle paper white competitor essentially?
Yeah, essentially.
Obviously made by different companies, Kindle - Amazon, Kobo - Rakuten (A Japanese multinational).
When I was doing my research on what to buy, I was weighing up between the Kindle Paperwhite vs Kobo Clara 2e.
I think most people say that the Kindle has a better selection of books available in their store (though I've only had one book I couldn't find for the Kobo, but I solved that issue by purchasing it while in a different region), and the Kindle is Larger. The Kindle also has a top screen layer than makes it flush with the body.
In the end I went into a physical store to have a look at both of them, and went with the kobo, mainly due to how I preferred the smaller size.
edit - oh and just remembered as I read another comment in this thread, Kobo is compatible with Libby, which is what is used to "borrow" ebooks from your local library (I believe in most places around the world?, not too sure on that), while Kindle is not. Though I havent used it yet, as when I went looking for a few books I wanted to read, they had already been checked out by other users, and there was a waiting list for them.
Pirate digital and by used physical books
Physical, I just never could make the jump to digital or e reader. If you like reading on your phone or e reader more power to you. My mom loves her e reader b/c she loves to read but time has not been kind to her eyes, being able to make the print any size has been a big help to her.
Physical, Is soooo much easier to get distracted on a screen.
I never have bought a digital book, just get the PDF/epub for free like normal people lol, and I do only really if it's not worth it/too difficult/expensive to get it or a photocopy of it physically.
Prefer digital because space is a factor in my house. I love the idea of physical, and I'll usually go that way for art or reference books. However paperback equivalent I'm always going digital.
Although if I really love a book I'll always look to add it to my bookshelf at some point.
I pirate digital books, because I don't want to spend the money. I buy physical books so that I can resell them.
I am almost the same, but I don't sell my physical books.
I only read fiction, so I always buy it pirate ebooks unless there’s a special edition of something that I am really excited about. I’ve bought all of Brandon Sanderson’s mystery novels in hardcover for example, and I buy the Stormlight books hardcover as well. I’d love to have the entire cosmere in hardcover, or better yet their special edition leather bound hardcovers (for the ones he’s done it with), but it’s just too expansive and expensive to justify.
In an ideal world, a physical copy includes a digital copy.
I made the mistake of buying an ebook once. I will never make that mistake again.
Fuck drm forever. Physical only. I will never pay for a file I can't even open using my normal document viewer.
piracy :D if u want to support the author might be able to donate.... or just buy the book as well.
Pretty much all ebook drm can be removed (automatically once configured), but it is an annoying default.
Second-hand physical books often cost 3,01€, where 3,00€ are shipping. That’s no match for digitals. Also I hate handheld devices that can’t take a beating (looking at you, smartphone). I’m clumsy. I drop things. Books survive that. E-readers… I don’t wanna test.
Also, for whatever reason, I read physical books more carefully than text on screen.
Physical. I like the feel more than a screen, and I can always read it.
7" tablet with FBReader and I download books into Calibre for it to load via OPDS. I used to pay for books, but using the Kindle app was a nightmare. Different bugs every update. It was easier to pirate. I take a look online to see if authors I like have a donation link so I can pay them directly.
I thought I'd never stop reading physical books, but I wouldn't go back after using a tablet. I never lose my place in the book when I fall asleep, I don't need to have a light on to read, and when I wake up during the night I just flick the tablet on, read for a few minutes while barely waking up, and crash again. I could never do that before because I'd have to find my place in the book and mark it before I fell asleep again.
Oh, and fuck Amazon.
Digital. No space for a bookshelf in my tiny little apartment, and I don’t need the social gratification of displaying a big impressive shelf full of books.
I don’t really care about the feel and smell of books.
My digital reader lets me read anything in OpenDyslexic font allowing me to read more, faster, with less energy expenditure.
I can look up any word with a long press
I can highlight and take notes without ruining the freshness of the book.
And most importantly of all: I can read on my side in bed without having to switch positions for every page.
I like physical books but I don’t buy them often. Like you, physical space limitations are a big thing. I love picking my own font and font size, and being able to easily read at night with white on black and an amber backlight is great.
I get most stuff from the library instantly without going anywhere, and strip drm from everything.
Second hand physical books.
I mostly read ebooks but I do buy physical copies of books I want to have on the shelf in the weird hope that maybe my kids or niblings might stumble upon in the future and spark an interest. Luckily I have a really good used bookstore near me that I can buy them for fairly cheaply so I consider it a cheap long term investment that will hopefully pay dividends
Physical. I tried reading on device and it’s less gratifying.
I prefer physical books, especially with that new book smell, but I'm pretty out of space so I have gotten books digitally for the last few years.
Physical only.
There is no way that anyone can take the book from my shelf. OK technically they could break in an steal it. But they could not remotely disable it. Or remotely delete it. Or the ebook for some reason is no longer in an electronic format that is usable. The government couldn't ban it and force it to be remotely removed.
I own it. The world can take a flying leap off a very tall building.
Yeah it’s the same reasoning I have. But space’s getting tight and when I will move out it will be so annoying
E-books, because they're cheaper and I don't have enough bookshelf space. Plus I use the library for physical books.
Physical if it's for a collection. Digital if it's for regular reading.
I also prefer the library to buying books as much as possible.
Library ftw! Some of them will even buy books for you if they don't have them. I think my city will let one do 3 year.
When I buy books I buy physical, but sometimes digital is more practical, even with small format books I struggle to read them in public transit during my work commute, with a reader like Kindle or even with a smartphone I don't have to work about my book being damaged in a bag it someone, even without a cover a reader will say least scratch a bit, on the other hand dropping a reader is another story, the screen can easily break, book won't. Also the obvious thing is you can get ebooks instantly, physical ones have to be shipped or at least brought from the store like everything physical. Another thing is WAREZ, you can get ebooks illegally, I don't condone it but it makes the access easier, sometimes it's the only way to get a given book because it's sold out or something. But I'm one of those people who don't have a problem with ebooks, on an ebook reader I see them equal with paper ones
It really depends. I'm not from US, so ebooks and regular books tend to have very similar prices, no idea why. I can get a regular book for 40 bucks and the ebook will be 30. No great. So I useually pirate all Ebooks I have and if I really like it, buy a paper copy of it. I really like to collect books, so there's that. Graphic novels, on the other hand, are exclusively physical, I'll only read a few chapters to see if I like the story, in case I've never heard of it, and buy the real one
I'm very guilty of doing both. Almost everything I have a physical copy of I also have a digital copy of. I prefer to read hard copies on paper when I'm at home but I like being able to take my entire library with me in my backpack on a Kindle if I go away for a weekend.
I also have audiobook copies of most of them to listen to while I'm driving or working too, I swear I don't have a problem.
No. Usually I get digital books from the library system here. I enjoy reading print on the Kindle, very comfortable to the eyes, but if I tried to buy everything I wanna read I'd be in debtor's prison.
Comics, graphic novels I buy in print because there isn't a good digital way to read them. I do read some webcomics on a cheap color tablet, but I enjoy them more on paper.
If I want to own a book for some reason I get it on paper usually, but if I want to read it the library system works a large majority of the time.
I usually get physical books free through the local Buy Nothing group or Little Free Library network.
I usually get e-books legally from the library or extralegally from libgen.
I buy physical copies of cookbooks and books my friends wrote, and pay for e-books from indie writers who I don't know personally.
Digital if it's for a quick reference here and there, physical if I want to read the whole thing and enjoy it.
Same here. Reference, particularly sheet music and cooking recipes work fine for me digitally.
I can sit at the computer and read social/news media for hours with no problem, but the way ebooks are displayed tires my eyes very quickly for some reason.
While I don't have this issue with the e-ink/e-paper stuff, I've never owned one. I also appreciate that physical books are often much harder to damage and will work without electricity.
Recently purchased a high class ebook reader and had to return it. The display technology simply doesn't match paper yet.
As far as the pure reading experience goes paper is better. Also less distractions and no blue light that keeps you awake late at night. Printed books take up physical space which is a negative for me.
But digital has the advantage when it comes to working with the text: quickly being able to search for strings, copy and paste whole passages, get translations or pronunciations, reorder pages, etc. Plus all the meta data and library management.
Libraries are in a weird space betwixt when it comes to digital versions btw. They give you a digital text but lock you into a specific app that denies the advantages of the digital format mentioned above.
That being said stuff like blog posts, online articles, social media, etc simply doesn't exist on paper. But for anything I read for pure enjoyment like literature paper is the way to go.
Lastly, in my experience electronic versions tend to be a bit cheaper than paperbacks but a lot less so than you expect. But a library card pays off after borrowing even a single book, so there's that 🤷♂️.
With a large form factor phone in my pocket, I have access to millions of books right away. When I'm not reading an ebook I'm probably listening to the audio version instead, because I need my hands and/or eyes for something else.
Physical books! I want to fully own my books not have them be locked by some asshole company. It's also just nicer to read paper instead of a screen. It's also easier to carry around a small book instead of a bigger tablet and having to deal with charging yet another device.
If the vendor offers EPUB format you can carry it in a general e-reader or even your phone or computer without them ever being able to lock you out.
Ebooks wherever possible - except, perhaps, for reference books. I simply find the experience of reading an ebook on something like a kindle so much more pleasant than reading a print book. So much so that I really hate reading print books now.
If I'm buying, it's physical. If I'm borrowing, it's digital.
I used to always do physical books, but I'm nearly 100% converted to ebooks for three reasons:
Physical for some comics, mostly digital because I get most of my books from the library. A lot of libraries around the US have fantastic support for digital media.
I love physical books, but ebooks are so convenient. Always having a book, being able to comfortably read one handed, and being able to read in the dark after my wife goes to sleep are all things that significantly increase how often I can read.
The only thing I buy physical copies of are art books and bird ID books. My phone screen isn’t a good size for viewing detailed art, and even a large tablet isn’t ideal because of how colors can vary depending on screen settings.
Otherwise I usually don’t buy ebooks either, I check them out from my local library with Libby. I don’t typically do a lot of rereads, and when I do it’s easy to recheck them out.