Ebooks vs Paper Books and Reading Statistics

[3JulianG]

While the statistics shown above are Canadian, they are still real and relevant.

There is no doubt that within the last 10 years, with the rise of social media, online streaming, and video

games, there has been a decrease in reading books among all ages. If the discussion we had earlier in

class did not bring it to your attention, reading books is extremely important in our lives from young

children developing cognitive and social skills to reading signs on the street. Today in modern society,

our lives rely on the ability to read, we could not function normally without it.


Studies show that reading books benefit us mentally, makes us better people, reduces our stress,

improves our physical health, and much more. Similar to many things that have gravitated towards

becoming electronic, like school lunch forms, ebooks are on the rise. While paper copy books are still

around and are still being produced, ebooks and ereaders are on the rise. They are cheaper for the

producer and the consumer and are not made out of paper. In addition, it is much easier to carry around

your phone with hundreds of books on it than to carry around a few physical books, especially when

most of the time you have your phone with you anyways.


Ebooks might be the answer to increasing the reading of books. Their technological appearance is

more attractive in this modern world, they are light, their interface is manageable, they are cheap, and they make reading more accessible .

Companies like Amazon (Kindle), Barnes and Noble (NOOK), and Apple (iBooks) buy the rights to books

and therefore only need to write the original code for the reading application. This is cheap and easy

compared to paper publishers because they can reuse the codes for books on every single ereader.

While it is great that it is easy money for the companies and cheap for the costumers, it is making the

physical paper book market obsolete. Small book stores and other establishments alike cannot compete

and are going out of business.


Another point that can be made in favor of the ebook is the fact that they can be illegally downloaded

for free. Computer users can simply go to torrent websites, such as thepiratebay, and download books

for free. While this is illegal, a large percentage of younger consumers do this. If one was looking to get

a physical book for free they would have to steal it, which is more dangerous and risky. It is very difficult

for the people who own the rights to these books to prevent the illegal downloading of their books for

it is very easy to get around such laws on the internet. The illegal downloading of ebooks is beneficial to

the relatively small percentage of individuals who do this and disadvantageous to the original owners

of the books, but since it is a very small percentage and the ebooks are already sold for a very large

markup, torrenting these ebooks is not halting the ebook market.

In addition, it is much easier and cheaper for authors to publish their books as ebooks rather than

physical paper books.


The ebook market seems to benefit everyone except small and large book shops. Will physical paper

books become completely obsolete? If so, is it a price that humanity and society is willing to pay to

increase the amount of reading and the amount of time individuals will spend face down looking at a

glowing screen?

[10slena]

    First off, let me say that I am so glad to see a post about ebooks that is in favor of them. As someone who loves to read for pleasure, I find ebooks to be extremely convenient, accessible, and beneficial to my reading experience.
I've had an e-reader since I bought the first ever Nook back when I was in sixth grade, and I've been using one ever since. I tend to read very large books, so there's no way that I can carry these heavy books around with me, especially in my schoolbag. Because of their portable size and weight, E-readers are especially useful to students (or frequent travelers), because the reader may have all of their books that they need with them (for both school and pleasure) and all without adding any weight to their bag.
    I also find it to be very useful in my life outside of school. E-books are simply so portable, I can - and do - bring my books with me everywhere. Also, as someone coming from a divorced household, it's really helpful for me to bring my books back and forth between my houses - which before I got my Nook was a huge hassle. The accessibility of e-readers really does expand the field of reading, amongst all age groups.
    Many are against e-books because they prefer the "regular" way of reading. They want to be able to turn the pages of the book and read the words off of paper, not a screen. Honestly, I do prefer reading a book in its authentic paper form. There's something that makes a book more special when its a tangible object in your hands. But for me, carrying around my schoolbooks AND the large books that I read for pleasure is simply not an option. And I too hate reading from a screen, which is why I have the Nook SimpleTouch. The screen of the Nook mimics the look of paper, its an off-white matte screen, and it has no backlight unless you specifically choose to turn it on. It also has a texture that almost feels liker paper, so when you're swiping to change pages it's almost like turning a page. In this way I get the best of both worlds - the portability of an e-reader with the feel of a real book.
    In regards to whether e-books are taking over real books, I really don't think they ever will. While e-books are obviously much more portable and accessible, as well as environmentally efficient in that they use no paper, they cannot replace books. Even if the entire world's population were to have e-readers, I believe that people would still own real books simply because of the feel and nostalgia of them. If there's one thing an e-reader can't replace, its the crisp scent of a new book, or the raggedy look of a well-loved book. E-readers are incredible inventions, but no matter how popular they grow, they will never replace books altogether.

Lena pd 10

[3JulianG]

A quick update, just found this:

www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/columns-and-blogs/soapbox/article/64252-don-t-ask.html?utm_source=Publishers+Weekly&utm_campaign=1cc0422e5e-UA-15906914-1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0bb2959cbb-1cc0422e5e-304615841

[10CJiSoo]

I have always wondered whether the invention of eBooks would ever completely replace real books. Looking at the way technology is constantly evolving, and how people are adapting to the advanced changes, makes me think that one day regular books will inevitably no longer exist.
It is true that if everyone used ebooks, book shops and libraries are going to be hurt. However, using eBooks is so convenient to the majority of the population, that we must pay the price. If book stores can adapt to the ebook, like create websites where we can buy online eBooks instead of physically going to the store, they will be less likely to go out of business. In fact, libraries have been letting eReader users to borrow eBooks online (ebooks.nypl.org), and companies such as Amazon are thriving while selling eReaders and eBooks. It is obviously easier said then done, but the only way books stores can thrive, is if they progress just as fast (or faster) than technology is. Many companies have failed due to that fact that they were not able to adapt to changes quick enough. For example, the flip camera was doing very well when it first came out in 2006. However, after the invention of smartphones took over the world, sales plummeted. The camera failed to adapt, and was incomparable to the exciting invention of smartphones like the iPhone. They soon made their exit in 2011 (http://www.geek.com/gadgets/cisco-kills-the-flip-5-reasons-the-pocket-cam-failed-1340167/). Although it is sad to think that stores such as Barnes&Nobles can soon be nonexistent, they will suffer the same fate as the flip camera if they do not do something fast.
It is undeniable that the feeling of a book is wonderful. Despite this, the advantages of an eReader is overwhelming. Ebooks can save so much money on books, giving people a push to read. Students who are financially struggling can buy textbooks for extremely cheap, instead of spending hundreds of dollars. Not only are eBooks cheaper, but the amount of time you need to buy one is far less than a physical book. For a normal book, you would have to either order one online or go to a books store, which can take hours or days. An eBook can be at your finger tips with a click of a button. If you do not enjoy the book, you can return it just as fast. This can convince lazier readers to pick up a book instead of constantly being on the computer or watching TV. It is also convenient for avid readers, who can carry hundreds of books on one light advice, instead of having to bring multiple books that are bulky and heavy. Not only this, but it is quicker and cheaper for the authors to publish their books. They do not even need need to worry about permission from a publisher to make their work known (Example: www.amazon.com/gp/seller-account/mm-summary-page.html?topic=200260520). In fact, there are many authors such as J.K Rowling and William Golding whose works were almost unknown to us because of rejection from publishers (http://www.buzzfeed.com/stmartinspress/20-brilliant-authors-whose-work-was-initially-reje-7rut).
Overall, although the eReader can seem foreign and strange at first, growing used to these devices will bring countless advantages. It will increase the amount of reading people do, and be a huge convienence to travelers and authors. Cheaper, lighter, and faster books? No wonder book shops and physical books are going out of business!

[3JulianG]

Another way to look at it
online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304870304577490950051438304

[3mmargaret]

        This post caught my attention because eBooks have always been a controversial topic in my family. As I tried to argue for years, they clearly pose great benefits, many of which have been previously mentioned. To recap, they include: convenience, accessibility, less time to purchase, low prices, and overall ease. They are the shiny new upgrade in reading that promises to make it a breeze.
When they first came out, I would constantly beg my mother for one, but because she disapproved of the business they stole from real books and believed it they were not as effective, I was not allowed to get one. However, I did manage to borrow my friend’s, and I was very enthusiastic to prove my mother wrong. I made huge spectacles whenever I read from it and used crazy facial expressions to show how involved I was in the book. Unfortunately, it really was just a show. I couldn’t focus on the content that first time I read from an eBook, and I haven’t been able to since. Virtual textbooks on the other hand have been tremendously useful in my life, and for that reason I can never be fully against electronic books. With that said, I also will never support their dominance over paper books.


        I am sure that some people get an as good or even better experience reading from a screen as they do a book, but studies have shown that this is less common than the alternative (Links no. 1 and 2). Regardless, the popularity of eBooks is huge, especially within the category of people that they may be worst for: small children. I feel like I see them everywhere playing on iPads. Parents and supporters argue that educational apps and interactive books are a great way to help their development, but this is only true to a certain extent. Based on studies and surveys (Link no. 3), it is more effective to give a child an educational game or eBook than sit them in front of an educational DVD such as “Baby Einstein,” but much less effective than reading to them from real books. So much of the process of learning to read is the excitement to flip the next page, and connecting pictures to what is being spoken aloud to what is written on the page, and the interaction between the child and whoever is reading to them. While most parents who give their children access to iPads also read to them the traditional way, the biggest threat remains that electronic learning will “lull parents into abdicating their educational responsibilities,” (Link no. 3).
        

    Again, I will never support the dominance of eBooks over paper books, but there may not be reason to worry. Some accounts say that the reported gradual death of print is not as severe as it is often portrayed (Link No. 4). I will never stop buying books, and even the people I know who love eBooks say the same thing. Unfortunately, many people either have stopped buying them or rarely do, because huge chains such as Borders have shut down entirely, and independent bookshops are hard to find. EBooks are also relatively new to the world, and as more research is conducted over longer periods of time, the implications they have on things such as the learning experience will become much clearer. Until then, enjoy their benefits but try not to forget about real books!

Links:
No. 1:
www.nytimes.com/2014/08/14/arts/reading-literature-on-screen-a-price-for-convenience.html?_r=0
No. 2:
www.joanganzcooneycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/jgcc_ebooks_quickreport.pdf
No. 3:
www.nytimes.com/2014/10/12/us/is-e-reading-to-your-toddler-story-time-or-simply-screen-time.html?_r=1
No. 4: online.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323874204578219563353697002