I heard not one but two people comment this week that ebooks were a passing fad. Yikes! I hope not. It set me thinking though. When Presumed Dead was published digitally, back in July 2010, few of my friends owned an ereader device. I even wrote a blog post for my then brand new publisher, Carina Press, explaining how I bought my iPad just so that I could see my own book on it.
Two years on, most of my friends have bought Kindles. I probably read 85% of my books on the iPad, 12% in print and 3% in audio format.
When I pick up a 'real' book, I think it's a nice change to hold paper in my hands. Then I have to hunt around for a bookmark or, more often, leave the book lying around face down. I do see the appeal though. There's something wonderfully solid and comforting about a real book. I love to see shelves crammed with books - especially when I visit someone's home. You can judge a lot about a person by the books they have on display.
I'm also - very slowly - getting into audiobooks. I'm currently listening to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I've only read the book a dozen times but it's wonderful to listen to it all over again.
I can't see reading books on my iPad being a passing fad. Here are a few things I love about it:
- Seeing a book I want and having it in my hand seconds later.
- Having all my books organised by author - or title
- Being able to easily bookmark interesting passages
- 'Writing' notes while reading without having to hunt for a pen and paper
- Not needing a physical bookmark (yes, I have hundreds of the things but am invariably reduced to using a Tesco receipt or an old envelope).
- Seeing great offers on Kindle books and grabbing them (I had an email from Amazon this morning informing me that I could buy this for 0.20p. Am I going to refuse? No.)
So, yes, I'll own up to being a digital books junkie.
Before I forget, there are digital copies of Carina Press Presents Editor's Choice Volume 2 (mystery/adventure/sci-fi/space opera) and Dead Calm up for grabs here. And there's still plenty of time to enter the giveaway to win a paperback copy of Presumed Dead.
So print, digital or audio? How do you feel about this? Do you own an ereader? Do you prefer print over digital? Do you listen to audiobooks? I'd love to know how everyone feels two years on…
Have a great weekend, all, and if you're in the UK, I hope you avoid the floods!