Can e-books replace paperbacks?

GabrielleAlcime · Post by **GabrielleAlcime** » 10 Feb 2014, 15:37

No. E books are sometimes just easier to obtain

wnmu · Post by **wnmu** » 15 Feb 2014, 00:33

For me, curling up with an e-book reader in bed would not be the same as having an actual book. It may partially be a generation thing. Those that are digital natives may feel more comfortable taking an electronic device to bed with them. One place that I can see a book reader having a distinct advantage is traveling when bulk is a primary consideration.

BetzyCrypt · Post by **BetzyCrypt** » 15 Feb 2014, 01:46

Deep down I am a hermit, I would be most comfortable in a cave to be honest, and to this day I write in my journals with the sweet company of a quill. Yet I am only twenty. So I'm odd, I know. Nothing delivers my soul deeper to serendipity than the crisp spine of a fresh hardcover book. It seems the sad truth to say that yes, Ebooks will probably be the literature of the future. Technology has surpassed the human mind. Paperbacks will be overruled, perhaps even a mirror image Of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451.

Fran · Post by **Fran** » 15 Feb 2014, 07:33

wnmu wrote:For me, curling up with an e-book reader in bed would not be the same as having an actual book. It may partially be a generation thing. Those that are digital natives may feel more comfortable taking an electronic device to bed with them. One place that I can see a book reader having a distinct advantage is traveling when bulk is a primary consideration.

Oddly reading from my Kindle in bed is one of it's big advantages for me. I always find it difficult to get comfortable with a book in bed, especially if it's hardback, I can never seem to get the angle right or my arm cramps & mostly I'd end up getting out of bed and reading downstairs but since I got the Kindle I could stay in bed permanently reading

Lynne55 · Post by **Lynne55** » 15 Feb 2014, 07:57

I think there is a place for both, the e book is certainly convenient, reading in bed, taking on holiday etc but as others have said holding a book in your hands for book lovers there is nothing quite like it. The downfall for me for the e reader is it is difficult to flip back and re read a passage that you want to read again, very hard to find unless it is just a few pages back. Sometimes you also like to re read the review which of course you can't do on an e reader.

Adonis Maratos · Post by **Adonis Maratos** » 17 Feb 2014, 05:35

BetzyCrypt wrote:Deep down I am a hermit, I would be most comfortable in a cave to be honest, and to this day I write in my journals with the sweet company of a quill. Yet I am only twenty. So I'm odd, I know. Nothing delivers my soul deeper to serendipity than the crisp spine of a fresh hardcover book. It seems the sad truth to say that yes, Ebooks will probably be the literature of the future. Technology has surpassed the human mind. Paperbacks will be overruled, perhaps even a mirror image Of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451.

I honestly don't think books will be burnt and people jailed for possessing them :p but yeah I think e-books are the future and while I do prefer actual books, e-readers are not that bad after all

-- 17 Feb 2014, 05:35 --

BetzyCrypt wrote:Deep down I am a hermit, I would be most comfortable in a cave to be honest, and to this day I write in my journals with the sweet company of a quill. Yet I am only twenty. So I'm odd, I know. Nothing delivers my soul deeper to serendipity than the crisp spine of a fresh hardcover book. It seems the sad truth to say that yes, Ebooks will probably be the literature of the future. Technology has surpassed the human mind. Paperbacks will be overruled, perhaps even a mirror image Of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451.

I honestly don't think books will be burnt and people jailed for possessing them :p but yeah I think e-books are the future and while I do prefer actual books, e-readers are not that bad after all

Idleheim · Post by **Idleheim** » 17 Feb 2014, 22:35

My kindle is an amazing tool and a treat to be able to carry a small library with me wherever I go. But there is a certain gravitas to holding a book book in your hand. Plus it will be awhile before every book worth reading is translated to ebook format, if ever, so there will always be a place in the shelf and in my heart for a paperback!

That being said, I wonder if all will be for naught as we enter a post-literate society and there simply are no more books around save for some curios...

Lotus flower mind · Post by **Lotus flower mind** » 01 Mar 2014, 09:35

I think that e-books have their time and place, but paperbacks and hardbacks can never really been a thing of the past.
I say that because I know I can't be the only one to be so excited to have an actual book in my hands.
Sometimes AFTER purchasing a book on my device, I run to the store and actually buy the BOOK.
I don't feel it's the same, yes it may be more convenient and you get it faster but for me, it only can be trusted and appreciated when there is limited space in my already over-sized purse.

So I don't mind supporting an author twice if it means that I can enjoy the book at any moment of the day or night.

That is what is most valuable to me, having the book at all times and in all locations.

However, when I'm at home I'm not curled up with a device. I want my physical book in my hands.

They become replaceable when we think about the environment (tree life,and less machinery for pollution purposes) but not when it comes to simply enjoying the book.

LoveMusic_AK · Post by **LoveMusic_AK** » 09 Mar 2014, 21:32

No, they cannot replace paperbacks. The paperbacks make you feel more connected with the book than reading it on a tablet. Their is a huge difference.

d_mossbu · Post by **d_mossbu** » 09 Mar 2014, 22:32

I don't think that ebooks will replace paperbacks. I believe that people will always want that tangible, physical object to hold with the smell of paper and printed ink. I used both but prefer a physical book as I know many people do. The only time I used my tablet to read ebooks is when I travel and plan on doing a significant amount of reading, in which case it is simply for convenience.

juan_mccoy · Post by **juan_mccoy** » 10 Mar 2014, 13:23

+1, agree. Ebook cannot replace paper book which is either written or printed. Ebooks hurts my eyes and reading it for long time is not possible, though read many of ebooks till now, still i prefer to take prints in my office is possible or i prefer to buy them rather than reading an Ebook for hours.

VM1138 · Post by **VM1138** » 14 Mar 2014, 14:11

I worked with e-books and paper books for a while, and my observation has been that e-books are just another format. Just like paperbacks didn't replace hardcovers, e-books won't replace paperbacks. Sales will shrink, I'm sure, but not to the point of them not being published anymore.

NanoWasabi · Post by **NanoWasabi** » 14 Mar 2014, 16:12

I feel like libraries will go out of date very soon, within 100 years. But books will stay for a long time on collector's shelves, even though they will own all the same books on their e-readers. And no one will print paperback books anymore, because if you want to own a physical copy of a book, you're not going to get one that will fall apart after ten reads.

mytwoTs · Post by **mytwoTs** » 17 Mar 2014, 15:23

It's the age of ebooks.. iPad.. Tablets..kindle..nook.. but I feel nothing can beat a good old paper back book. There's just something satisfying when u hold that actual book in your hands.. And flip thru the pages.. And snuck in a cute Lil bookmark now and then . the ebooks r convenient and quick... And easy to hold and flip and read. But they still can't beat the charm or the smell of a paperback book.

kiwes · Post by **kiwes** » 21 Mar 2014, 15:10

Before I got my Kindle, you couldn't tell me that I'd ever get an eReader. I absolutely hated the idea of doing the electronic thing; however, after getting my Kindle, I became a huge fan of eBooks. Now, you cannot get me to buy anything in paper. For the hundreds of books I have on my Kindle, if I were to have them in paper, I couldn't live in my house. I love having the virtual library everywhere I go. My Kindle is like my bible to me. It has everything I need, and what's even better, I purchased one of those slim line pencils, which my mom and I call our "Kindle Sticks" and I can view my email and check out my social media stuff with a point of the pen. Dare I say it, but I don't think I'll ever do paper again. If the novel isn't offered in an e-format, I won't purchase, and that's gospel there!