Have you ever wondered if ebooks are better than physical books? Perhaps, you have a preference, or you might as well enjoy both.
No matter what you think about them, ebooks make for 30% of all book sales, and that’s just accounting for legally purchased ebooks (e.g. eReader or Amazon Kindle). Not to mention free downloads and PDF copies that can be found online!
The popularity of ebooks often makes people wonder if they could be a better alternative to paperbacks overall. Whenever a discussion about ebooks versus paperback comes up, users have different opinions, tastes, and preferences.
Have you ever wondered what the pros and cons of ebooks are?
Despite ebook-reading growing in popularity, there are still those who find conventional reading much more convenient.
Yet, despite that, ebooks are becoming more popular. Although the majority of readers still prefer traditional to digital books, most non-fiction, and a good portion of fiction, self-publishers think of ebooks first when making their publishing decisions.
Yet, many still think that an ebook can't replace a paperback. If you’re just now deciding whether to publish an ebook, paperback, or both first think about these couple of important considerations:
Reading is a part of our daily lives. Whether you prefer ebooks or paperback books reading, book searching is a major part of each book lover's life. For many avid readers, each book is a world and a life within itself.
Starting a new story means taking on a new adventure that will consume readers’ inner, emotional world throughout the time they read a book. It is a sweet escape from daily hurdles, a place where one can go and forget about work, chores, finance, and all other things that feel too much to handle.
The dilemma of what type of book to read can't really be solved within a single article. However, we can help you search for the right example book to read to improve your life.
Most readers still prefer traditional books. Reading remains an integral part of one’s daily life whether you’re a student, a teacher, a professional within your field, or a homemaker. Yet, the type of books that people read, genres, and the amount of reading that they do varies from person to person.
In that sense, you might easily read several books within a month without even knowing. For example, you might download a PDF "How-To" manual, which is essentially a book, to learn something new for self-improvement purposes, or learn how to use a new household appliance, gain a new skill, etc.
In doing so, you might prefer paper over electronic reading or vice versa depending on multiple factors, like the convenience of reading, time and place for reading, the type of content, and others.
For example, if you’re reading a book on how to make projects with your 3D printer, you’ll likely use a digital copy since it enables you to practice what you’ve learned in the software while reading.
But, if you’re reading a book on knitting, you might go for a paper copy since it makes it easier to follow patterns. Or you can still choose an ebook for its narration capabilities, having instructions read to you can help on beginner projects.
Pros and Cons of eReaders vs Books mostly revolve around the convenience of reading, storage, costs, and accessibility.
Biggest advantages of traditional books include:
Borrow a Printed Book to Friends
To borrow an ebook from someone, you’d technically have to give them access to your Amazon or eReader account. On the other hand, you can borrow a paperback simply and without much hustle.
Print Books Are Easier for Readers Who Are Not Tech Savvy
Not everyone wishes to cling on their electronic devices for daily reading, and that’s fine! Many find it hard to adjust to reading from devices, so they prefer traditional books.
Disconnect With Paper Books
The importance of disconnecting is so big for physical and mental health that the right to disconnect is now entering employment contracts. Reading a paper book, for many, is a mindful ritual of shutting down electronic devices and escaping the internet.
Paper Book Lasts Longer
Such Books don’t go away with your device. You can’t lose access to your paper book if you lose your password, and you don’t need internet access or electricity to power your device.
Numbered Pages Make for Easier Reading
Most ebooks are read on Kindle, where there are no page numbers. It’s hard to tell how far you’ve come with the book, and for many who haven’t yet mastered eReading software, it’s challenging to go back to parts you wish to read again.
This can’t happen with a paperback where you can easily mark one or more pages, underline text, label favorite quotes, etc.
Paper Books Mean Less Putting Strain on Eyes
Both types of books pose unique challenges when it comes to straining your eyes. Paper books are thought of as less strain by many people who struggle with having to constantly zoom in and zoom out on devices.
You can’t really build a family library with ebooks, can you? Many people keep meaningful books as family fortunes in a way, and they wish to do so for their legacies as well.
There are still numerous disadvantages to common book reading that make digital reading a better alternative:
Real Books Last for Life? Not Always
Paper books require careful care and maintenance. No matter how valuable a book is, it can still get destroyed by fire, humidity, dust, debris, and pests. Not possible with a digital copy!
Traditional Books Are Bulkier Than ebooks
Traditional books require more storage space and the right environment. Books need enough space to “breathe,” a very balanced level of humidity and warmth so that they last long. With that, they need not only more storage space but can also present a bulky burden to store in an average home where there’s no room for a separate home library.
Traditional Books Have Typical Book Sized Font: Size Matters!
While some dislike having to zoom in and out to increase or decrease fonts, others depend on that possibility for reading. Paper books have fixed, printed font sizes that can’t be changed.
Too big reading fonts can be awkward to read, while overly small ones strain the eye of a reader.
Can't Share Paper Books With Friends Without Fear of Losing
While you do need workarounds to share a digital book, you’re still not at risk of losing your own copy. You can easily borrow a book, but as many of us know, the incidences of having someone lose, damage, or accidentally destroy your book are plenty. If it’s the only copy you have, and the title can’t be found easily, you’re at a major loss.
Can't Sell Unused Copies Easily
Book clutter is a hard burden to bear and even harder to let go of for any book lover. The notion of throwing away books is rarely an option, and finding places to donate is challenging since the amount of books being passed on is humongous.
No matter how much you like books, when the time comes to let go of the extra copies, you suddenly realize that you can neither sell nor donate as easily as you thought. In an effort to find loving homes for extra books, many people make dozens, if not hundreds of online ads that ask for no more than a couple of dollars for a book.
Even then, selling is tough due to the low demand for used books.
Not as Reader-Friendly as ebooks depending on your needs
Paper books are bulky to take with you, especially when you need to carry them in your bag or purse. You need to make sure that they don’t get stained or wet on-the-go, which is something you needn’t worry about with books stored on your device.
Despite the growing popularity and benefits of digital book reading, ebooks aren’t without flaws. Let’s briefly reflect on some aspects of eBooks that are worth considering in self-publishing.
Formatting is a bigger concern with eBooks than it is for print books. Traditional books are a bit easier when it comes to settling for file, text, and page formats.
Ebook requirements change for platform to platform, and wonky formatting doesn’t go well with e-reading folks who expect impeccable delivery on their devices. Printed books are significantly less demanding to design.
Accessing as many books and topics as you want is made much easier with eBooks. In pursuit of a particular book, you need to find a store that sells it. Unless the book you wish to read is commonly sold, you’ll have to make an effort to find it.
Most things people dislike about ebooks revolve around the discomfort of using screens. Screen light is known to negatively affect physical and mental health, so many people opt for low light screens.
Eye strain is common for all types of reading books. With ebooks, the aches are mainly caused by small screen sizes with intense lights that strain the eye, often causing headaches and problems with sleep.
Many a reader just can't immerse themselves in a digital book the same way they can with paperback formats. This makes a reading experience a bit different than common reading that literature lovers prefer.
Technology isn't always the ultimate solution. If you're weighing between the two most popular forms of reading, you'll use this short list that might shed more light on unique challenges of publishing eBooks:
E Books Let Your Read More Books and Discover the World
You Can Post Online About E Books You Read
Save Pages When Reading Books
Ebook Format Lets You Have Story Shaped to Your Needs When Reading Books
Less Space to Store eBooks, Resource Saving
New Book Readers Search and Find Books More Easily
Environmental Impact With Less Printed Books
Most people enjoy reading books, yet struggle with e books
Reading books is keeping its traditional form for most people for convenience
Single book session lasts long with e Books
LCD Screen From One Device for e Book Readers strains eyes
Power Source Needed for e Book
Electronics With Artificial Light With eBooks makes reading more difficult with vision problems and disabilities
eReader Devices Needed to Read e books
Can't Sell Unused eBooks
Health Problems as a result of screen overuse
Electronic books versus printed books give a different outlook on a story you read:
Search eBooks
Read ebooks from anywhere
Multi-Media Elements
Learn New Words
Promote eBooks in an Article
Books Better Fit Your Life For Less Money
But, eBooks also:
Ebooks may not beat traditional books for daily reading, but they're still a core marketing tool for every publisher. Your reader may not read an Ebook exclusively, but you will be behind the competition with traditional publishing alone.
Plus, publishing your own ebook gives you the advantage of self-publishing. Traditional book publishing entails pitching to publishers, where the competition is high while the selection is scarce.
Order your ebook bundle now, and The Urban Writers will craft most compelling stories and non-fiction narratives for your audience to enjoy! Whether you're writing fiction or non-fiction, we have you covered!
We offer fiction writing, non-fiction writing, and even children's book writing, editing, proofreading, and design. Let us know if you have any questions!
To make literature more accessible and convenient, eBooks and digital reading tools have been on the rise in recent years. These resources have their benefits – they are a cost-efficient way to access countless titles at your fingertips. Although digital books have their advantages, we should not overlook the benefits of a good, old-fashioned, printed book.
Paper books are linked to stronger test scores
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) conducted an international study in 2018 that investigated the differences in test scores between students who primarily read print vs digital books. The results were overwhelming and showed drastic benefits for students who stuck with printed books.
According to an article about the study by Kqed, “Even among students of similar socioeconomic backgrounds, those who read books in a paper format scored a whopping 49 points higher on the Program for International Students Assessment, known as PISA. That’s equal to almost 2.5 years of learning. By comparison, students who tended to read books more often on digital devices scored only 15 points higher than students who rarely read – a difference of less than a year’s worth of learning.”
Along with test scores, general comprehension has been found to vastly improve with print books. According to Science News Explore, in a study done in 2018 that analyzed over 171,000 readers, reading comprehension was found to be stronger with print books than with digital text.
Print books offer fewer distractions
In general, printed books offer the reader fewer distractions. With eReading, users usually have access to the internet, and therefore, millions of distractions are just a click away. According to this article from Mental Floss, digital readers are also more likely to spend time scanning for keywords instead of comprehending the entirety of the text they are consuming. This article also references a survey that was taken of university students. According to its findings, 67% of students claimed they were able to multitask by reading digitally, while only 41% claimed they could multitask while reading print.
Print books are easier on the eyes
For better or worse, our work and learning environments are becoming increasingly virtual each day. During the Covid-19 pandemic, students transitioned to a digital learning environment. More jobs than ever before allow people to work from the comfort of their own homes, primarily working from a laptop computer. As a society, we are spending more time than ever before staring at screens. How is this impacting us?
According to the Mayo Clinic, activities that requireour direct attention such as looking at a screen for school or work, causes us to blink less. The less we blink, the drier our eyes become, which can directly impact our vision.
Increased screen time can also lead to Computer Vision Syndrome. According to the American Optometric Association, this CVS can include symptoms such as eyestrain, blurred vision, dry eyes, and even neck and shoulder pain. This syndrome can develop from prolonged usage of computers, tablets, eReaders, and even cell phones.
While reading in poor light may cause eye fatigue, printed books do not offer the same strain on our eyes as digital copies. Because many of us spend hours on a screen all day, reading can be a great time to give our eyes a break with a traditional printed book.
Print books can help you sleep better
Many people turn to reading to wind down after a long day, and to hopefully help them fall asleep. Unfortunately, using digital tools to read before bed may hinder our sleep cycles. In 2014, Harvard scientists conducted a study involving participants reading before bed with either a print book or an eReader. Their study found that participants using the eReader took longer to fall asleep, felt less tired before bedtime, and had more suppressed levels of melatonin than those who read print books. It was also found that the quality of this sleep, including REM sleep cycles, was worse for the people who used digital readers. Digital readers also reported having a challenging time waking up the next morning.
Print books keep it simple
One of the biggest and most basic benefits of print books is that they keep things simple. They can be read in any light, without having to worry about glare from the sun or a reflection. They don’t require batteries, chargers, internet, or any additional resources. The pages can be folded to keep your place in a story and notes can be taken in the margins. Books also offer instant gratification as you can watch your progress through a story by physically seeing how many pages you’ve read. Because of their simplicity, print books help us focus simply just on what we are reading.
Print books offer an emotional connection
The sentimental aspect or paper books is something that cannot be overlooked. There is a very special feeling associated with lending a friend a novel that you just couldn’t put down. For many people, the library is a safe and comforting space that evokes fond memories. Studies have shown that in general people make more emotional and psychological connections with physical paper books. This can be because of the feel, the scent, the notes they scribble in the margins, the pages they dog ear, and even the store where they first picked up the title. The overall attachment to physical books is undeniable and cannot be replicated or replaced by eReaders.
We are book lovers through and through here at JLG, and are big proponents of the advantages of traditional print books. This is one of the many reasons that we will be discontinuing our eBooks category.
We pride ourselves on bringing the best new books straight to your library. It is our goal to spark a love of literature in your young readers. Let’s see what a JLG membership can do for you.