Connecting Readers and Writers discussion

So far I have just put my short stories out for ereaders. But I am wondering if readers still prefer books? I am wondering if I am missing out on a lot of readers because my stories are not in print?
I would love to hear what you prefer to read on!

I have a hard time explaining why I like certain books as ereaders and others in print. It's a weird, personal taste issue for me, but I definitely like to have the option for either.

My book is currently out in digital format, but I have had several people contact me to say they would like to get it in print. That's coming soon, but it takes a little longer to prepare. I think it's probably always best to have the option available!

I don't think you're missing too much. I have my books in print and ebook, but most of my sales are for ebooks. I think it's good to have your story in both, and give the option.

We decided to go e-book all the way, partly because of the expense, partly because we see people changing their minds about "real" books and realizing the advantages of having two hundred or more books in your jacket pocket.

As a reader, I prefer e-books, but as a writer, I see the definite advantage to having my books available in as many formats as possible (paperback, e-book, audiobook, etc.). It takes more time and effort, but it also produces more sales. It's always wise to give your readers what they want.

My original intent was to have only e-book versions of my books. Then I started getting questions about how to obtain the print version. I created one as soon as possible. With all technological change there is a transition phase. Sometimes I think we overlook how long it can take for those changes to work their way through society. And, I have to confess, it us very satisfying to have an actual book that I can place on my shelf and hand to people.

I have a Kindle and I love it! That said, if I have a book I really enjoyed, I will buy it in hardcover. I never buy paperback. Kindle or hardcover.

My book is available on hardcover and all digital formats. Probably 90% of my sales are on digital formats. For short stories, you are probably good having it available on just ebooks.

I've run out of room for physical books, so have wholeheartedly embraced ebooks - I haven't bought a 'real' book for myself in about four years. I would always suggest putting everything you've ever done in ebook format - especially if its out of print.

Also keep in mind: if I'm a fan, I will go back and buy the ebook format of a book I read twenty years ago just because I want a copy of it for re-reading in digital format. I have several books in both hardback and ebook, and I know from others that I see on these boards that I am not alone.

- an avid reader

As a writer, I still would love to see my book in print. There's something about the physicality of a book in your hands that I suppose makes it seem more real, that all your hard work has finally paid off.

But as a reader, I think I prefer ebooks. It's easier to get hold of them, and being able to sample without spending hours in a bookshop is a boon!

But as a reader, I think I prefer ebooks. It's easier to get hold of them, and being able to sample without spending hours in a bookshop is a boon!

I think I disagree with this. I prefer to have a book not an eboook. Although it does save time, I just think that there's something about spending time in the bookstore that attracts me the way scrolling through a website doesn't. I do have a kindle, and I think that it is very practical, but if I like an ebook a lot I always want to have a physical copy on my bookshelf - and sometimes that is not possible, because some books are only ebooks. So I think that having books in print and as ebooks is the best choice.

So I think that having books in print and as ebooks is the best choice.

Oh, I agree. I'm not saying that physical books will go the way of the dodo. I think the two formats will exist side by side for a very long time. I can't say how things will change in the future (not having a delorean), but I wouldn't be surprised if ebooks eventually become the standard way we all buy and read books, whilst hardcopy books become more luxury items.

It's not always practical to have a physical book due to a lack of space (for example, I've recently moved into a small flat with my partner, and I've have to get rid of a lot of my books as we didn't have the space for them).

A lot of authors, myself included, have had to turn to independent publishing as a way to get our work out there. As I'm sure many know, it's really hard to get published traditionally these days. Very few agents and publishers are willing to take a chance on an author. No matter how good they are, if they aren't marketable, they aren't interested. so we only get our books published as ebooks. Maybe, if we're really lucky, we'll land that publishing deal we all dream of!

Apologies if I'm preaching to the converted!

I will say though, each to their own. I personally love the idea of ebooks, and will quite happily just get ebooks from now on (unless I can get a signed copy from my favourite authors).

I love paper-and-ink books, too, and I like browsing in a bookstore. But as a self-published author now, I realize that the price of printed books POD is high, so if I want to make a success of this venture I am going to have to sell a lot of e-books. That's the reality.

Nevertheless, in my house we have a bookshelves everywhere, and now that we're running out of space, we're building them overhead in the hall. After that, we'll find another place. We reread our favorite books again and again, but I can see how printed books would only be so much clutter for people who only read a book once and then on to the next. E-books are practical that way.

P.J. and others.
Preaching to the converted is required and welcome. We need to support each other as best we may, so a little bit of reaffirmation is always good.
I was eBook only but have chosen to go inde now and will be re-issuing all my work as both eBooks and paperbacks because I agree there is a future for all formats. I shall have a Kindle soon but will never give up the tactile pleasure of the printed. Even though my library is groaning with shelves that are overstuffed.
Regards, davidrory

I like to read books in print as well as digital. I'm in 3 book clubs as well as reading for my own pleasure and study, so I tend to borrow books from the library (especially for book clubs b/c they tend to pick books that are still in hardcover and I don't want to spend $50-$60 a month to buy 2-3 books). I recently read Night Circus and really liked it in hardcover (a beautifully designed book). Also, that was a book that jumped from time period to time period so I liked having the ability to turn back to last chapter and then forward quite easily, something that is not as easy to do on the Kindle.
If you are doing short stories, I wouldn't bother doing print of those (the design and formatting costs add up) until you may have an anthology of them. Then I think it's a good idea to put them in a POD form as well. Then your book can show up in libraries and friends/family/fans across the country can order it from Amazon or their local bookstore for those who prefer print.

As a reader, I'll pretty much use anything that gets a good story into my hands! I do love my Kindle because it's handier to carry around than a bag full of books. However, for me nothing beats the feel of a physical book, the smell of it and the actual act of turning a printed page. I worked in bookshops for a very long time and one of the best parts of the job was unpacking - getting your hands on the new books before positioning them on the shop floor.
I've published my first book as an ebook but have been asked so many times for a physical copy that I'm bringing out a paperback in February and I think I'll do this with the rest of my books too. If the demand is there then I'll try my best to cater to it.

I love the digital revolution, but I have never bought an ebook. Not once.

Yes, there are still people like me out there. Crazy isn't it?

As a writer I offer my books (two novels, both published by small indie presses, not self-pubbed) in paper and electrons, and the sales are just about even between the two. But I have a short story collection that I am putting together that I will release as an ebook only.

The reason for the short stories going out e-only is because I think short story collections as books (especially single author) sell very poorly for indie authors. The e format is much more forgiving, and people seem more willing to take a look at an indie ebook.

Short stories, novellas, epic tomes, doesn't matter they all weigh the same, right?

I almost exclusively buy ebooks. I'm the mother of two young children and I lead a fairly active lifestyle. I love the convenience of being able to read a book anywhere (on my phone, computer or iPad).

Also, with small children around I can't leave out books unless I want them to be destroyed, while I can lock out my phone to protect it.

Plus, I'm a sucker for a good deal, and love the opportunity to sample an author's work through a $0.99 short story. This is how I've discovered a few of my favorite, new authors.

I think this is an untapped resource for authors to pull in new readers. While, I often balk at the idea of spending $15 on a full length novel by an unfamiliar author, even when the book comes highly recommended, risking $1 for what might turn out to be a wonderful afternoon read seems worth the risk to me.

Though, I should add that if I truly love a book and treasure it, I will purchase it in hardback edition (even if I have it in ebook format) so I can add it to my physical book collection. I'm not alone in this practice. I have several friends that with repurchase a book in physical form if they truly loved it.

When I got my Nook last May, I pretty much never touched another paperback or hardcover. Almost all my books since then have been in e-format. I too have small kids and a busy life. It's much easier to tote my Nook around that it is to schlepp a bunch of paperbacks.

The deals that are available for books from new authors, plus the many, many free books I was able to pick up this way, far outweigh my need to 'hold' a book in my hands.

That's not to say that I will never purchase another paperback or hardcover but those will be few and far between. I simply don't have the space in my house to accommodate all those books. And I still buy the new releases from my favorite authors because the ebook cost for those usually match the paperback price.

Richard wrote: "Short stories, novellas, epic tomes, doesn't matter they all weigh the same, right?"
That's a good point, and I think eBooks will lead to a modest resurgence of novellas and short stories, and that's a good thing. I like the way that I can find single short stories on my Kindle, but when I used to subscribe to the Microsoft Reader version of magazines like Analog, I couldn't pick out, say, all short stories by Stephen Baxter, or all stories I had categorized a certain way (because all stories in an issue were lumped together).

I ran out of shelf space about a decade ago. If I buy a physical book, I have to throw one away. Them's the rules! So I buy pretty much everything electronically unless it's a book I wrote.

There is nothing quite like the sweet smell of a book. Still love my ereader, but I'd spend a fortune on the scent if they could bottle it!

Ashley, I so agree with you on the sweet smell of a book! If in addition to the sweet smell, you'd like a "sweet" read on women who love to read, visit my blog, http://geraldggriffin.blogspot.com .

Efforts are underway exploring making my suspense thriller into a movie/TV series, but I don't know how sweet that would smell on the screen. I guess you'd have to provide your own spray for that book smell scent.

I was hestitant to buy an eReader for the longest time. Then, last year, I decided to self publish. I knew that eBooks were the place to be so I decided to do that as well as print a limited number of my books in paper form. Figuring I can't be hypocritical, I bought a Nook. I am in love now. Yes, I do still love paper books. In some ways I wish that they weren't disappearing, but you can't deny the advantages of eBooks. If it were up to me, I'd still buy eBooks, but buy the print version (if available) of all of the ones I really loved. Something about a book on a shelf just can't be replaced...