Kindle vs Real Books

Rowan Coleman posted the following question on Facebook yesterday:

Who's for 99p e-books on kindle and whos against and why? In my opinion although it may serve to sell a lot of copies fast, it runs the risk of devaluing books for ever and putting a lot writers out of work. Am i wrong?

This sparked a lot of interest, not just about 99p e-books, but whether real books are better than e-books.

It seems there are a lot of people out there who prefer the feel and smell of a real book.  Also they say you can lend real books to friends, they don't break if you drop them, a house isn't a home unless it's filled with books etc.

I was one of those people, I couldn't understand how anyone would want to hold a piece of electronic equipment and call it a book.

Then I got an iPhone and discovered the Kindle app.  Now I'm a convert.

I've since got an iPad and have the Kindle app on there too.  Wherever I go, I have a library in my handbag.

The great bonus for OH in my change to e-reading is that I no longer have the light on to read in bed, that really bugged him.  I still have piles of real books everywhere, that'll never change as I won't get rid of the books I have, so that'll still bug him.

The bonuses to me are endless.

I always have a book with me, even if I don't have a handbag, my iPhone goes everywhere I do, if I do have my handbag or briefcase, my iPad is in there.   Going on holiday doesn't mean trawling 2 or 3 books along, and the speed I get through books, a weeks holiday can easily mean 3 or more books.  If I'm at an appointment and they're running late, I can read my book.  If I'm sat down having a coffee I can read, if I'm in the car I can read, all without taking a book with me. 

Reading in bed is easier too.  I recently read Jilly Cooper's 'Jump', an unputdownable bonkbuster (not least because she is a supporter of the Charity I work for and she mentions them a few time in the book).  It was a real book, a hardback.  Reading it in bed was a nightmare, soooo big and heavy, fab book, but I was so glad to get back to my iPad.

A friend of mine lent me Jump.  Ah, yes, 'you can't lend someone an e-book'.  Yes you can!  With Kindle you can 'lend' a book to another Kindle user for 2 weeks.  This works well for me and my Mum as we both use Kindle.

You can also download a sample of a book for free, a sort of try before you buy.  Kindle offer recommendations based on the books you buy, I've often not heard of some of the authors, so I'll download a sample and 9 times out of 10 I've gone on to buy the whole book and sometimes the backlist too.  It's a great way to discover new authors.

I pose a question to all those of you that pooh pooh e-readers - how many of you no longer buy cd's and download all your music?  It's, essentally the same thing.  You can't carry your complete selection of cd's around with you, but you can on an iPod.  Ditto books.

So, Kindle or real books???  There will always be a place for real books in my home, but e-readers are the future in my opinion.

As for the 99p debate, Caroline Smailes has an excellent argument http://www.carolinesmailes.co.uk/ebook-pricing

I can see both points of view, but tend to agree with Caroline on this one.