With technology continually growing, the traditional way for many things in life are become obsolete. But, are e-books really better than printed books? Will electronic books really take over completely? Honestly, I don’t think so, but e-books are rapidly become the most popular medium for reading.
But, why?
Technology has greatly changed the way we produce and consume things. Although paperbacks and hardcover books are still popular, the digital medium (in the form of e-books) is rapidly growing because they are much more accessible for the general public.
An electronic book is made for the web, meaning that unlike printed books that are tangible, e-books can be carried and read anywhere. Plus, you don’t necessarily need an e-reader to read them. You can read e-books from your tablet, phone, and computer. This mean you don’t have to carry a physical book if you want to read.
E-books are much more accessible because such large population have smart devices or a computer, meaning that you just need to open up a web browser or app and you can download a book and bring it anywhere. They also can be sold to anywhere around the world. Sometimes printed books are not sold in certain countries because of delivery limitations. Also, some borders have stricter rules for products coming into the country. E-books avoid this problem too, especially if books are sold exclusively on a certain platform that may not ship to certain countries.
Another bonus about e-books is that they are environmentally friendly. I know a lot of people who only read a book once. So once they’ve bought it, and read it, that book just sits on their bookshelf or thrown away. This is a lot of waste (both in terms of space and paper). People now prefer e-books because it saves on shelf space and greatly reduces the number of trees down down to produce paper for the books. Nowadays, people who purchase hardcover books are book collectors and paperback books are for those who still prefer reading the physical book instead of reading off a computer screen.
The creation of e-books has made it easier to publish books because e-books are more simplistic for formatting. Also, once you purchase an e-book, it is delivered to you electronically instantly. You don’t need to wait for physical copies to restock or delivery time because it is downloaded right at home. This also makes it easier for distribution as well.
Lastly, e-books allow you to highlight, bookmark, and share excerpts of the book. Therefore, this experience does not affect the e-book because you can easily delete those highlights and bookmarks. Unlike a printed book, if you were to highlight it, you can’t remove those markings. Therefore readers have more control over what they choose to do with their e-books and enhances their reading experiences.
If you plan on self-publishing your book, don’t just publish a printed version. Make sure to consider an e-book because this medium is the more accessible and versatile option.