A print book has always brought joy to my heart. Every time I see a bookshelf or I’m in a bookstore, I feel this urge to let my fingers trail on a stack of books. This excitement lingers while looking for my next adventure and when I finally find the one (or the ones), I feel like Indiana Jones finding the Graal. There are sparks in my eyes and the oh so familiar smell of the book that brings me to my happy place. Let’s say I was never fond of e-Readers. With that said, while I was traveling, I realized how convenient they were.

 

I simply love holding a book in my hands. So, when e-Readers came out a long time ago, I was in complete denial of their existence. Reading is so important for a writer, and I did not want to denature the experience. So, I decided I would boycott them. It lasted… a while… until I had to move.

 

So, how did I let e-Readers invade my life?

 

Honestly, it was late on a Sunday night, so all the stores were closed. I really wanted to read the next book of a Series and ran out of patience, so I gave in and decided to try it out. The first step was to download the e-reader and the e-book, which turned out to be easy enough not to give me time to second guess myself. Reading on an e-reader though wasn’t easy at first because my mind was missing the experience of turning actual pages and the feeling of holding it to have a feel of where you’re at in the story.

 

Eventually, I got used to it and needless to say that I use it a lot now. The advantages outnumbered the drawbacks, but it’s truly only now that I’m away that I understand the extent of the advantages. So, what are they?

 

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Did you know?

 

The inventor of what became an e-Reader later was Angela Ruiz Robles, a Spanish woman who called it a mechanical encyclopedia.

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Here are 11 things that will make you love e-Readers.

or 11 reasons why e-Readers changed my reading experience in a good way.

 

#1 – Portability

 

When you travel or have a long commute, reading is a wonderful way to entertain yourself. If you’re traveling for an extended period of time and can’t bring along everything you want, an e-Reader is AWESOME! You can bring your entire bookshelf with you (probably a small bookshelf, but still…). The only thing to do is download all the books you need on your device.

 

 

No more heavy bags, no more internal struggles to see which books to bring along, no need to push the walls in your house, no more comments from your friends/family on where you think you can store them, and no more bargain with your family on what to do with all these books once read. You have more space, fewer headaches, and you may even be able to keep the books that truly matter to you (for the latter, some compromises and heartbreaks will undeniably happen!).

 

#2 – No need for lights at night

 

When you’re jet-lagged or have insomnia and want to read, but the people next to you don’t want you to use a light at 2 am, e-Readers are life-savers. The lighting is soft enough that it won’t bug them. When I was traveling, I had bought a print book with me, and when I was up at 3 am, I had to table it and read another book on my e-Reader. This was when I realized how much convenient this device truly was.

 

We use devices on a daily basis nowadays, and it’s only when you stop using them that you realize how much you depend on them.

 

#3 – No waiting time

 

For me, one of the biggest advantages of reading on an e-Reader is that you can own a book in a matter of seconds (or minutes depending on the downloading time). All you need is an internet connection. You can buy a new book virtually at any time, which is what won me over in the first place.

 

#4 – Large choice available

 

With millions of titles readily available at your fingertips, picking one book may become a little more complicated. You can own as much as you want, benefiting from a wider range of books including thousand of free books. It’s never been so easy to look for a book. You can search by genre, often most read or most bought, which can give you an idea of what to read if you’re unsure.

 

#5 – Underline, note taking/ search the web or access links

 

E-Readers allow you to highlight your favorite moments. You can also color codes to help you sort them out at the end. Your notes can be found in one place, which makes it easy to quote your favorite authors. You can also read what have been the most highlighted by others on some devices.

If it’s non-fiction, you may even have the ability to access pages on the web that will support the idea. Non-Fiction writers often use this as a way to communicate in a more direct manner with their readers by including links to their website or a video.

 

#6 – Looking up a word in a dictionary

 

Reading is a wonderful way to strengthen your vocabulary. If you stumble upon a word you don’t know or are not sure about, a dictionary is available to either provide a translation or provide the exact definition. It’s a fantastic way to learn.

 

#7 – Read without needing your hands

 

When you read on a device, you don’t need to hold the pages or the book open. If you want to do some light exercise and read at the same time, this is an option (audiobooks are probably better, but I prefer reading than listening to books. Just a personal taste).

 

Now if exercising isn’t for you, another advantage of this is that you can eat while reading. Why choosing between lunch or reading? You can do both.

 

#8 – Reliable bookmark

 

I’m sure (well, I hope) I’m not the only one who gets frustrated by losing a page because the book fell from your hands. You were at an interesting part of the book and looking for the right page is annoying. Once you need a break, no need to look where your bookmark went while you were reading, especially if you moved a lot on your couch and then need to push all the blankets and pillows to find it.

 

#9 – Price

 

I thought about this one for a while. Technically, it’s still an advantage, but I’m not sure for how long. In fact, what was true (and still kind of is) may already no longer be true for all books. Let me explain this: One of the reasons I like e-books is because they are/were cheaper. For a new release, you could get the e-book for half of the price of the hardcover, if not less. This market boomed partially because of it, and books were more accessible this way.

 

Unfortunately, I’ve recently bought a few books that defied that rule. In fact, I read that in February 2017, the Association of American Publishers released data that shows that [tweet_dis]an overall increase of e-book price led to a 16% decline in e-book sales[/tweet_dis]. It’s not something new. It’s been 2 or 3 years now that e-book prices started to increase (even though big five e-books are reported to have dropped), but for some reasons, I noticed bigger changes lately.

 

I recently bought a book on Amazon, which was released a little while ago (book turned into a motion picture). The paperback was much cheaper than the Kindle format, so I got the paperback. I went back a couple days ago, and the hardcover book was only $1.69!!!!

 

 

Needless to say, I was slightly disappointed to have paid more for it 2 weeks before, but the point is e-books aren’t necessarily cheaper anymore. I continued my investigations and looked at new releases. For the most part, it’s true that the e-book is cheaper, but not by much. Truth be told, it’s barely cheaper (maybe 2$ cheaper on average). After a while, e-Books and paperback are often similar in price.

 

#10 – Discretion (no one knows what you read)

 

When you read on an electronic device, no one can see what you’re reading. I know some people who don’t want to be disturbed while they read by random people wondering how the book is or simply be judged. If you want to read an erotica in a crowded place or a horror book while surrounded by young kids, this comes in handy. It might be useful in some instances.

 

#11 – Change the font, color, or size

 

Another advantage is that you can change the font, size, and color to increase the reading experience. Some of us need glasses and being able to change this is a life saver. No need to strain your eyes for 300+ pages. Just make it yours.

 

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Overall, e-book readers closed a lot of gaps. The advantages mentioned above are primarily for readers, but there are also advantages for authors. E-readers brought the reading experience to a new level even though I’m the first one to say that it takes time to get used them.

 

As for the price, I’m curious to see how the trend will impact the market. I’m in anyway an expert on the topic and would love to hear more about this. What do you think?

 

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