I really don't like reading long pieces on a computer screen. I've fiddled with color, contrast, etc, and still prefer print.

However, I've definitely purchased books after reading them at the library. (Just returned one yesterday that immediately went on my "to buy" list).

Fabrictramp

I prefer a paper book over an online book, but if a book is available online, I wouldn't buy it.

Ironically, the opposite goes for music. If I find a good song and buy it from a music service, I'll most likely end up buying a CD of it just to have a superior sounding quality.

That's the difference I guess...once I read a book I probably wouldn't revisit it.

That said, I think this author is going overboard. She's going to get a lot of buzz from this and most people don't know how to download books like this online. It should help her.

JuryDuty

Books have a unique advantage in that they are a physical entity for sale with characteristics that cannot easily be duplicated (although the content can). Personally, I would always prefer to buy or rent a real book than read on a computer screen.

My litmus test for buying a book is this: "in five years, can I see myself putting this in the 'garage sale' pile?"

It works for me. If I can't definitively answer, then I know I'm just falling prey to impulse buy tactics. Many times I can honestly say I can't imagine not wanting this book, and so I buy it. Hasn't failed me yet.

volatility

All I know is that I've spent over $700 with Baen books in the last few years buying ebooks. And probably a couple of hundred elsewhere. I like the convenience of ebooks (and while my wife has a kindle, I don't, I read them on my PDA). The Baen free library has introduced me to quite a few authors and series I probably never would have picked up if I was buying them on paper.

jimnutt

I've downloaded a few free books via Project Guttenburg, but I have never read them. For most things I prefer a physical book to 300-page PDF. Haven't used the Kindle, though, so maybe that would change my opinion.

If I downloaded a partial book and was intrigued, I would definitely consider purchasing the ink and paper version.

eeefresh

A few reasons why I love the books I carry around (and why eBooks usually don't make the break):

1) They're easy to carry around (a paperback usually fits in a pocket or small bag)
2) They never run out of battery
3) I can bang them everywhere, bend them, let them fall in a puddle of mud or spill a cup of coffee on them and they're still usable
4) I can write and take notes on them
5) I can lend them to my friends without worrying too much

Well I guess it's not much of an answer to your question, but I also think it's an answer to a prerequisite question : Do you read eBooks ?

Vanderwomble

Since I got a Kindle, I'm using it way more than I thought I would. It has, for the most part, eliminated my buying paper books (and newspapers and magazines) - I think the very nature of it's existence makes that a reality. I'm an alt history buff, and a lot of it is available for the Kindle. I find I'm buying more than I would have if I was getting paper.

ddmeightball: Color for me is not important but I can understand why some would want it - manga w/o color seems kinda dull.

DRM still sucks - I doubt we'll ever be able to get past some form of it (from the pubcomps view) soon - capitalism in it's current form always assumes everyone wants to steal the stuff your are making money from - the reason security exists is not to protect the users, but the power structure. That won't change.

I do know I read more with my Kindle - I'm reading 2-3 books a week now - before it was a book every 3-4 weeks.

nonford150

I read Cory Doctorow's young adult novel Little Brother as an ebook and ended up buying a copy for a local library ([craphound.com]) and two others as gifts. It depends on the quality of the material. If the book is just an glossy-cover impulse buy then the author shouldn't expect ebook downloads to translate into pulp book sales.

godzilla8nj

Can't speak for e-books exactly, but I've got an entire bookshelf filled with paperback and hardcover collections of comic books, inspired entirely by comic downloads.

Mecha-Shiva

I don't think it's accurate to look at an ebook as a lesser version of the dead-tree edition. If anything, I'd be more apt to search out an electronic version of a print teaser I liked. I've been reading ebooks for years with my PalmV, SonyClie, and now SonyReader, and I finally just sold the last dead-tree editions I own at a garage sale last weekend.

junkmail

I've never downloaded an illegal e-book but I regularly pay for legal ones from Pragmatic Programmers & the like. The fact that these are computer programming textbooks means that I'm not inconvenienced at all by reading these at my computer - rather the opposite: I don't have to struggle with keeping a book on the right page as I type in the examples. I do have print copies of books that I read via O'Reilly's Safari subscription service but these are generally non computer-related such as "Mind Performance Hacks".

sciamachy

I admit it, I am a Harry Potter nerd. If Rowling had ever released even just a chapter or two of her next new book, it would have excited me even more about it and I probably would have preordered it instead of waiting for the book to come to Costco. But current ebook options are limited. I would still rather buy a legit physical copy rather than a digital copy that I have to strain my eyes to read on my screen. You can't curl up in an armchair with a 22" LCD screen. :)

sickyd

Sure! I don't like reading at my computer, since I spend all day at work in front of my computer, so if I read the first chapter or so from a torrent, I'd definitely go out and pick up the real deal.

But a Stephenie Meyer book? I'd have to burn my hard drive if I downloaded that.

Darklighter

I alway prefer a paper version of a book over electronic. I have never found a way of reading an online or downloaded book that beats laying in bed with about four pillow propping me up, my oreos and milk on the nightstand, and a good book in my lap.

Interesting that books seem to be the one "old media" format which doesn't seem to be overly threatened by "new media" formats. Radio = dead, Newspapers = dead, Music videos on TV = dead, Music CDs = dead. Books? Doing just fine thank you.

jsmorley

It depends on the type of the book. If its a searchable reference book, a short story, or a technical text book that I plan on reading when I'm at the computer, probably I'm probably not going to buy a paper version. If its a longer story such as the new War and Peace translation, or a statistics textbook, something I want to read when I have a spare moment, I'll definitely opt to pay for the print version.

If only I could afford a nice e-paper e-book reader that could handle pdfs... Those cost enough that I'd have stick with pirated books!

Joelp

Personally I dont really like eBooks just because there isnt an easy way to read them without sitting infront of a laptop the entire time. Yes, I know there are the Kindle and several other eBook readers from Sony, etc, but they arent nearly as good as I hope. Most dont do color pages and those that do have bad battery life and are expensive. I would pay good money for the Kindle if it did color well with WIFI availability to download content without having to dock it to a computer. Plus there isnt any manga eBooks available to view on them. I could always download the JPEGs and view them on there, but that would just be stupid to download them to my laptop then copy them to an eReader.

I have been on sites that let you read the first chapter of a book. I have purchased a paper copy of the book based on this. I just really like having something physical in my hands when I read. Whether it is a Kindle like device or a paper book it doesnt matter to me. I would read eBooks if the eReader devices were better. I really like the kindle but can wait for it to imporve first before I buy one.

ddmeightball

yeah, I think I would buy/borrow the book just to see how the story had changed from the rough draft to the final.

aidan.cage

I haven't used ebooks very often because of the inconvenience of reading them at my computer. However, I do tend to buy the physical versions of audio books I listen to for reference later. I have found a wide selection of audio books at my local library and through Audible.

salviati

I could get them all from the library for free anyway and that's legal. But I have downloaded a book and liked it so much I bought it, and others that the author wrote. A good writer deserves the support of sales.

I've also downloaded illegal copies of books I own just so I could take multiple books with me.

Ajh

I recently downloaded a (legal rental) copy of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver from our library. I fell in love with the book so I bought a hard copy to keep and reference. I've done that before with books, normally non-fiction, that I want to keep or have handy. I've never read a book from a BitTorrent site though.

Ihaveasmartpuppy

I've downloaded illegal ebooks of books I already own for the convenience of having them more portable than a stack of books when going on a trip. I've downloaded illegal ebooks to see if I like something, then promptly turned around to bought the book... because I like books. I do the same with music. I whole heartedly want to support authors but I'd like to know my purchase isn't a waste of time. If I didn't like it, I deleted the ebook and never bothered with any of their stuff again.

whiskeyjack

I've never bought an ebook. As much as I love technology, I've been very slow to adopt ebooks. I'm not sure that any particular format will be around long enough to invest in, I don't like DRM, and since I have no real clue what goes into the pricing of a book, I perceive ebooks to be overpriced compared to print.

That said, I have enjoyed reading public domain books on my Pocket PC. I recently finished 1984. I used to convert through Repligo, but since that's become abandonware (Win Mobile, anyway, the developer has gone exclusively to BlackBerry support), I'm starting to appreciate MobiPocket Reader.

I've never read an illegal ebook. Honestly, the existence of such has never occurred to me. Maybe I need to spend more time on Bittorrent...

emuelle1

If anything I'm more likely to purchase a book if I have the ebook. The ebook gives me a chance to try before I buy, whereas if I go into a bookstore, you don't know if you have wasted $8.00US on a large coaster, or a work of art.
There will always be people who won't buy the book if they have the ebook, but I feel that it is evened out by the people who purchase the book *because* they have the ebook.
I think the authors who overreact, like Stephenie Meyer, are not confident that their story is worth buying (I'm not sure about Stephenie Meyer, never read any of her books).

Duane

quite simply, no. i have about 400 ebooks. i could probably get the real books on ebay used for a couple hundred dollars since they're mostly old novels that sell for a nickel, but i move around a lot, and i'm not packing that big of a library with me. anyway if i do buy a proper book, i buy it used. which means the author already got their commission for that particular book. so i either buy it and some ebay junkie gets my nickel, or i download it and she gets someone else's nickel.

the big argument, though, is for OOP stuff. i love it when i find an ebook of a nonfiction that is OOP and costs several hundred on addall. or when i find it in a library someplace and photocopy/bind it for $10. good stuff. and again, with OOP stuff the author is probably dead and their estate spent on frivolities, so nobody suffers but the arrogant rare book sellers who jack up prices for their own benefit - and they can just eat my shorts.

garbanzo-bean

I haven't downloaded illegal e books, but I've gathered plenty from the Baen Free Library, and more recently some from Tor. Most often I'll read a few chapters on my laptop, and either pick up a print copy at the library, or buy one. Even those I pick up initially at the library, if I truly enjoy the writer it's virtually certain that I wind up buying books by them in the future. The key here I think is that there are certainly authors I would never have bought had I not had free access to the e book who are now getting my business, and in the end I much prefer printed books for all the reasons others have already mentioned.

halsey

Yes. Generally speaking, I'm not one to buy new media without getting some idea of it to begin with. I'm FAR more likely to buy software after a free trial than sight-unseen, and I almost never bought a CD that I didn't get to hear first at the store. How can you know it's worth paying for if you can't try it first? That certainly holds true for books. Offering the ability to read the first few chapters of a book online (not five pages like Amazon does) before forcing the customer to buy makes a huge difference for me. And these days I'm more likely to read an ebook than a paper book: I'm by no means anti-paper, but I'm not going to lug around a heavy book when I can have twenty on my iPhone in my pocket.

That said, I'm not surprised the author in this case freaked out. Not because her book was being pirated online, but because a rough draft of her book was being pirated. The author should absolutely have the final say over when a book (or part of a book) is ready for the masses.

zyzzyva

I read the first 3 Harry Potter books as an downloaded ebook to see what the fuss was about.

Since then, I have turned into a fan and bought all of them.

bodah

I still much prefer reading real books over reading eBooks on a CRT or LCD screen. I still buy lots of books (lots of technically-oriented instruction/reference books, history/politics books, and some fiction books by Jim Butcher), but I also do download tons of eBooks that I might find useful in the future, especially of books that I have already bought and found to be useful. Like most people who bother to download eBooks, I mainly do so to preview the content of the book, and if I truly find it useful or engaging, then I will go buy the real book.

ModemGod

I:

(a) Have downloaded free e-book versions (via out-of-copyright Gutenberg texts, not-quiet-so-legal-torrents, not-quite-so-legal-Usenet groups, or legal CC-licensed downloads from Rudy Rucker and Cory Doctorow and others) of books.

(b) Have no concern about the copyrights or legality of obtaining e-books of books that I actually own physical copies of (in other words, if I've bought the paper book, but would like a version on my phone or PDA - personally, I think Amazon should include a Kindle version of a book for free if you buy the ink and paper version).

(c) Have purchased copies of books by Doctorow and others *after* I had read all or part of them in a free e-book version.

(d) Have discovered writers via e-books, read their works in whole or in part, then went on to buy many of their "real" books. I'm not sure how many of them I would have discovered by browsing the bookshelves. The Baen Free Library comes to mind here and Tor is doing the same thing.

(e) Love physical books and own thousands of them.

(f) Love e-books, would love to have a Kindle, but I've only ever purchased 2 or 3 e-books. I will never pay for a DRM'ed e-book in lieu of a paper copy. The only e-book purchases I've made are non DRM'ed.

(g) Think Meyers is being paranoid, whiny, and short-sighted and perhaps missing an opportunity to appeal to new readers and not alienate existing readers.

However, I do think that authors should be concerned with illegal copies of early drafts going out, or maybe even full versions going out before the release date, but there isn't much you can do about that. Of course, if you release your own non-DRM'ed e-book copies at the same time the book is released, you won't have to worry about typo-filled rough drafts bouncing around the net.

I recommend the book (C)ontent, by Cory Doctorow (and yes, the contents of the paper book are freely available under CC license at Cory's site). Many of the essays in it are about his free e-book experiences (all favorable). One of his more pithy observations is that science fiction and fantasy are pretty much the only genres that people put the time and effort into pirating.

CMPalmer

Been buying and reading ebooks on my Palm for years. Convenient, easy to carry, fits in my back or shirt pocket, and has hundreds of book on it. I've bought a lot of them, downloaded a lot of them, and for the majority of the books where I just want to read the story, I prefer ebooks.

But I still buy hardcover versions of books I treasure by authors I want to support, and print copies of books not available in e-form.

cabridges

I actually bought the first three books in her series as eBooks, and only bought Breaking Dawn in hardback because I was going on a trip that weekend. (with no power for lappy)
So long as I have power, I prefer eBooks. You don't have to worry about a light source if you're reading on a computer, you can pull up an IM window next to it to talk to a friend who's also reading the book, and of course, the bugs don't eat them.

However, I do miss the discoloration to each book that I got from reading the Harry Potter books... The pages never stayed their original color for more than an hour...

The Amazing Ant

I most definitely would. Nothing beats actual, physical books for reading.

Reference books I'd be fine with just an e-book, but for fiction, biographies, or other story-type books, a book is a must.

Frankly, I think that Meyer is cutting off her nose to spite her face here. Sure, she might possibly, theoretically lose some nebulous portion of her sales to piracy, but if she doesn't publish, she loses ALL her sales. And the longer she delays publication, the more that torrented version will spread, and the larger that nebulous portion will become.

HeartBurnKid, creepy morbid freak

I've also downloaded pirated ebooks of books I already legally own in hardcopy; if I'm searching for a particular passage (assuming I remember a phrase) I can do a quick search, if I want to quote a snippet it's easier, and if I am trying to hook an internet friend on the author, it's more feasible than lending a book long-distance.

atalantapendragonne

No. Although audio books are even better than ebooks.

Ray

nonford150: Generally manga doesnt have color pages, unlike comic books which are nothing but color. Manga volumes tend to have a few pages in color at the start of a chapter or a color insert or the book cover. Most of the time they are black and white with differing shades of gray. I would gladly pay for electronic copies of my volumes of manga if a company would release them officially. I have a two 7 foot tall bookshelf full of manga, so the space saving would be enormous. Though, at the moment no actual publisher releases full volumes online. There are a few companies that have chapters online: Yen Press, Tokyo Pop, etc. But as far as I know there are no plans to "officially" put them online. I can always get them "unofficially" from different scanlation websites, though.

eReaders also dont hold enough books or content. I would love to be able to take my entire library of books/magazines with me on a trip, to work, etc. Some eReaders allow you to up the capacity by adding a memory card to it, but even then if you want to take everything with you, the larger capacity cards are going to run an arm and a leg. With SSD hard drives becoming ever more popular, I see this helping considerablly.

ddmeightball

I love books and buy them at prodigious (some would say prodigal) rates. But I have no problem looking at an ebook first, legal or not, to see if I like it.

If I like a book I will buy a copy, even after reading it. Why? Because that's how you ensure the author has the means to make the next one.

If the book has information or qualities that are useful I tend towards purchasing them. For technical books it is a huge benefit to look through four or five tomes on a topic and select which present the most useful information.

While I love my hardcopy books I also love ebooks. Why? I can't grep dead wood. Also, reading using RSVP software isn't possible if it isn't electronic.

To be clear, reading a book on a computer can be a pain. Sitting in the sun with something you don't need to boot and can get a little wet without shorting out is wonderful. The feeling of a book in your hands or the tactile experience of rifling through the pages to find that favored passage is priceless.

ebooks of all ilk allow consumers better purchasing choices. Some will buy, some won't. But with a widely distributed ebook in the mix the pool of people making that decision increases.

DanRP

Information is not illegal.

leoeris

There have been more than a couple series and authors over the years I've either bought an ebook by or downloaded by more nefarious means, and quite of few of those I now own entire series of in paperback or hardback and was first turned onto them by an ebook.

Fain

Paper>Data

Phoshi

I obtain whatever media I can, by whatever means I have. Period. End of story.

leoeris

Reading is one of the few things I do away from the computer. I'm not a fan of eBooks, but a good eBook reader might change that. I've also illegally downloaded books and later bought them. I enjoy having technical books in both eBook and physical, because it's so easy to search an eBook. I tried once to sit in front of a computer and read a novel and I didn't enjoy it. It's nice to lay in bed reading a book; I've never been able to achieve that while trying to read an eBook.

Truegod

I own both the Kindle and Sony Reader and far prefer reading on them to a physical book. I'd buy all my books digitally if it were possible.

I find that I purchase more books than I ever did physical books. The convenience of browsing, buying and downloading books on my Kindle is far easier than going to a bookstore.

aef123

I read _A_LOT_ of electronic based articles, periodicals and books. I happen to read a lot of paper based books as well. I would say that having electronic versions are way more convenient for periodicals and articles then for books (do you honestly more then one book at a time). But I would say that having electronic books has kept me reading a series or got me into a new author several times.

microe

I downloaded the Watchmen series through a BitTorrent to see if all the geeky love for the books was warranted. It was, so I bought it the next week from B&N. Like HeartBurnKid said, nothing can beat actual, physical books for reading. There's a certain sense of ownership, emotional connection, and pure aesthetics to a physical book that will never be equaled by e-books.

nathangimpel

FWIW - I cannot see the point of e-books. I have to read a multitude of douments on the computer every day, and the only reason I do not print them out is that I can hear the forest screaming. But paper is the way to go for reading anything of any length.

So, no - it won't make me want to buy the dead-tree version. I'll read the hardcopy version.

WallaceB

I read legal e-books all the time on my phone and my OQO from fictionwise. I've never even thought of getting them illegally- possibly because I write myself. But does that spur me to get them again in physical fashion? No... that's why I buy the e-books, for the convenience. Very few pleasure books do I collect or have to have in my hands- I'd rather have them electronically to read them whenever/where ever I want.

As far as the DRM goes, I haven't really had any problems with the mobipocket DRM, and I change devices all the time. And Fictionwise also sells multi-format books from several authors that have no DRM at all...

wraith808

I have one of the old-style Rocket eBook readers. You can load .rb files, .html files, and .txt files to it, which basically means I can load any book I can copy.

In the past year, I've downloaded approximately 30 eBooks from new-releases by internet-savvy authors/publishers. Of those, I've enjoyed about half of them. Of those, I've purchased hard-copies of about 10 books. Seeing as many of those are NOT available in my local bookstore without special-ordering, that's 10 more books that I probably would not have bought had I not been able to download the copy of the book for free online first.

The kindle's still too expensive for me, but I seriously think that when prices come down, many folks will grab one and start making good use of all the downloadable books out there. And if they're anything like me, that'll lead to at least more targeted book sales, if not more book sales in general.

rossruns

I'm in the middle of liquidating my ink-and-paper book collection (affectionately known in my house as "treeware"), with the goal being to dedicate a portion of the proceeds to the purchase of an eBook reader. I will happily raid the bountiful stores of gutenberg.org once that has taken place, but beyond that?

Simply put, I'm not going to pay the full price of a physical copy of the book for the right to rent its content and then be enslaved to DRM nonsense should I actually want to exercise that right. But would I pay full price for a DRM-free, full quality version of the book? Oh, you betcha... but I'm not holding my breath for *that* to happen any time soon.

loopgru

Reading the article, I see that the leak is only the first 12 chapters. Which just makes Meyer's stance even more ridiculous; people will have to buy the book anyway to get the full story. She could actually GAIN sales based on this.

I'm betting this is a publicity stunt. Within a week, she'll come back and say, "OK, due to popular demand, I *will* finish the book, and on schedule as well!"

HeartBurnKid, creepy morbid freak

I got hooked on an 11 book series and bought every damn one in hard copy by reading the first book online for free. Baen Free Book Library [www.baen.com] is where I found a bunch of great Sci Fi for free. I read On Basilisk Station on my PDA and then proceeded to buy may through the entire series. Excellent stuff.

If I read a book online, and I like it, I'll buy the hard copy because I love books. I'd love a kindle, but I think I would prefer to get a lot of my books in print anyway.

But yes, my experience with reading books online resulted in me buying some books in hard copy.

badger

Badger

I'm very fond of ink and paper, so I don't get ebooks unless that's the only way to get them. The one exception is when I had an infant that woke up in the middle of the night all the time. Sitting in a rocking chair for an hour every night gets old after a while, and you don't want to turn on a light to read, and holding a book one-handed is just difficult. Perfect solution: ebooks on my palm pilot.

And I do think that if we don't pay artists (writers, musicians, etc.) for their work, then pretty soon we won't have any books to read or music to listen to. That sucks, so don't pirate stuff!

Heidi7Sue

One thing I would hope that would be implemented in near future is "expiring" pdf books. This way I can browse amazon`s book catalog, download it browse through pages as I want and check out the content in a more detailed pay. Just browsing the index pages does not cut it for me. This should not be different than going to book store and reading the books while you have your hot drink. The pdf file might expire in half an hour. This should give user enough time to check it out.

kartal

yes, i would and have purchased a hard copy of books i've browsed online or, more commonly, have downloaded (legally or otherwise) as audiobooks. despite the annoyance of moving a library around, paper books are better and simpler. they don't require booting up, accessories, or power supplies, and the ebook technology (bookmarking, note-taking, etc.) just isn't comparable yet for me.

ettelocin

I bought most of the books that were in my interest that I have found online as pdf. I generally try to find the pdf files to check out the content in a deeper way. Once I am satisfied that this is the book I need I order them from amazon or [www.alibris.com.]

kartal

I almost always prefer print version of books. Nothing beats the feeling of paper when you are reading a good book, fiction or non-fiction.

However, I curse at the printed books like there's no tomorrow when I'm looking a particular passage. At those times I really wish there is a Ctrl-F or Command-F built-in to paper books. Perhaps one day that will come... displays so flexible and thin that we'll be able to "print" books on "paper" while still have the ability to do text searching on it.

ww2db.com

I like re-reading books. So typically I buy a book in hardcover when it comes out, and if I enjoy it, at some point I'll search for it online to read again on my computer-->Rocket eBook--->now iPhone.

In fact, the perfect world for me would be for publishers to include eBooks with the hardcover versions-or releasing them in time with the paperbacks.

dogcow

I guess ebooks are making me buy real books... I buy a real book so I don't have to read an ebook!

I personally don't like reading books on my computer, and the closest thing I have to an actual ebook reader is a Palm Pilot. It's definitely not a great way to sit down and read a book in my opnion.

At the moment, I just think there are too many advantages to having the actual physical book in my hands. A big advantage is that I find it relaxing to read in the bathtub. If I drop a paper book in there, the only thing I need to replace is that single book. If I dropped an ereader or equivalent in there, I'd need to replace an expensive piece of gear, and all the data that I had in it...

HeffeD

I wish I never had any reason to buy a physical copy of ANY media ever again. I made this decision the last time I moved, as I packed umpteen boxes of various hardcover and softcover books, lugging them painfully between house, moving truck, and house. I don't want to throw them all away; I *re-read* books. But to have my freaking entire library in the palm of my hand is the decision of that day.

Also, in a related experience, I recently looked at one of the wife's travel magazines and thought I'd like to read it as I nodded off to sleep and changed my mind, thinking, "WTF! This thing ain't backlit!" heh. I do have a lamp on the nightstand, but having read ebooks for so long, I'm reallllly spoiled!

Winkyboy

Absolutely, for me the two go hand-in-hand - I tend to buy a hard copy of a book, and then DL a digital copy to carry on my USB stick. That way when I'm at home, I can read in my preferred medium, but when at work, I still have access to the material. Plus a text file doesn't look pretty sitting on my bookshelf.

I can't imagine getting something like a kindle though: it combines the inconvenient necessity of carrying a physical object with the unsatisfyingness of electronic reading.

jrobie

Neil Gaiman actually tried this a few months ago with his book American Gods. His publisher made the book available via their website as an experiment, tracking how it affected sales of his books in bookstores. The conclusion was that it was very effective -- sales went up! They are now offering a 30-day download of Gaiman's book Neverwhere.

wirehead2501

@kartal: for every perceived restriction people try to place on electronic media, someone will break it.

usually faster than they can think of new ones to implement.

people BUY things they enjoy.

I OWN VHS tapes, and according to the way the MPAA wants to play their double sided law, i cannot legally upload them to my own computer because they contain Macrovision protection and i am circumventing protection to upload them, even though i PAID for a viewership license as they like to claim.

when companies/publishers/artists finally realize that MOST people are okay with buying a license to use their property, but just want to pay for it once , regardless of the "format" they choose to currently use, then people will stop pirating for the most part.

there will still be plain old thieves, but why should i pay for a separate license for a vhs tape, a dvd, a blu ray, and a portable version all to watch the same thing?
and no, adding two minutes of movie, or 2 hours of random crap extras doesn't make it "new".

once this logic is finally figured out, money will flow.

Buddha916

Yes, I frequently read the free books that Baen puts out (usually the first 1 or 2 in a series) and if I like them buy the rest of the books in the series.

CyberCowboy

Although I prefer eBooks now, I must say, after reading some eBooks I too have purchased the paper copy. I find myself at Barnes n Nobles more often now that I have got in to the eBook thing.

mobilejray

@volatility: you are also only comparing to ONE possible way to read an electronic format.

there are many others.

Personally i own thousands of books, and have spent hours looking for one to re-read.
now i own and use a sony ereader and can do the same without needing to rifle through a huge number of shelves.

Buddha916

@Vanderwomble:
1. get an ebook reader and you'll find its even smaller lighter and easier to carry. Try carrying around even a small assortment of paperbacks compared to 800 or so ebooks on my sony reader.
sorry, not a good argument for paper.

2. Have you even used a kindle or sony ereader? i have both. They go for WEEKS on a battery charge when merely reading books. If you cant bother to charge in that time, you probably cant use a cell phone either.
Not a good argument for paper.

3. dropping a paperback into a puddle of mud or pouring a cup of coffee on it will most certainly destroy part of the book and make a portion unreadable. Dropping an electronic device into the same may or may not. however, if you really think this is a benefit of paper, go ahead.
Not a win for either.

4. You can annotate on some of the ebook readers as well. and again, if you are noting in a book, it is most likely a technical or source book, and you can easily do the same inside a computer if need be.
a win for paper in most cases.

5. And this is a win for paper how? If i loan a physical medium to someone and they lose, destroy or otherwise fail to return it to me, i'm directly out of my investment.
If i loan an electronic version to someone, i could honestly care less what they EVER do with it. I still have my version.
Obvious win for electronic versions.

sorry but the arguments appear to favor electronic versions.

Buddha916

what I realized is that my treo is a perfect ereader for those short downtimes. I actually finished "Invisible Man" in a month.

I don't like how slow everything is on my treo (the dreaded white screen) but in the end, it gets the job done.

qrius

Textbook=want an e-book version, but still prefer real book

Pleasure reading=prefer real book

on the issue that inspired this article, people will purchase the real copy, because they'd want to compare and see how it changed, but if I were the author, I'd be ticked. It's a pleasure book, and knowing pretty much what's going to happen will make the book less exciting. How would you feel if as a student, you had the teacher over your shoulder as you were composing (which actually happened to me once)? It's the same thing, and it's annoying.

goodywitch

I am a bookworm, a book nerd, an aficionado... @joelp: you might want to have a look a stanza - I will be using stanza on an ipod touch for my travel book neess.

I consider the availabability of (incomplete) online text as convenient ans browsong through a book in a bookstore, given the fact that I buy most of the dead-tree books online tehse days, yes, the opportunity of reading stuff online does make me want to buy real books and ebooks. BUT. As I said above I love books, but my space is limited, so Id rather buy hardcover editions of suff I want to keep as a reference for the next 4 decades (aka the rest of my life), instead of filling the shelves with stuff I read once, ao mostly I try to get books at libraries, or sell them again when read. Ebook make keeping stuff a lot simpler, and in some cases I use an ebook (albeit an illegal one) for looking up stuff I have somewhere in hardcopy beehind my on the shelf. I think publishers need to address the need for online / digital copies more... research is a lot faster if you just hit the search box instead of leafing through page sof indexes and the lot... I'd even pay more for some books if I could have a cd / download option _with_ the hardcopy.

writersmind

It sounds from reading a lot of the comments here, that many more people would read e-books if they could find a satisfying handheld experience. People keep mentioning reading ebooks on their laptop and how that sucks. I never do that and can understand why they woulnd't want to. If you have an easily pocketable e-book reader that goes with you everywhere anyway (smartphone, cough cough), and doesn't require you to get an extra device, and you're comfortable with the interface, you'll totally read it. If you just prefer paper, that's different.

kookoobirdz

I don't think that if I had a full, free, electronic copy of a book, that I would then go buy the book. I may be skewed though because I only want e-books. In fact the only time I ever get e-books illegally is when they won't release a book in e-book form. I really only want to read on my Treo anymore and I'll be 100% legal if 100% of the books I want are released in e-book form. Make it easy for me, publishers! Take my money.

But sort of relevant to the question is teaser chapters released online. These do, in fact, motivate me to buy the full book (e-book in my case, or paper if I can't find an e-version by legal or illegal means). Like George R.R. Martin does this with his Song of Ice and Fire series. Numerous others have done that too and I think it's effective. It's very much an appetizer. But if someone released the whole book that way, there wouldn't be any point in me buying it.

kookoobirdz

I tend to avoid e-books, just because reading is, for me, a time to get away from digital media/entertainment. That being said, I think my approach would the same way I treat other things. I would probably go out and buy the real book just to a) support the author with sales, b) be able to read it away from a screen, and c) put it on my shelf. Yes, I'm one of those pack-rat style people who just loves a full shelf.

YamiNoSenshi

Over 7 years and 5 devices (Palm Pilot,III,V,X & iPod Touch) I have amassed a collection of around 400 purchased eBooks via [Webscriptions.net] (Baen/Tor), and [eReader.com] (Random House, Orbit and many other large publishing houses). Over the same period I have collected a large number of ebooks unavailable through authorized channels. As more and more authors begin to simultaneously release hardback and ebook editions, the number of pirated titles released has dropped fairly dramatically. In the late 1990s it was almost a race to see who would have a scanned and OCR'd copy of the latest NYT best-selling author online first. I remember that by 3am EST, 3 hours after the midnight release of one of the third or fourth Harry Potter, the first raw scans started appearing on the 'net. Rowling seemed to be a particular target because she adamantly refused to allow Random House to release electronic editions of her works.

I think the logic behind your question needs to be reevaluated. eBooks should not be seen as loss-leaders for hardbacks or future sales. They should be seen as a faster, cheaper method of production and delivery of content. With my iPod, or an iPhone, I can browse the online stores, find a book, purchase, download and start reading it within about 3 minutes. The once popular delivery method of serialization, where authors released new works a chapter at a time via magazines and were reimbursed through subscriptions has been reborn via Webscriptions. Impatient readers can now purchase ARCs (pre-edited editions) hot off the author's overworked word processors - no need to wait on those persnickety publishing houses to review, edit, re-review.

Don't get me wrong. I have most of my true favorites, especially those I read aloud to my nieces and nephews, in hardback form. I would no more read "Wind in the Willows" or "Song of the South" in electronic form than I would drink rare bourbon from a paper cup. I agree that you cannot replace the feel of good paper and leather with glass and chrome. I would also point out that not every meal need be 7 courses.

The point I am trying to convey is that the incredible ease of use of an ebook should not be underestimated. With an ebook, you never miss an opportunity to read - be it waiting in line at the grocery store, the bank, the train, etc. If you have two minutes to wait, you can read several pages. So long as you do not insist on a dedicated e-reading device, you will likely always have your library with you.

I would encourage anyone interested to look at [ereader.com] and check out their free reading software for iPhone, Palm, or WinCE devices. I would also recommend taking a look at [Webscriptions.net] and [Mobipocket.com] for even more selections.

Caleb615

first, it was midnight sun... twilight was the first book. both books sucked... and no amount of editing would have saved midnight sun from smeyers terrible grammar...

seraphicstar

For technical books, I'll usually snag an illicit ebook copy to determine if it meets my needs. If everything is cool, I'll order it off Amazon and be good to go. Otherwise, delete and try again.

brooksosheffield

My life requires I be mobile, so the dead weight of books (except for important titles) is too much. Having said that, I don't pirate books just as I don't pirate music.

I feel the reverse about the argument: if the only way to get an ebook is with f@*$ing DRM, then I'll buy a paper copy and scan it, then keep both copies. I'm willing to pay for, and prefer, ebooks, but I'm not willing to be forced to pay for it multiple times.

As for the "e-reader" and Kindling crap, I'll take plain text or PDF. Proprietary formats are as stupid as DRM and lead to piracy rather than prevent it. If I have to buy a specific hardware or software rather than being able to use it on any device, I won't buy it, and nor will other people.

P_Smith

I wouldn't be inclined to download an incomplete, or draft, ebook. That said, I love my Sony Reader, especially after the recent driver update which allows better pdf support. Despite what others have said here, the reader is compact enough to take anywhere, the battery life is extremely good, and, to me, it's more comfortable to read in bed as I can turn the page with the same hand I use to hold the unit. The only major setback I've found owning an ebook reader is the unavailability of certain titles. I'm sure this will change in the future seeing the popularity of the Kindle.

ibgap

I read e-books in the thousands on my old p133 laptop. That said, I still buy all I can afford to in paperback because hardcopy books have value above and beyond the words printed on their pages.

TheMightyBuzzard

To me having an electronic copy of a book is just temporary. I can not stand reading books on the computer, or any electronic book devices. I use electronic versions to see if I like the book enough to buy it. Much like I use the public library system. If I really like a book that I checked out I'll buy it even if I read the whole thing from the library.

RosePapagano

I prefer ebooks to paper books, that's the bad news. The good news is that I'm a lot more likely to buy books now. I might have considered myself an avid book purchaser before, but it was mostly books I wanted in my collection. And I used the library more. These days, I'm a lot more likely to buy a book to keep myself entertained for an evening than to turn on TV. I always used books for information and reference, mostly reading politics, economy, current events, etc. Now I'd rather browse for and download a novel than watch a movie. I don't think anyone's going to lose any money on me, if that's the concern. There are so many reasons I prefer the e-format, but one extra is it's so immediate. At the spur of the moment, you can shop and be reading within minutes. ..Christine..

KentDawgin

Earlier this year Neil Gaiman gave away an e-copy of his award-winning novel American Gods for a limited time. His experience, including subsequent statistics from his publisher, is detailed on his blog.

Notable is that he did experience an increase in sales, and it wasn't just isolated to American Gods - Neil's entire catalog sold at 140% of typical volume in independent book shops for the duration of the campaign.

The campaign was considered effective enough to launch a second campaign behind Neverwhere, this time with new features based on feedback from the first experience.

krisis

I have read many books from Baen's free library, and this has spurred me to buy electronic copies of other books in a series, and/or buy hard copies of those books. I have also been introduced to series via Eric Flint's snippets process, and have gone out and purchased older books based on the new one being snippeted.

finman65

There's lots of anecdotal data here, but actual statistical data is available. Neil Gaiman and Harper Collins made the entirety of American Gods available free as an ebook in March. The sales of all of Gaiman's books increased while American Gods was available, and went back to normal levels once it was taken down. It was such a success, in fact, that they put up Neverwhere yesterday.

You can follow the whole discussion from which book to start with to the Neverwhere announcement at Neil's blog ([journal.neilgaiman.com])

natabat13

I prefer hard copy to digital one. I just purchased some books for college, I had the option to get 2 of them as e-books and pay about 30 dollars less each, but I chose the hard copy. It's just more fun to have the hard copy.

Someone at my work gave me 2 books out of 3 of a James Patterson line, and I found the first book online, but I could not just sit and read. Short phrases or pages are ok to read, but if you ask me to read a book on the laptop or computer...thats not gonna happen.

xtreme571

I've got a kindle, Amazon occasionally lets one download an author for free, well I downloaded one of Sherlyn Kenyons, I've purchased three others since. I downloaded a free copy of Cory Doctorow's, Little Brother, and have purchased 10 printed ones to give away. Without freebies, I would never have purchased from either author.

VernonHorse

The epitome of irony is running out of battery power to read your book.

ender89

I bought a few 'how-to' books from Amazon for full price and was disgusted at the amount of fluff they put in there. One chapter had a metaphor running for 2 pages!

No longer do I buy books until I can check them out completely - if it be finding it at a bookstore, or downloading the ebook.

But if the book was well crafted, I'd buy a physical copy so I can make notes.

Cpryd001

Q. Do Ebooks, Legal or Not, Make You Buy Real Books?

A. No

Capone

All of Stephenie Meyer's books are on my Amazon Wishlist, and while I know it's available online, I'd rather have a paper copy to take with me wherever I go. I prefer to sometimes unplug, after all. :)

To be honest, I didn't own a bookshelf until about 4 months ago. Now I'm happy to add books to my collection. Granted, I own a fair number of ebooks, but I only own paper copies of the books I'm truly interested in.

Tamar Weinberg

Ebooks are nice, and so is the library, but sometimes you need a hard copy. And the there are books that you should own.

kalenoble

I have way too much treeware (My new favorite word) that I haven't read yet to bother with an ebook reader. But I also have tons of legal ebooks (Army manuals, Gutenburg Press Books), magazine scans (years worth of 2600 and Phrack, MakeZine), and odd off ""illegal"" ebooks that I haven't read, just as part of my pack-rat addiction (I just --need-- to have it, even if I never use it).

But, on the flip side, I refuse to buy textbooks that change every year, killing resale value when NOTHING has changed in the book or in the technology that it is talking about. I pirate online if I can, if not, chip in with other students and have the book's binding cut off, then scanned to either pdf or print it out.

Lucky for me, two books this semester are actual books, not textbooks, so I can borrow them from the library, or pay 5 bucks each for both on half.com or what have you. Now to find those two textbooks I need....

silver-bolt

I'm going to pick up a Kindle after the next version comes out, and I'll definitely still be buying paper books. The big difference is that I'll only buy regular copies of good books, the ones I really enjoyed, instead of buying things that look interesting and aren't available at my library.

deety

I'll download ebooks to see if book is good enough, Or if its a book i want and cant afford at the time, once i come into money or i like to book i will go and pay for it to give credit to a good author and so my book shelf looks nice

vafhudr

I have downloaded books, but generally use them to preview the material - much like browsing at the bookstore.

I'm generally more likely to buy a book that I've already downloaded. To name a few, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, D&D 4th Edition core books, and (legally) several books by Cory Doctorow.

dwarf74

I read a lot of eBooks on my tablet PC. Those with doubts about buying a kindle should consider a tablet for their next laptop purchase. You get all the functionality of the kindle plus color and of course the ability to run other applications and no need to carry two devices around. I never buy the paper version of an ebook. No need for the clutter. I think ebooks are currently where the music industry was several years ago. The kindle is like the iPod for ebooks. It is starting a movement that is going to shake up an industry. Publishers are scared about the same issues RIAA had with MP3s and are trying to restrict things by DRM but will run into the same problems with locked content. There are open formats that don't have these issues but they have not been widely adopted yet. Hopefully publishers will wise up and change their business model to embrace unrestricted digital formats faster than RIAA. The sony reader supports them but not the kindle. If I end up buying books it is usually through the sony ereader store to read on my tablet. Wish amazon would release an application for tablets like that. I don't download pirated books or music since there are easy avenues to legally purchase them and pay the author.

3rugger

This is a subject near and dear to my heart. I WANT to buy ebooks. But I just can't see shelling out hundreds of dollars for a ebook reader. I'll wait until they are under $100 (Ideally, under $50) before jumping on the ebook bandwagon.

Having said that, I'm no bibliophile. I've seen posts of people who get off on the feel of the paper and riffling through the pages. Gee whiz, what's the big deal? It's paper! I'm much more interested in the story rather than the medium. I don't care what the words are on just as long as it's readable. So I'm gonna jump ship just as soon as the cheap ebook readers hit the shelf.

Let me leave you on a funny note that illustrates how much I like to read. My son just started kindergarten. He recently told me about a visit to the school library and exclaimed "Dad! They have even more books than WE have!"

screaminscott

In all honesty, no. In fact, real book make my buy ebooks.

SherriffBacon

NO.

They make me buy more E-Books.

axiomatic

I have a Kindle so I read ebooks simply because of the device's convenience, but there is nothing like the durability and feel of a nice paperback, although i'd prefer kindle reading to reading a hardback

hatboysam

@kartal: I love this idea. Now that you've mentioned it, it seems so obvious, yet awesome. I wonder why it isn't already done.

baglunch

I could never read an entire book on a computer screen. What I tend to do is (not buy the book and) print a copy off at the office. But hey, I'm good about it. I crop out the margins (to increase the size of font), two pages per side, double-sided (i.e. four pages per sheet). I mostly do this with textbooks that are fairly costly or I don't think would make great resources, but I nonetheless want to read. But I always buy books to which I often refer, even if I have an e-copy.

nortexoid

Yes because i can't stand reading PDF files on a vertical screen. its even a stretch when i use my eee pc as an ebook reader on its side. yes i have looked over a few ebooks but i mostly do it to preview the book to see if i actually want to fork out the 30+ dollars for its tangible counterpart. so my answer of course is Yes it does make me buy more books.

spawned4562

Generally, I have no problems reading ebooks, but I generally also use them as a method of trying out new authors/series/novels. If I enjoy them enough, I'll go out and buy the print version. I also will buy sight-unseen, books by authors that I particularly enjoy, because I know I won't be disappointed.

harrellj

I have a Sony Reader (which I absolutely love) and can't think of any books I've purchased for it. I read lots of public domain and CC books, but I admit I have some "pirated" books on there as well.

To me, there is a price point that books would have to hit in order for me to buy them. Apple realized this with its music store, and Amazon has sorta started getting their with their pricing model. I'd probably buy ebooks if they cost around $5 or less. Unfortunately now, ebooks are as expensive as the real deal and sometimes more expensive (with the exception of Amazon's kindle store).

I could go buy a used book for a few bucks, or I could go get a book from my local library for free. I can't see any reason to pay $20 for a new release in digital format.

That's not to say authors won't make money off of me. My favorite Sci Fi book of all time is Ender's Game and I've probably purchased 10 copies as gifts and know that I am responsible for probably over 100 people purchasing the book and reading it (and subsequently telling their friends). So I do buy books as gifts and my friends buy books which I recommend.

sam1am

@wirehead2501:
*rushes to google*

(that's one of my FAVORITE books)

DWeaver

As a college student, I'm woefully aware of the rising cost of hard copy textbooks. Unfortunately, the few companies that offer PDF versions of the books DRM them to a point where it makes the damn things nearly unusable. I purchased a PDF version of a history textbook last year. It came "packaged" in an EXE file (So I couldn't unpack it on my Linux-only laptop). Then, it turned out the book consisted of folders organized by chapter. Each section was a separate file, making the book obnoxious (at best) to read. ADDITIONALLY, I couldn't rename the chapters or files to make them easier to pick apart for a quick peruse, NOR could I print individual pages for a trip to the library.

Whereas in the case of music, where I'd be more than happy to PURCHASE a CD if I knew most of the money was going to the artist who created it, I could not care less whether the textbook (note that I don't feel the same way about regular "reading for pleasure" books) writer or publisher gets a cent of my money. When their idea of a business model is to charge hundreds of dollars for a "new" edition that consists of nothing more than last year's book with new pictures and question numbers switched around, I find it very, VERY difficult to have any sympathy for them. If I could find a cheap, DRM-free PDF copy of any of my textbooks, I'd snatch that bad boy up in a second. Too bad it's never going to happen...

Ally-san

I will be honest. I used to roll my eyes at "Pottermania", and thought it was something that was just stupid fad that people were just yapping about for the sake of yapping.
One fated night I noticed there was a PDF download of Book one on the front page of a torrent site. I figured I'd try to figure out just what as so great (or to get some ammo for the next argument on how stupid it is).
As the morning sun pierced my bleary, bloodshot eyes after a marathon reading, I went to the store and bought up all of the books which, were then, currently on the shelves.

Since then, I've bought copies of the entire series for some close friends, my sister-in-law, some professors and many others, as gifts.
So not ONLY did I buy the book....but I bought a shitload, and was HAPPY to do it.
For me this was proof that excellent works will sell themselves (and then some!)

DWeaver

another 2 bits....if you drop your book on the ground you can say "aw shucks I dropped my book" (like Beaver cleaver), but if you drop your computer, or fancy ebook reader you will be red in the face and saying things that can't be repeated...

shamalama

ummm... for reference material I will use electronic media exclusively (because there is simply too much, and you only really search it, and almost never read beginning to end).

Literature (or really everything non reference) is in paper form. I read all day on the computer and cannot even think about reading a book from front to back on a screen.

I have never been motivated in the past to buy a book because of the electronic format...that being said, I live in Switzerland and english books can be very expensive (min 25-30 USD for paperback), so electronic format could be quite attractive for some people, just not me due to the bright screen, and sore eyes issues.

For now I will stick to buying paperbacks from the US when I go back there every year.

shamalama

I read a whole lot (2-3 books/wk) and haven't bought a paper book since I got my Kindle. Eventually, because some of my favorite authors aren't available on Kindle, I'm sure I'll buy a paper book again now and then, but Kindle for me is the cat's ass!

Learning to hold the damned thing without accidentally turning pages was a steep learning curve, but once I figured it out and got my hands trained, it's a breeze to read in bed, on the sofa, on the train, waiting for a bus, in a cafe, wherever. And I don't have to carry around a bag for my book(s) 'cause the Kindle fits nicely in the side pocket of my cargo pants.

I tried ebooks on my laptop, but as a contact lens wearer, I couldn't handle the eye strain for more than a couple of minutes at a time.

One of the things that I especially love about Kindle is that when I find an author that I like, I usually read everything they've ever written. With paper books, I was always finding myself lugging books back to Borders because when I got a few pages into them I discovered I'd already read them. With kindle, I can download the first couple of chapters FREE, and know whether I've read it or not before I download it -- plus, I can try new authors and find out whether I like them before I buy the book.

stubear

I'm not a big fan of single-purpose devices like the Kindle. I can load a file on my PDA, phone, and/or computer and use the appropriate app to read the pages. (Granted, each of those has their limits as a device to read books with.)

A device the size of a netbook or a UMPC is more to my liking. I can use it as a sidekick to my PC, which I use for the really in-depth stuff. A netbook or UMPC that has a decent battery so I can use it all or most of the day and has easy/quick access to play media files plus a browser, but also has cellular capabilities (for both voice and data) is the kind of converged device I would want.

I'm not convinced yet that there is a killer bookreading device out there, so the appeal of a digital copy of a book is limited for my purposes.

I'm much more inclined to listen to a podcast that includes some of the chapters of the book to decide if I want the book. And if I do, then I buy the book.

For examples of podcasted books, I would offer up "Infected" and "Nocturnal", both by Scott Sigler, and "Little Brother" by Cory Doctorow. I can put the files on my iPod/Zune, and/or a PDA/phone and/or a computer.

I'm not a real big fan of e-books because their price is often little less than the hardcover. Since I read a book from cover-to-cover before I move on to the next one in my stack, there isn't enough convenience to an e-book reader or app to warrant the expenditure. (For the device or the e-book.) I can take the book with me just as easily as a reader. And a device or hard drive crash doesn't leave me without the words.

Woadan

Woadan

I'd love to have all books available via ebooks and have a reader flexible enough to read them all. The Kindle looks like a great tool; now give me one that isn't locked down to Amazon. I'd carry it around everywhere - it would actually prompt me to buy more ebooks.

In the meantime, I continue buying paper books - or, more likely, borrow from the library (I've already paid for those books with my tax dollars, and they store them for me so I don't have to find space at home).

It's a shame that piracy is getting in the way of publishing. I don't blame the author for being upset; she needs to find the leak and plug it.

chuckiemac

I don't read on the computer, but on my iPod touch... my PocketPC before that... my Palm (III, V, T) before that. I live in a small condo and would *rather* have an ebook, and am willing to pay for them. I don't know what I've spent, but I've downloaded 482 short stories and books from Fictionwise (every ebook I've read has been legal) and I wouldn't have room for all of them in my closet, and haven't planted enough trees in my life to make it balance out. I don't want a Kindle because it only does one thing. The iPod/PocketPC/Palm all did -many- more things.

Do they make me buy paper books?

YES.

I just started reading the Dresden books by Jim Butcher, and Fictionwise has 1, 4 - 6, and 9 and 10 of the 10 books in eReader format I can read on the iPod. Books 7 and 8 are in another format that I can't read on my iPod. Books 2 and 3... they don't have them at all.

Amazon had 2, 3, 7, and 8 all in the same format (paper). I'll finish these and go back to eReader format for 9 and 10. I'll probably give the paper ones to Brown Elephant for resale. They may get bought or may get pitched...

niolonra

They do not, because I don't buy books at all anymore. They're too freaking expensive, and I have bills to pay. Why would I spend more than, say a buck fifty on something I'm probably only going to read once and then give away after it's accumulated an inch of dust on my shelf?

If there's something I want to read and it's not available at the library, then MAYBE I'll buy it. But I've bought exactly ONE new book in the last five years, so that obviously doesn't happen too often.

And the Kindle? $400 for the reader and then $10 for a "book" which consists of a bunch of DRM-encumbered bits? Which I can't loan to a friend or give away or sell or take to a used book store to trade for other books? Are you kidding me? The stupid thing won't even display PDFs unless they've been run through Amazon's amazing DRM-ifyer. Pass.

Bruce_A

I would definitely agree with TorrentFreak here.

I hate reading eBooks, but I also hate buying books that turn out to be terrible.

Reading a leaked eBook to see if you want to buy the book seems like the best thing to do to me.

Mewgia

I wouldn't buy an Ebook at this date and time. However, if there were to be a nice e-ink Ereader on the market at an affordable price, and books and magazines were priced accordingly (due to less overhead), I'd be into Ebooks. I'd buy an Ebook reader for $50, and I'd buy recently published eBooks for $5, and I'd pay $1 per magazine. Older books should be $1-3, and books so old they are public domain should be free. The reader should also read PDFs. In short, I guess I'm looking into a content model a bit like the iPod. $50's a bit low, I admit, but I would hope the company would expect to recoup the costs via Ebook sales.

TVarmy

Yes, but it depends on the type of book. If it's a storybook, then I would prefer an ebook format because my PSP is much easier to carry around than most books. If it's a reference book, an ebook would be easier to search through than ink and paper.

However, I found that for a self-improvement (language learning) book, even after finding an ebook version, I bought the actual thing to help motivate me into actually reading it.

Honestly, I would prefer the audiobook version of almost anything, because I could then listen to it in the car during my 90 minute commutes to school.

Poisonous Taoist

@ddmeightball: Ebooks don't take up that much space. I have five of the Ender's Game series in one PDF file and that only takes up 5MB of space. ON average, most ebooks take up 1MB of space. A 2GB SD card, usable with most ebook readers and can be had for $10 to $20 on newegg.com, can theoretically hold up to 2000 books.

So eBook readers can and do hold plenty of ebooks. I only have 100 eBooks in my Sony eReader but it only takes up 100MB of space on my SD card.

OH and yes I do buy real books after reading legal or illegal eBooks.

dangman4ever

What's the difference between buying the books used, stealing ebooks on the internet, or just buying from the library. The author and publisher don't see a cent from me in any of those circumstances.

But you know what, if I find an author I like, from the mentioned sources, I'll usually buy their new books when they come out, because I can't wait to read them.

It's all about getting you name out there and giving away your stuff gets your name out there. I think Cory Doctorow has got this concept nailed.

So either Stephenie Meyer is a genius or an idiot. She's an idiot if she thinks that this leak will ruin her sales, or she's sly as a fox creating all this publicity about her book.

benjamen