Author Insight: The e-book bandwagon

As a reader, are you on the e-book bandwagon or would you rather have a physical book? Do you feel differently as a writer?

"Definitely hard copy.  I bought a Nook this fall because it makes it easier to exchange work with other authors during the draft stage, and I like being able to check out books from my library on it.  But when I find a new book I want, it's almost always in hard copy form.  So far, anyway.  :-)" - Kay Cassidy, author of The Cinderella Society.

 

"Depends. If it's a book I want to keep forever, hard copy all the way (hardcover if I can get it). Otherwise, I'm fine with an ereader or paperback. I feel the same way as a writer, too." - Beth Revis, author of Across the Universe.

"I was an early owner of an e-reader. Over time, I’ve learned that I prefer physical books. I especially prefer scouring for books in bookstores and libraries to scrolling selections and downloading text. Also, with the spike in the use of e-readers, I’m really beginning to miss spying what books others carry or have shelved in their homes. I’m in no way opposed to e-readers, especially if it inspires reluctant readers to read more frequently. With that said, however, I’m not overly given to nostalgia or resistant to the inevitable transition to e-readers. They just make sense." - Ty Roth, author of So Shelly.

"I like both for different reasons. I love ebooks because I can have it downloaded before I’ve even really decided that I want to read it. I love hardcovers too, especially if I know I’m going to be able to get it signed." - Cynthia Omololu, author of Dirty Little Secrets.

"I prefer to read a physical book if possible. I like being able to show them off and lend them out, and there’s nothing like opening a book for the first time and starting to read. I’ve read so many manuscripts online that I’m okay with doing that if I need to, but if you give me a choice, I want a physical book. As a writer, I’m all for whatever gets my book into the hands of readers, whether that’s physical books, e-readers, or a troupe of very dedicated skywriters." - Carrie Harris, author of Bad Taste in Boys.

"I'm so behind the times- I've never even tried an e-book! So it's paper for me all the way. But I know lots of voracious readers who love their e-readers- so I may change my mind someday." - Maurissa Guibord, author of Warped.

"I prefer physical books, but I do have a Nook that I use when I need a book now. As a writer, it honestly makes no difference to me, as long as people are able to get the books they want. It doesn't matter to me how that happens. But I do hope that paper books never go completely away, and I don't think that they will. At least not for a very long time!" - Hannah Moskowitz, author of Invincible Summer. 

"I just got an e-reader that I plan to use when traveling. I don’t imagine the transition will be too difficult. I have easily gotten accustomed to listening to books—I have a 25-minute walk to work, so I get a lot of reading done that way! On the other hand, I find it difficult to read for pleasure on a computer screen. I can get information that way very easily, but for pleasure, I need something printed. I’m curious to see if the e-reader will feel more like a book or a computer. Stay tuned!" - Tracy Barrett, author of King of Ithaka.

"I haven’t ever read an e-book, though e-book editions of my YA novels are available. As a reader, I see it as a format option. Perhaps convenient for the plane in a way similar to how I enjoy listening to audio books on long car trips. As a writer, it doesn’t make much difference to me." - Cynthia Leitich Smith, author of Blessed.

"Both, actually.  I love real books.  My apartment is literally lined with hundreds and hundreds of them.  But I also love my Kindle, and the fact that I can take hundreds and hundreds of books with me everywhere I go.  I think there's room in the publishing world for both." - Gretchen McNeil, author of Possess.

"I don't have an e-reader. I would like one for reading critiquer manuscripts, but at this time I feel no desire to read an ebook instead of a real book. I have literally had nightmares about bookstores going out of business. Not just because I wonder where the landscape is moving for myself as a writer, but because the only thing we do on a boring summer day in Orlando is go hang out at bookstores." - Jaclyn Dolamore, author of Between the Sea and Sky.

"I think e-books are awesome. I have never read one, but I love the idea, especially as a means of capturing the attention of younger readers. Personally, I love holding a book and getting away from screens for a little while every day, but I've got nothing against the idea of the e-book market expanding, perhaps even eclipsing the paper book market." - Inara Scott, author of Delcroix Academy: The Candidates.

"I can totally see the appeal of e-books, as a reader and a writer. But for me nothing beats the real thing. I like to run my fingers over the cover, shelve the book in my bookcase, and…on a strange but true level…I love the smell of the paper. When I crack open a new book the first thing I do is flip the pages and sniff. Does that make me weird? ;)" - Kim Harrington, author of Clarity. 

"I look at screens so much every day that I get a headache when I think about reading fiction on a screen, too. It feels like work, not relaxation. I'm sure my thoughts on that will evolve, though, as they have on everything tech/digital-related. As a writer, I don't mind ebooks as long as the movement doesn't somehow impinge on writers getting paid fairly their work." - Sara Bennett Wealer, author of Rival.

"I'm a physical book girl, totally. I don't own an ereader, and I spend enough time staring at my computer screen, you know? So as a writer I'm especially not much for reading ebooks; my eyes are bad enough as it is!" - Stacia Kane, author of City of Ghosts.

Stop by Thursday to find out if the rest of the authors prefer physical books or virtual ones!

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