E-Readers Read More
August 30, 2010 by Lillie
The Wall Street Journal recently reported on a study of e-reader owners.
People who buy e-readers tend to spend more time than ever with their nose in a book, preliminary research shows.
A study of 1,200 e-reader owners by Marketing and Research Resources Inc. found that 40% said they now read more than they did with print books. Of those surveyed, 58% said they read about the same as before while 2% said they read less than before. And 55% of the respondents in the May study, paid for by e-reader maker Sony Corp., thought they’d use the device to read even more books in the future. The study looked at owners of three devices: Amazon.com Inc.’s Kindle, Apple Inc.’s iPad and the Sony Reader.
… People report they’re reading more and at times when a book isn’t normally an option: on a smartphone in the doctor’s waiting room; through a Ziploc-bag-clad Kindle in a hot tub, or on a treadmill with a Sony Reader’s fonts set to jumbo.
So those who believe that e-books are detrimental to reading may need to take another look. You don’t have to read print or electronic exclusively. You can choose to read in print or on an e-reader, whichever is most convenient at the moment.
It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of reading on an e-reader. I’ve had several through the years, and now read on the original Kindle. I’m looking for an excuse to buy the Kindle 3. Maybe I can drop my Kindle and break it? It still works great—I’d just like to add the new features in the latest version of the device.
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I don’t think that e-books are detrimental to reading. However, I prefer my books to be binded. When you read a real book, the smell is just different. There is that distinct scent.
Penny,
I’ve never understood people’s fascination with smell, so I’m going to be facetious here.
You say “There is that distinct scent.” Does that mean that every book smells different, and how much you enjoy the book depends on how much you like that smell? If not, why read different books if the smell is the experience—just smell the same book over and over again. 
Seriously, I think everyone should experience reading however they prefer. If smell is an important part of reading to you, then smell all you want to. Me—I prefer ease of reading by the ability to adjust font size, comfort holding the device rather than the discomfort of holding a book, and the many added features (like search for a specific place in the book and dictionary lookup for unfamiliar words) that e-readers offer that books don’t.
There are pros and cons to every kind of reading, and each reader has to decide for herself what is most pleasurable and effective for her.
As an author, though, I’m encouraged to know that people who read on e-readers read more than people who read print books. That means an e-reader owner is a better prospect for an author.
One advantage of e-reader is you do not have to carry a lot of thick and heavy books, especially when you are traveling. With e-reader device you can carry more books so you can read more.
Aurel,
Fitting so many books into a tiny space that’s easy to carry is definitely one advantage of e-readers. Although I don’t travel, I like having a bunch of books available at my fingertips so I can go from one to the other as the mood strikes.
I would have liked to have a reader as a student. For sure it would have been useful: all the books i need in one place, easy to carry around, easy to buy books, easy to read anytime, anywhere…etc.
Anyway, the best part is that with the invention of the e-reader, people have started reading more. It may be a trend, but it sure it’s addictive.
Hi Lilli,
Not sure why people would think an ebook reader is detrimental to reading?
Sure they don’t smell the same (maybe someone could design an app to create the smell ;o) ) the other thing I’ve noticed is that progress through the book is not as obvious.
But, that is such a small price to pay for the ability to carry a stack of books without risking spine curvature – especially for younger kids.
I hope there will always bea place for real books – but I beleive ebook readers and Ipads will become mainstream over the next few years – and hopefully that’ll promote reading – and that’s got to be a good thing
)
Now wait until the new flexible OLED technology hits the public – fold up your electronic newspape and update atthe touch of a button…
Bye for now,
Dave.
Jenny,
E-readers are great for students and can save their backs. So many now suffer from back problems from carrying backpacks.
Dave,
I for one don’t care about the smell, but for those who do, maybe there is a market for that app.
The progress through the book is a small issue. On the Kindle, the progress bar gives a good indication of how far along you are.
The last book I read (Bonnhoeffer–a great book that I reviewed at Goodreads) had footnotes. It was a little bothersome to have to remember the location to return to the right place after clicking on the link to go to the footnote at the end of the chapter. (Guess they’re technically endnotes, not footnotes.) Flipping back to the end of the chapter in a print book, though, wouldn’t be much easier.
The potential of the OLED technology is exciting.
I like to collect autographed books, so I have a bunch of print books. However, I prefer to read electronic books. There is a place for each.
Thinking about the kindle myself Lillie, only problem you can’t read it in the dark, like in a plane when they turn out the lights. I use the iPhone as a reader and love it, especially while traveling, because of the small size (no more stacks of books and magazines to carry), but the screen is a little small.
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Sensei,
The lack of backlighting is one disadvantage of the Kindle, but I think it is more than outweighed by the superior quality of the reading experience in light. I have my old eBookwise reader that I can use when I need a backlit screen, but that has happened in a long time. I really prefer the Kindle under most conditions for a lot of reasons, but the eBookwise does come in handy on those rare occasions when I need lighting.
I am an e-reader too and I would still prefer to have e-books than carrying bunch of heavy books. Based on experience, I have really read more with e-book than carrying real books. Thanks to this technology!
Chrissie,
Only one thing I don’t agree with you 100%. When you say you prefer e-books to “real books,” I have to say I think e-books ARE “real books.” In fact, there is an article on my site — see the articles tab — about exactly that. I think it’s the content, not the package, that makes a book real.
The interesting thing is whether those folks read more because they bought the e-reader or bought the ereader because they read more. I’m a massive fan of audio books, I’ve just finished listening to Robinson Crusoe
, and I can honestly say that I definitely get through more booksnow that I listen as well as read.
What are the ereaders screens like in bright sunlight?
S
Steve,
I suspect it’s some of both. People who aren’t avid readers aren’t likely to be interested in e-book reading devices. However, the research is stating that people who buy e-readers read more than they did before. It’s so convenient, and especially if they buy books from small press publishers, the cost is significantly less.
How the devices work in bright sunlight depends on the technology. Eink screens are great in sunlight … but they aren’t backlit so you can’t read in the dark. Backlit screens are great for reading in the dark but useless in bright sunlight.
How I wish there were e-book readers available when I was still studying, it could have lessened the load I was carrying while walking to school. Plus it would save me the time to go back and forth borrowing plenty of books from the local library. But it’s not too late anyway. I am a big e-book fan and no, I don’t think e-book readers are detrimental to reading. I wonder where did they conclude that idea?
A great easy to use device. It has everything you need and nothing you don’t. Kindle has simply created the future of reading.
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Jane,
There are just some people who think a book is “real” only if it is made of paper and ink and glue. They associate reading electronically with playing games and think that is contributing to the decline in reading and literacy.
Mike,
I’d love it if someone could combine the e-ink technology that gives such a good reading experience in bright light with the back-lighting that is so wonderful in low light. Maybe that will come someday.
Absolutely. And there’s a simple reason for this: accessibility. As an e-book publisher providing multiple series of stories (20-40 pages each issue), we recognize that the information age has created a situation that enables a much shorter attention span. People bounce around (funny that one of our website success measurements is “bounce rate”). The e-book reader enables that. You can now have 50, 100, 1000 books on a single device and move between them effortlessly: WSJ to fiction to non-fiction to blog. I’m a prime example of that with dozens of books on my e-reader (iPad but with Kindle and Kobo installed as well) to which I can easily move around without any barrier. And as the e-book devices become the next series textbooks (i.e., inkling), I expect to see even more people with their noses stuck in them. Is that a good thing? Not sure…but for my publishing business’ sake, I’m hoping so
Scott,
My only complaint about having 50 to 60 books in my Kindle: I want to read all the time.
You have aroused my curiosity. You talk about being a publisher, but your link is to a self-storage site. Tell us about the publishing company.
I’ll never go back to reading actual books unless I absolutely have to. Physically turning pages every few minutes seems like such a chore now.
kim,
I agree … except I consider e-books “actual books.” But I know you mean physical print books.
I personally prefer e-books and own a lot of them but I have to say that E-Readers still have to mature a bit…I have nook and I can say that it gets incredibly slower at times especially when turning pages and it has frozen as well once when I was trying to play mp3 and read book together. So well I do agree that it’s very much convenient to read books anywhere you want to without having to carry the weight of all books but until unless they improve on e-readers functionality and wipe out bugs (It’s annoying that even basic devices like only e-reader has so much bugs), many would want to stick with printed books or use netbooks or smartphones to read ebooks (like I do now).
Dylan,
I haven’t tried the Nook. I’ve had a very glitches with the Kindle, but only once was there a major problem, and Kindle support got me back up and running very quickly. There are plenty of options for each of us to read the way we prefer.
Lillie – have you not been tempted to try out the iPad yet? Apologies if you already have, I had a browse through all parts of your electronic reading posts and couldn’t see it (I was speed reading though!). Best regards, John
John,
You didn’t miss any mentions of the iPad. No, I have absolutely no desire to try it.
I don’t get out much as I’m the caregiver for a family member with Alzheimer’s. I prefer to use my desktop computer for the Internet, email, and all the other apps but reading. I want my ebook reader to be an ebook reader and nothing else. That’s why I like the Kindle and the eBookwise readers.
I’ll never go back to reading actual books unless I absolutely have to. Physically turning pages every few minutes seems like such a chore now.
Jason,
And after getting used to a Kindle, paperback books are heavy and awkward to hold.
I agree with you Lillie, I bought a kindle myself recently and have since dreaded a physical book
Abi,
That’s why whenever anyone tells me they prefer to hold a “real” book, I ask if they’ve ever tried an e-reader. Invariably they have not, but they are sure they won’t like it.
I still wonder if these readers will replace actual books or are they just a trend? Still, it’s good to hear people read more, always important.
David,
If you read my article, Is an E-Book a Real Book?, you will discover that I believe e-books are “real” or “actual” books. Will e-books replace paper books? Probably not any time soon. Paperbacks didn’t replace hardcovers. We still have both, because they appeal to different markets. I expect that e-books will continue to grow and become a much larger segment of the book market. I haven’t read print books in years and have been reading on e-readers since the Rocket eBook in 1999. However, there are some people who prefer print, and as long as there is a market, products will be produced.
Thanks to ereaders more people reading books. That is great news. Maybe thanks to these devices we will be more educated. I hope so.
John,
I find this very encouraging because many people said moving from print books to electronic books meant people would read less. Just the opposite has happened.
I think it’s just a matter of time before schools are using Kindle type readers instead of textbook. It’s a natural resources issue.
Bob,
It’s also a health issue. Heavy backpacks are harmful to the back health of children. That is eliminated when they can carry all their books in the palm of their hands.
Hello Lillie,
The way I see it is that this is a brand new world since I went to school(many years ago-SSSH!!) Anyways, It is a heck of alot better to just carry around a little component then to lug around text books that weigh 20lbs each. You are right, it can become a health issue(ie:hernias) Just my thought. Good Looking site you have here Lillie. Thxs
Williame,
I went to school many years before computers, much less e-readers.