Print books vs e-books

What are the differences between electronic books and print books? For starters electronic books, or e-books require a device like the Kindle, Nook, or iPad. A Kindle can cost from $80-$350 while a Nook could run from $139-$269. iPads are a bit more costly from $94-$1149. On all devices files are downloaded from the Internet onto the e-book reader. These files, or e-books, can be a lot cheaper than the traditional print book.

E-books have advantages. First, like on a computer, you can zoom in or out of text making it larger or smaller dependent on your personal needs. E-books also offer additional multimedia functions limited to your imagination. For example, if you are reading a non-fiction book, your e-book may have links to other sources on the Internet helping you with your research. There are books that have voice capabilities so a small child can read along with the voice helping him improve his reading skills. Also, if you are using the book for research, type in a topic in the e-book reader, its computer will locate your subject and send you where you want to go for the information in the book. Finally, e-books are easy to store dependent on the memory capability of your e-book reader.  

The disadvantages of e-books is access to a WiFi system to download them to your e-book reader. Once the book is downloaded an Internet connection isn’t necessary. Also, lighting on some devices may cause eyestrain, and they all require batteries.

Print books have the distinct advantage of not needing batteries, but can prove to be expensive when purchased at bookstores or on Amazon. However, you can find inexpensive books at yard sales or at Goodwill stores.

The disadvantage of print books is that in order to produce them, publishers kill trees and they require a huge amount of space for storage.

Six years ago my daughters bought me my first e-book reader, a Kindle, for my birthday. I love it because I can increase the print size to read while working out on a Stairmaster at the gym. Kindle books are cheaper, too. For example, my gold medal 2018 eLit Award winning novel, Koolura and the Mayans, is available in print and in Kindle format. The Kindle version costs only $2.99 while the print version will set you back $11.99.

I will still read print books, but I’m finding myself reading more e-books than print because they are easier to transport on my Kindle, I can enlarge the print for my aging eyes, and when I need to locate information in an e-book, it’s a lot easier to find than in a print book.