jsights - thank you for the info! I may have to check it out now, just out of curiosity!
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Posted 2 years ago #
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@mrs.mack: I donate all books my husband and I don't read anymore to a local charity.
As far as reading the kindle goes: it's not compareable to a computer screen because there is not back light and so far I find it just as good as reading a paper book.
Posted 2 years ago # -
As stated earlier, there are both pros and cons when talking about real books vs. e-books.
Traditional book is much easier to use and don't require a computer to read. However there are some titles which are only available in electronic format. In such cases e-books are quite convenient.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I definitely prefer reading real books to reading off a screen. To keep books from overrunning my living space, I rotate on a regular basis, selling books I'm done with to the local used bookstore. Any books the used bookstore doesn't want can be donated to a local coffee house for patron perusual. I also make use of the public library and the extended library system, both within Minneapolis/Hennepin County and statewide Interlibrary Loan.
Rather than keeping a physical library at home, I've begun using Library Thing to maintain a virtual library of books I've read at some point in my life. I think the idea is supposed to be to use it to catalog books one owns, but it works just as well to catalog books so one no longer has to own all of them! Library Thing also has a private setting, so I don't have to partake of the "social networking" aspect of the site. Honestly, if I used the "social networking" function on every site that offers one, I'd have no time to do anything else. ;-)
Posted 1 year ago # -
It's only a matter of time - once people are addicted to the format and have invested money in it - that Ebook readers will be crammed with advertisements, so I'll be sticking with paper books until there is a good quality, good sized open-source reader where I can get DRM-free books. I do have a few ebooks from epublishers, and of course Gutenberg.org public domain books. But I read them on my computer, the PDA screen was too small for comfortable reading.
I like to support authors (especially non-mainstream ones) by purchasing their books new. Blockbusters from the library for sure, but most authors struggle to make a living as it is.
Posted 1 year ago # -
@klutzgrrl I like to support authors too - by buying their ebooks. :) I can support a lot of newbie authors that way as well. Some authors like Catherynne Valente and Diane Duane have some of their older books on their websites so I can buy directly from them. :)
I have no trouble getting DRM-free books on my Sony Pocket Reader. I don't buy from the Sony bookstore, though, I buy from places I can download without DRM.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Vivace, as far as I know, the ebook royalties are sometimes not as good as print - I'll have to go research that though, and check my facts. I know that some epublishers do pay reasonably well but again not as good as print, but some have the advantage of better percentages and longer 'shelf life'.
My 'support authors' point was with regard to library vs purchase, rather than ebook vs print.
Nothing will replace the joy of a lovely printed book for me, but I'd certainly consider a really beautifully designed ebook reader at some point. I'm kinda waiting for the technology to get a little better.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Ah, I read various publishing and ebook blogs. As I understand it, publishers have attempted to keep deadtree and e royalties at the same level, and authors have pushed for higher e royalties. They are winning that battle with various firms.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I hope they do get higher e royalties. The publisher is not having to spend as much on ebooks.
Posted 1 year ago # -
You can also support authors, while also keeping book clutter to a minimum, by buying their books and then selling them or passing them on to someone else. I believe libraries also take note of the demand/circulation of titles and authors, so I would think that helps an author, too, in the long run. Also keep in mind that some people are on a limited budget and can't afford to buy all the books they want to read; better the library than nothing at all!
Posted 1 year ago # -
I have never used a Kindle and really don't want one. I love paper books! I know that at 27 years old I should be more willing to adapt to new technology but I just don't want to!
Posted 1 year ago # -
"better the library than nothing at all" - well of course!!!
I can't afford to buy all the books I want and for years couldn't afford them at all.
I'm not making a value judgment, simply stating where I choose to spend my money now - where possible, I support authors buy buying their books.
I still make good use of the library, particularly for things I won't read again. Regular patronage is important at least in our area, for the library to justify its existence and get funding. I also buy secondhand books that I wouldn't buy new (such as an author I'm not sure I'll like, or a bunch of things for research).
I raise the point because 'use the library' is something I often see on organizing blogs, but if we all stopped buying books, who would write them anymore? As an artist I find people want to use my art for free all the time. If it wasn't for those who think art is worth paying for, I'd have to go back to waitressing.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Klutzgrrl, I wasn't making a value judgment on your choice to buy books. ;-) I thought I was clear, in the first part of my post about "buy, then give/sell," that I do support the idea of supporting authors; I was simply pointing out that using the library also supports authors, too, so that those who can't afford to buy their own copies wouldn't feel guilty or "unsupportive" about it. On the other hand, I've found I have to be careful that I don't end up depleting my own starving-artist budget out of a desire to support everyone else's artistic endeavors, so that's something to watch out for, too. Within my realistic budget, I tend to buy books that are either hard to find at the library or that I want to have on hand for extended reading and reference.
Posted 1 year ago # -
oh cool, good, I just worried that I'd come across the wrong way. You know how things you say can come across so 'black and white' when you don't mean it like that.
Good point about the starving artist budget!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Regarding ebook royalties, it depends on who you're buying them from. When I buy from an artist directly, they get all of it. If I buy from a site like Lulu or Smashwords, they get a smaller percent, but I believe still more than if it were from the publisher.
Of course, since this is Unclutterer, sometimes we have to decide not to support artists because we only have so much room in our home as well. =P
Posted 1 year ago # -
I have a Kindle, and love it. My new book purchases will likely be mostly made on the Kindle. Reason? It's so thin, and it can hold so much.
I used to have 500+ dead tree books. Now I have 35. I've reclaimed five shelves worth of space. (Maybe I had closer to 600 or 700 books.) That means I could redesign my living room, and even move things around a bit.
The selling point for the Kindle for me, or any ebook for that matter, is that content isn't changing. A book doesn't change because it's printed on a piece of paper, or on a metallic electocharged screen. It's still the same story, deep down. Nostalgia's fine, but I'd rather not have a stack of dead trees sitting in the corner of my room, and if I'm not reading it, that's what I have.
I'm not some "super green" freak, but the fact that I'm not killing a tree means a lot to me too. If I get a book, read it once, and then set it on the shelf forever, was it really worth what it cost to make it, produce it, etc?
Posted 1 year ago # -
I'm a greenie, but I don't totally 'buy' the 'dead tree' thing. According to a comment on Eco-Libris blog, "European forests, where 94% of our paper is sourced from, have grown by 30% since 1950" and there's a lot of examples of positive action in the paper industry.
Carbon is 'locked up' in the paper while the carbon used by electronic devices is being released into the atmosphere. The paper will, eventually, degrade completely while the plastic in the kindle will still exist in ten thousand years time.
Also consider how long your average tech gadget lasts for: how long until theres a new, flasher one that you want... and then eventually the current ones will no longer be supported and you'll HAVE to upgrade. > tech waste. While I've gone through five computers, four phones and a PDA, my 20-year-old books are still perfectly functional.
Yes much of the print industry is wasteful - lots of wasted books, improperly sourced paper, etc. But new publishing models, print on demand, and green legislation are gradually changing that.
Truth about plastic:
http://www.ted.com/talks/capt_charles_moore_on_the_seas_of_plastic.htmlBut anyway, this probably getting way off the real point of the discussion, which is really about the functionality of the ebook reader for a person who is trying to declutter.
I think if space is an issue for you, then an ebook reader is probably a good choice. Especially for students - academic books are so expensive, and heavy to lug around, and also (depending on your topic) can go out of date quite quickly.
The physicality of hard copy books isn't a matter of nostalgia. The aesthetic pleasure of a book is perfectly valid. The experience of leafing through a book is very different to running a search. As someone who works all day on computers, doing something that doesn't involve a screen is an important part of recreation for me.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Books are great but I've sold most of mine. They are dusty and older ones get those tiny little bugs that eat paper. Yuk! There is nothing like going to the library. It is a calm place and I can get all the books I want to read. And it's free.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Heh, klutzgrrl, part of being a minimalist is not going after the newest and greatest. It's being content with what you have, as long as you can use it. I have a Kindle. It's going to be fine for awhile.
As for the decluttering aspects, it's obvious to me, at least, that books can be clutter. I went from a large number down to a quite smaller number, and the room they were in is now roomier, with lots of space for friends and family and other things. All this was obtained by getting rid of books that I wasn't even reading, had already read, or thought I wanted at one point. Plus, suffice to say, we have a place that buys used books,cds, games, etc by the laundry cart load, so I get some money out of this :) It's definitely easier to handle a 9 x 5 x .5 inch piece of plastic compared to 500 9x5x3 inch pieces of paper + the requisite bookshelves.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I've had my Kindle for about a week now. I read a lot. Book clutter was KILLING my uncluttering efforts.
For me, it's all about the storefront, and Amazon has more experience selling books than Apple, so I passed on the iPad. I tried reading a book on my iPod but after a while I don't want to read it anymore. I've read that Kindle for three straight hours without wanting to do something else. The e-ink thing is worth it, imo.
For those that say library books are free, that's true, actually it isn't, it's in your taxes. But anyway, I've got all of Hardy, Dumas, Shakespeare, and Poe on that Kindle for a total cost of $12. And I don't have to renew anything, ever.
An added benefit for authors is that I can buy a book directly from a struggling, unpublished author. I think in thirty years, the publishing industry will be in as much trouble as the newspaper industry. I give the record industry another 15 years. Why should any of us pay the middleman when we can pay the artist directly? While there's only a few self-published works on Amazon right now, I cannot imagine that there won't be a lot more.
Anyway, enough rambling from me....over and out.
Posted 1 year ago #
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