Advantages
1. Two million titles have been available in E book format from 2009
2. There are space advantages; if like myself you hoard books for reference and pleasure then in a small home you need a lot of shelving.
3. The E book won’t go out of print
4. There is the facility to change the font or size of the text which is an advantage for those with sight difficulties or to aid young children to read.
5. Print on demand means that E books can be printed for less than their paper copies.
6. E books can be recovered if lost. Some publishers have ‘Cyber lockers’ for the use of retrieving a book.
7. It is easier for authors to self publish. No more paper going back and forth.
8. Authors can upload books chapter by chapter if they choose.
9. E books can be purchased/borrowed/downloaded immediately. You don’t have to go to a shop or library during working hours or wait for Amazon to deliver to your door.
Disadvantages
1. E books will almost certainly need to be converted into different formats in years to come. Technology inevitably advances.
2. Not all titles published are available.
3. The aesthetic attraction of a published book is lost.
4. The software is open to potential faults in the hardware and software. Not to mention viruses.
5. An E reader is a costly investment which excludes a good percentage of the world from access.
6. There is no opportunity to sell unwanted copies and recover some of the money invested.
7. The risk of theft, damage or loss of the E Reader.
8. Although many publishers like Barnes and Noble and Amazon keep books safe in cyber ‘lockers’, not all companies do this. You may find that if you have made a purchase and lost it, you really have lost it!
9. Readers may experience some discomfort from the glare of the screen or holding the device.
10. What is being read and by whom can be tracked, which means no privacy for the reader.
11. There is a huge potential for piracy.
12. The E Reader is not biodegradable like paper. Although some components may be recycled and re used there are concerns about toxic waste. The E Reader has a negative impact on the environment.
ConclusionWhen I first read about the E book I was impressed by the idea from an ecological point of view. We can stop cutting down the precious rain forests to make paper. However is certainly not all good news as the E Reader’s impact on the environment is also a concern. Paper is biodegradable whereas the components of the E reader are not. How much of the worn out product is China etc going to take back for re use? As the next generation of technology advances won’t the E Reader become obsolete just like VHS or Vinyl etc?
The E Reader is a kick in the teeth for publishers .If successful it cuts out the middle man leading to job losses and rethinking of strategies.
It sounds like great news for authors however. For those who like to self publish it is a dream come true. However without the publisher involved to have us to sort out a bit and make changes won’t it lead to an endless stream of unrefined tripe?!
Those are my questions and thoughts on the subject of the E Reader. Personally I love to buy books and probably always will despite the space they take up. Although I do use the internet for research and inspiration I still like to dip into a book for things. When somebody gives me a book as a gift I am delighted. The E book versus printed version is for me rather like the equivalent of Dior perfume versus Boots vouchers!!
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