E-readers versus books

Hi I'm a newbie to these discussions.


I have a foot in both camps and love reading, I also write e books as the traditional book market is incredibly difficult to break into, ironically because of e readers. NO i's not a free plug I'll try and throw a little light on it for any reader who is not familiar with e books..


I'm not sure if any of you know but you can actually download a free Kindle reader to your laptop to read e books. Fine for reading at home and any book with photo's is obviously a better reading experience. Kindle has 60% of the e book market and is expanding quickly to the English speaking world. Some of the other systems like Kobo or Nook won't accept English authors. All the authors have to pay 30% income tax on book earnings to America where Amazon, Nook etc are based. There are agents of course who will market your e book but by the time you have given them their percentage and paid tax on a low priced book there's little left for the author.


If you are an Amazon 'premium' customer you can read any chosen book per month free from their Kindle lending library.


I hope this explanation is helpful.

I think e-readers and books complement each other perfectly. I'm an avid reader so am very happy that my husband has no idea how many books I have on my Kindle (I've had mine a couple of years now), whereas with the paperbacks he was always complaining about the amount of space they take up. However, nothing can replace my beautiful wine books, my study books (wine and history) or flipping through a magazine.

The other part to note is that having a Kindle app on an tablet/phone etc does NOT give the whole e reading experience, we have a selection of them in the house - original Kindle keyboard, Kindle Fire, Samsung Galaxy 10.1 and a Galaxy phone, to compare. The plain Kindle is undoubtedly far superior when it comes to reading a book, it's light to hold (especially in bed), it fits in my handbag so goes everywhere with me and is as easy on the eyes as a regular book.

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Great to hear your thoughts…
I actually have 5 books on Kindle but am also converting them to paperbacks to suit both types of readers.
As I write for Kindle I relax by reading with a paperback while sipping a mug of tea.
Enjoy your reading.

Hi Tracy, I love my kindle. I can take it with me and will do so as I wait for my doctor’s appointment. You are quite, right about the amount of space books take up. Also, my husband can read my books on his tablet.
Books will be making a comeback should laptops, e readers be banned on transatlantic flights, or perhaps, there will be more teleconferencing and fewer flights.
Living in the French countryside I can read in bed should the electricity be cut off. A big positive!