12-23-2008, 10:41 PM | #1 |
Master of Orchestration President Emeritus of Entmoot 2004-2008
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Lost in the Opera House
Posts: 9,328
|
Books Online
Here's a question: will online books ever make a dent in the market?
From my experience, the answer is no. I have no interest in reading books online. It's the same with music online. I have no desire to "own" music that is stored on my computer and which I have to either burn to a disc or re-purchase if my computer ever failed me (and it has, twice). I like owning music physically. CDs. The same way with books. I like feeling the thickness, looking at the front and back covers. It helps to ensnare the reader, right? So, aside from printing off books or material from the internet, why would anyone want to read, say, War and Peace on their computer? In fact, I think the computer factor would diminish a person's desire to read a book of that length. And of course there's the problem that staring at a computer screen will give you a royal headache. Yet, I see Amazon.Com selling these eBooks or whatnot with the names of classics spread across them, so there must be a market for them right?
__________________
ACALEWIA- President of Entmoot hectorberlioz- Vice President of Entmoot Acaly und Hektor fur Presidants fur EntMut fur life! Join the discussion at Entmoot Election 2010. "Stupidissimo!"~Toscanini The Da CINDY Code The Epic Poem Of The Balrog of Entmoot: Here ~NEW! ~ Thinking of summer vacation? AboutNewJersey.com - NJ Travel & Tourism Guide |
12-23-2008, 10:56 PM | #2 | |
Princess of the Noldor (and Administrative Empress of the Lone Islands)
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Imladris (and sometimes Norway)
Posts: 3,304
|
Quote:
For reading a novel online, I would need a better screen technology than what I've seen so far. They are working on it, so I won't say it will never happen, but so far, reading from a screen is so very different from reading on paper, and I find the paper much more relaxing. Perhaps there is a market because people want to try it and to see whether the technology is good enough? Do we know whether people buy more books when they have finished the first one?
__________________
Signature picture art - Bard the Bowman - by vigshane Avatar art - Footsteps of Spring (a young Luthien) - by Henning Janssen |
|
12-23-2008, 11:15 PM | #3 |
Master of Orchestration President Emeritus of Entmoot 2004-2008
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Lost in the Opera House
Posts: 9,328
|
I think the crux of the matter is in the difference between page and screen. As you say, reading on page is a lot more relaxing. That counts for a lot. After all, people have had books and scrolls for almost the entire time of human civilization. I don't think the transition from scroll to book was this hard .
__________________
ACALEWIA- President of Entmoot hectorberlioz- Vice President of Entmoot Acaly und Hektor fur Presidants fur EntMut fur life! Join the discussion at Entmoot Election 2010. "Stupidissimo!"~Toscanini The Da CINDY Code The Epic Poem Of The Balrog of Entmoot: Here ~NEW! ~ Thinking of summer vacation? AboutNewJersey.com - NJ Travel & Tourism Guide |
12-24-2008, 07:04 AM | #4 |
The Chocoholic Sea Elf Administrator
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: N?n in Eilph (Belgium)
Posts: 14,363
|
I don't think online books will ever seriously threaten or replace books. But I suppose the market may still grow with better technology.
But for now paper books just have more advantages over computer books. You can take them anywhere, read it everywhere, you are not dependant on technology to store or display the book. And a book, once printed doesn't require a constant input of energy, unlike a computer. And generally it's easier to put bookmarks in paper books for paragraphs you want to look over again later. I might be convinced to read online books when it's a book I'd like to read but don't want to buy for whatever reason. But it'll depend on prices and what you'd all need to sign up for on install.
__________________
We are not things. |
12-24-2008, 08:09 AM | #5 |
Elf Lady
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: In the lands where mountains are but a fairytale
Posts: 8,588
|
I love real books, but when I was in Japan without the possibility to get real books, I got several books online and read them on my screen. I do have a laptop though, so I can read in more than one position.
For me, a pruple background with dark grey letters work best to prevent a head ache. But yeah, if I have the choice I'd rather have real books. There was this 'new' invention though: an A4-sized tablet in which you could download books, so you could read them on that tablet everywhere you want. Maybe that does have potential, though you'd still be staring at a screen.
__________________
Love always, deeply and true ★ Friends are those rare people who ask how we are and then wait to hear the answer. ★ Friendship is sharing openly, laughing often, trusting always, caring deeply.
...The Earth laughs in flowers ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Hamatreya"... |
12-24-2008, 12:45 PM | #6 |
Master of Orchestration President Emeritus of Entmoot 2004-2008
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Lost in the Opera House
Posts: 9,328
|
I believe those A4 "tablets" are what Amazon is selling. The "Amazon Kindle" is what they call it. Here's a link
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...pf_rd_i=507846
__________________
ACALEWIA- President of Entmoot hectorberlioz- Vice President of Entmoot Acaly und Hektor fur Presidants fur EntMut fur life! Join the discussion at Entmoot Election 2010. "Stupidissimo!"~Toscanini The Da CINDY Code The Epic Poem Of The Balrog of Entmoot: Here ~NEW! ~ Thinking of summer vacation? AboutNewJersey.com - NJ Travel & Tourism Guide |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
books to read and books not to read | Gil-Galad 2.0 | Lord of the Rings Books | 25 | 07-29-2006 12:21 AM |
Should movie fans read the books? | jerseydevil | Lord of the Rings Movies | 34 | 12-06-2003 09:54 PM |
What do you think? | samwiselvr2008 | Harry Potter | 17 | 05-08-2003 03:10 PM |
Why Books are Better than Drugs | emplynx | General Literature | 160 | 09-20-2002 07:03 PM |
I am going to buy some books!!!!! | emplynx | General Literature | 15 | 05-13-2002 07:32 PM |