My rant

[LindaW]

One of the reasons I bought my Kindle was to cut down on my carbon footprint and my storage space, not to mention that fact that I thought I was saving trees and paper for future generations.

Not to rain on anyone's parade, but I just listened to an interview with a woman who works for a paper company.  They provide the paper for many different businesses, including books. She made some points that I really took note of...

1 - paper companies (I think she means the mills - but I could be wrong) plant more trees than they cut down;
2 - paper is sustainable, and can be completely recycled;
3 - the manufacturing of the plastics that make up devices (e-readers, phones, etc.) are not environmentally sound (but then again, either are paper mills, although they are supposed to be up to gov't standards - who knows);
4 - the data storage centers (like Amazon) that maintain these digital files require massive amounts of cooling to keep the servers from getting too hot...

So, while we may all think we're doing the earth a favor by not buying paper books, I think it's a wash.

For anyone interested, she is interviewed on the latest episode of the Books on the Nightstand podcast.

[Gwennie]

I refuse to spend more than $9.99 for a e-book, and most have been in the zero to $4 range.  So they can biteth moi. 

[Daniel Arenson]

Linda, I've heard that too.  Using paper products encourages paper mills to plant more trees.  It makes sense to me.

Gwennie, many people feel that way (buying books under $5).  I love that my ebook costs only $1.99... especially since I spent three years peddling my $26 hardcover.     I'm personally willing to pay up to $10 for an ebook (I figure I'm supporting the author that way), but no more.

[kay_dee]

"Finally, we paid a lot of money for our Kindles (and other ereaders), partly because we wanted to save on the price of books by buying cheap ebooks.  Charging over $10 for ebooks makes no sense to me."

I am one who did not purchase a Kindle to save on the price of books. I bought it to save on space and for the convenience of carrying my library with me. I know others feel strongly about the new agency model, but price is not the determining factor for me when it comes to purchasing a book.

I prefer ebooks, so DTBs are no longer an option for me. If it's not available for my Kindle, I move on and find something else to read.

[Daniel Arenson]

Hey Kay,

Yes, space is definitely an issue, too.  For me, I like ebooks because they're easy.  They're easy to find.  They're easy to carry around.  I'm not limited to what's stocked on the shelves of my local bookshop; I can access millions of titles.  Ebooks are THE way to read for me, and are the way almost everyone will read in a few years.

I'll be buying a Kobo when they come out next month, because it'll give me access to even more books.  Kobo comes with an app that can download Google Books right into your ereader.

I also like ebooks as an author, not only as a reader.  My own writing is now readily available to millions of potential readers.  Back when my book was print only (it was published in 2007 when ebooks were not yet very popular), it was a struggle to get into enough bookshops to truly have wide reach.  It's MUCH easier now to find readers.

I realize, though, that price is an issue to many readers.  I know many ereaders simply won't pay for an ebook if it's not cheaper than (or at least the same price of) the DTB.  Which is why I support Amazon's policy of keeping ebooks under $10.  Affordable ebooks means more readers, which means literature and authors can thrive.