Let’s Get Chatting…#8

Hiya!
Today’s Topic is my thoughts on E-books and physical Books.
Let’s get chatting…

I don’t know if this is the first time you’ve stumbled across my let’s get chatting posts or if you have seen some of my previous ones (I have done 7 others) but usually it’s where I pick a topic that is weighing on my thoughts and I chat about my opinions on it. You guys then respond with your thoughts and opinions below and we chat about it – very simple! As always, keep it kind but I know you will because you guys are amazing. Anyway, let’s get chatting…

So I have a few thoughts that really inspired me to pick this as the topic, but first I just want to make it clear that I am an equal opportunist reader. E-book, paperback, hardback, audiobook – whatever you’re preferred manner of reading is, I’m just glad you read! I’ve heard a few people bashing audiobooks, saying they don’t count as reading. I do personally think they count. You’re still getting to hear the story, so I have no idea what the argument for it not counting would be. I am not a fan of audiobooks myself because I don’t have the ability to focus on what is being said whilst doing other things so that kind of nullifies it as an option for me personally. So that’s why I don’t really mention them in this discussion because I have only ever listened to a few. I do however actively swap between hardbacks, paperbacks and e-books. I think paperbacks and e-books are definitely my most used formats. But I just wanted to give you backstory and basis for my following thoughts.

Firstly, do you read one format faster than the other? Because I think I do. I always feel like I get through an e-book far faster than I do a paperback or hardback. I don’t know if it’s something about turning the pages, or being able to alter the font size or something but I definitely read must faster when using the kindle app on my phone. This means I go through phases of only using one format for ages before changing to the other depending on my mood.

Onto my next thought…this one is more for the reviewers amongst you but I’m going to ask anyway – are you biased to one format over another. Until recently I would have said of course not. But then I went on a paperback book binge recently and made my way through a hefty chunk of my unread ones. One of those unread series that I got to was the Matched Series by Ally Condie. I read the first and really didn’t enjoy it, but I pressed on and tried to see if the second one improved. It didn’t. It got so back that I refused to read the final instalment in the series because I couldn’t bring myself to deal with the characters or plot anymore. It was so meh. And yet, I found myself not wanting to give it lower than a 3 star. And it made me question if I had ever given a physical book less than 3 stars and I couldn’t think of one. I have on many occasions quite happily given an E-book 1 or 2 stars.

So that then lead to a lot of overthinking as to whether those E-books I reviewed as 1-2 stars were just objectively worse books or was I just not able to be as mean towards my physical books for some reason. I altered my review of the Matched series accordingly since and I am pretty sure this is the only series I ever reviewed that I was overly positive in it’s favour. I have no idea why this is. Maybe it’s to do with it feeling more tangible and physical and therefore it’s harder to be brutal towards it because it feels more like a waste? Or maybe it was because just before I literally read 2 series that were both 5 stars and so my brain was still in a bit of a happy and overly positive mood? Or maybe just with a bit more distance after reading it I’ve realised it didn’t deserve that 3rd star and it had nothing to do with the formatting (I often change my star rating on a bit more reflection but usually it is to upgrade it rather than downgrade so that could be what threw me off) That’s the only possible guesses I could make as to why. But this definitely made me hyper aware about the format I choose to read a book in. So if you have ever felt like that too please tell me, because that would definitely ease my mind a little to know I’m not alone. I’m almost 99% sure that the Matched series is the only one I’ve ever done this with but it really made me consider the differences between physical and digital reading and made me want to do this and ask if you guys see a difference in yourself when you read in different formats.

Also, what are your thoughts on E-books that are more expensive than their paperback counterparts? Personally, I don’t think this is okay since there is obviously no/little manufacturing cost to an E-book unlike with a physical book so they should be cheaper. But I don’t think that means they should always be dirt cheap (like many are) they are still a book, that someone has taken probably years to write, and therefore I think they are still worth something. As much as I love a freebie, I do always feel a little like I’, stealing. I know how much effort I put into my writing so if I was ever to publish I would want my time to be compensated – even if it is only a £1 or 2. What do you think?

Please show this post some love if you like my discussion type posts! I really enjoy just getting to chat to you guys. As always please please please chat back below because otherwise this seems a little bit like the raving thoughts of a lunatic when there is no response haha.
Anyway, I can’t wait to hear what you guys think and what you’re plans are this week. I hope you enjoyed, and I will see you tomorrow for a far less rambley post!