It surprises me that people still debate print vs digital, as if they were mutually exclusive. They’re not.
I wrote an essay on the subject that appeared in the Globe and Mail (July 13, 2018). Personally, I prefer ebooks today. But then, I have my reasons, as the essay describes. (It may require a subscription to see it.)
One of the big reasons I lean to ereaders is the accessibility aspects. But there are many other aspects in their favour, just as there are an equal number of aspects in the favour of print books. I don’t see it as an either/or proposition.
I found the comments I received on the essay fascinating. Many agreed with what I had to say, some disagreed. The essay was certainly not a thorough outlining of all the pros and cons of both formats, and some comments pointed out a few of the ebook cons I didn’t go into but which I readily recognize as negatives.
In the end, however, the two formats co-exist and there is no reason why they shouldn’t. Some people will prefer one, some the other. And some, like me, will prefer a world where they can have both, certain books preferred in digital format, others in print. I don’t read books because of the format. I read them because of the story.
Some of the comments I received mentioned particular types of ereaders, the major ones being Kindle and Kobo. I didn’t touch on that topic, but I likely will write something along those lines in the future. As with the debate about print and digital, both ereaders have pros and cons–at least, I suspect they do. Currently, I’m only familiar with one of them but that should change in the future. I plan to get the other, and I have my reasons for this.
But that is for a future post. 🙂
As for my essay, it’s on the Globe and Mail website, in the First Person area of their Life section, and it’s titled: Why do so many people turn their noses up at e-readers?