The Pros and Cons of E-Books

With the phenomenon of e-books now being more prevalent than ever, readers are now presented with much more freedom of choice for what version of a novel they choose to read. However, I cannot forget how much I love the ritual of going into a bookstore, looking around at all of the new titles and the smell of books. Nonetheless, what is truly important is the process of a person taking time for oneself to unwind and get lost in a book, regardless of the format. I am solely a print book reader, but I appreciate what e-books bring to the table — anything that promotes people reading is a win in my book, pardon the pun. For me, the collocation of books vs e-books is irrelevant, rather I favour the syntagm ‘books altogether with e-books’. My article here is not to further the divide between the two, but instead, to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of both reading formats.

War or co-existence?

It feels as if there are two kinds of readers in the world: those that are die-hard print book readers and those that take their Kindle everywhere they go. Can readers be in support of only one side during this ‘cold war’ of books vs e-books? Or, can they take advantage of both options and enjoy the best of both worlds? That is what I want to investigate!

Pros

1. E-books are a great option for travelling

If, like me, you’re an avid traveller and enthusiastic reader, you’ll want to pack multiple titles on holiday every time you go away. But, taking a small library away with you is significantly heavy and quite difficult to carry in your hand luggage or can take up a lot of space in a suitcase. This is not the most practical option, and here, I am speaking from experience.

With the advancement of technology, a reader can travel with as many books as they choose on their e-readers — an entire library in their handbag if you will! Using a device to read online, like an Amazon Kindle or iBooks, is a much more accessible and functional option for downloading all books that you want. Also, on average, a reading device weighs around 250 grams — much better than killing your shoulder muscles by carting around a trilogy of books. Portability is one of the best characteristics of reading e-books — they can be taken on a train, a plane, or to a beach — an incredible option for travelling.

2. E-books make night reading so much more convenient

I, like a lot of readers, enjoy reading a book for an hour or so before I go to bed. I find that it helps me wind down and prepare my mind and body for sleep much better than if I were to mindlessly scroll on social media for hours. Sometimes this can be quite inconvenient because to read, one needs a light source, and if you’re sharing a room with a partner or friend, it is quite awkward to have a lamp on when somebody else is trying to rest.

Reading e-books on an e-reader does pose a solution to this issue, as the books are read on screens with built-in reading lights. These kinds of lights can be brightened or dimmed to your preference and do not get in the way of others like lamps or clip-on book lights do. Your e-book can be read without annoying another person, in silence, and stops a reader from potentially straining their eyes by reading in the dark. E-books are a win-win situation!

3. Books are bad for the environment and can get damaged so easily

Books are made from paper and paper comes from trees — so many trees have to be cut down to publish books, which as is more prevalent than ever, is horrendously bad for a planet in turmoil. If we, as humans, are looking to create a more sustainable future, then moving over to e-books is a massive step in the right direction. E-books have a lower carbon footprint than print novels, as the production process doesn’t require the same excessive paper use. In fact, manufacturing one Kindle creates the same level of CO2 as thirty books. Readers would need to own thirty Kindles or more to offset the carbon emissions that books produce — which is not at all necessary as one e-reader can last a lifetime.

Books not only damage our environment but also can get damaged so easily themselves. I find it beyond irritating when the corners of a book start to curl, the ink on the pages fades, my rabbits shred the covers or my book gets wrinkled from water damage when someone jumps into a pool near me or a drink gets spilt on them. This annoyance can be completely avoided with an e-book, and in this regard, they gain points in the books vs e-books debate.

4. Publishing an e-book is a much more straightforward process

The ways that the e-book publishing industry has developed over the last ten years or so have produced a vast array of new and different options for prospective writers looking to have their stories published. Although publishing an e-book is a multi-step process, it is a much easier route to take than traditional print publishing and allows all writers at every skill level to become published.

5. E-books have a global reach

A writer can distribute and market their e-book via global retailers and aggregators. This makes an e-book widely available to readers all around the world. In this way, authors can have their book read and celebrated by so many more people, as opposed to having it published in one language in a select few countries.

6. E-books are inexpensive to create

As is to be expected, some bare minimum costs come with investing in publishing an e-book. However, a writer can complete these steps with minimal, and sometimes no, costs. Many companies now will publish a writer’s book for them and only take a small amount of commission after the books release. This is a huge contrast to print publishing; many publishing houses will present upfront costs to writers for the printing, marketing and sale of their novels. As can be imagined, this creates a large divide within the publishing industry between those who can afford to cover the costs of their books being printed and those who cannot. It saddens me deeply when I think of the number of talented writers who have never been discovered because their social background has restricted them from being able to publish. Choosing to publish an e-book, in this regard, is a more cost-effective option for writers and lessens the inequality gap within the industry itself.

Cons

1. Books keep people away from screens

A lot of people use screens in their work life: be it computers, tablets, phones etc. As a university student, I would spend upwards of nine to ten hours a day at the library, watching lectures and writing essays; so the last thing I would want to do after I would get home is read a book on a screen as opposed to a physical copy.

Staring at a screen can not only be tiring for those who work with computers, but for everyone. A team from Harvard Medical School did a study in 2014 in which they compared the effects of reading paper books versus light-emitting e-readers before sleep. The researchers had twelve participants read from a paperback book for five nights, and then from an iPad for five nights, and took blood samples at regular intervals to monitor the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. Their results showed that the readers who read e-books on an LED screen device had a lower production rate of melatonin. As well as taking longer to fall asleep, those participants also had less deep sleep and were more tired the next morning in comparison to those who read paperback books.

It’s clear here that print novels do have benefits over e-books when it comes to a person’s sleep, and in turn, their health.

2. E-books have lower perceived value

There is a lot more profit tied into print novels as opposed to e-book versions. This is ultimately because print novels have a much higher perceived value than e-books, meaning that publishing companies can add a higher profit margin for the same content as an e-book.

There is also the added social value of print novels. A lot of people, myself included, have dreamt of having their book series published and being able to see it on the shelves of a bookshop. As all prospective writers are well aware, the publishing process is incredibly difficult, and it is an impressive feat to have achieved. This high social value, accompanied by a higher value of revenue, adds to the belief that e-books are worth less than their printed counterparts.

3. E-book creation has a learning curve to it

For a writer, the process of releasing their stories for the first time can be very intimidating and daunting — this is the same for a writer regardless of if they’re publishing a print novel or an e-book. If a writer chooses to publish with a publishing house, they are assigned a team made up of copyeditors, writers, marketing experts who can provide feedback on the content of the book and make suggestions for edits — this is not the case for those choosing to self-publish. A big reason as to why so many writers go unpublished might simply be because they do not know the who, what, when, or how to begin the publishing process, and when they get there, it is hard to navigate solo. A large proportion of what it takes to self-publish an e-book is not taught and has to be learned along the way with online resources, without any additional support from industry professionals.

4. It’s harder to connect to an e-book

The reason I am a die-hard print novel reader is that I am so attached to every book I own. For me, nothing beats the feeling of a book in my hands. There is something so real about it, so pure. It makes me feel so much more connected to the story and helps me leave the world of 2023 and enter the one I’m reading. A study done at The University of Arizona investigated just this — the researchers wanted to find out exactly why this is. Sabrina Helm, along with her colleagues, examined the physiological perceptions of e-book ownership. The researchers found that their participants described being more emotionally attached to physical books, and said they use physical books to establish a sense of self and belonging. Participants across all age group categories frequently spoke about their nostalgia for certain childhood books. They also talked about experiencing physical books through multiple senses; such as the sound, smell and tactile experience of opening a new book, and the ability to highlight or write notes on paper pages. Participants also said they use their physical book collections to express their identity to others who might be perusing their shelves. E-books did not receive these same associations.

Regardless of her findings, Helm noted that e-books, whilst being a fairly new phenomenon, they do have their importance. Helm emphasised that both physical and digital books have their place, “There are just really different values or benefits that we get out of them,”. It is hard to compare books and e-books when the reading experience and the products themselves are so vastly different.

Which format is the winner?

As I stated earlier, the winner in the books vs e-books debacle is neither method — more the person doing the reading. I do not believe that one choice is above the other, and after some extensive research on this article, I have come to realise that e-books are an incredible option for both readers and authors alike. What is crucial is to read and explore literature and to be able to pursue one’s passions without limitation. E-books are so practical and useful, and although there are some valid advantages and disadvantages, I do believe that all people should be able to enjoy the benefits of both reading alternatives.

It’s like Marcus Tullius Cicero wrote: “A room without books is like a body without a soul”. The co-existence of both should be appreciated and celebrated.

Written by Chloe Hulse