Paper book or Ebook?

[TrackerNeil]

There are a lot of out of print books whose text is actually in the public domain

I wish more literature were permitted to move into the public domain, but as long as Disney and DC Comics exist, work will continue to be protected until who-knows-when. It's insane.

[Tyriona]

I love my books and prefer reading paper, though I got a Sony reader as a present recently and will now buy some e-books for my holidays. I use to take several books on my trip to have a choice and I think for this situation e-books are really useful..... now I have a stupid question. Can I buy e-books at Amazon and load on my Sony or are they restricted to the Kindle reader???

[Errant Bard]

I wish more literature were permitted to move into the public domain, but as long as Disney and DC Comics exist, work will continue to be protected until who-knows-when. It's insane.

It is, though the expiration date for Mickey Mouse copyright is still 2019 in the US.

The sad thing is that it is only the tip of the iceberg. Look at, for example La Joconde, public domain, right? But no, photos of it continue to be forbidden for reasons as flimsy as the ones protecting Mickey. It's blatant copyfraud, but as much as we hear about individual copytheft, corporate fraud is basically encouraged by lawmakers and laws enforcers alike. One of the reasons I absolutely don't want legislators to "examine" ways to "fight piracy" again.

Can I buy e-books at Amazon and load on my Sony or are they restricted to the Kindle reader?

http://askville.amazon.com/e-reader-sony-kindle-amazon-books-accept/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=8502720

tl;dr: No, both platforms have dedicated "stores" and the DRM schemes are not compatible.

Suggestion 1: Install Calibre, manage your virtual library with it, strip the DRMs, eventually change the format of your books, and enjoy interoperability with all platforms.

Suggestion 2: buy whatever, then pirate a de-DRM-ized version.

ETA: Obviously, you can always shop in other venues, that do not lock the content (interestingly enough, Kobo is also the official shop for Sony readers)... but that was not the question.

[TrackerNeil]

It is, though the expiration date for Mickey Mouse copyright is still 2019 in the US.

The sad thing is that it is only the tip of the iceberg. Look at, for example La Joconde, public domain, right? But no, photos of it continue to be forbidden for reasons as flimsy as the ones protecting Mickey. It's blatant copyfraud, but as much as we hear about individual copytheft, corporate fraud is basically encouraged by lawmakers and laws enforcers alike. One of the reasons I absolutely don't want legislators to "examine" ways to "fight piracy" again.

Suggestion 1: Install Calibre, manage your virtual library with it, strip the DRMs, eventually change the format of your books, and enjoy interoperability with all platforms.

When Congress "fights piracy", that means "protecting content distributors." They're sure not helping the creators very much!

Honestly, this DRM stuff is getting silly. I used it on my first two books because I was naive at the time, but on the next I'm going DRM-free. Sure, it aids those who wish to steal, but nothing deters those people anyway. Those who want to steal can always do so, and I don't want to waste much effort trying to stop what can't really be stopped.

[SilentRoamer]

When Congress "fights piracy", that means "protecting content distributors." They're sure not helping the creators very much!

Honestly, this DRM stuff is getting silly. I used it on my first two books because I was naive at the time, but on the next I'm going DRM-free. Sure, it aids those who wish to steal, but nothing deters those people anyway. Those who want to steal can always do so, and I don't want to waste much effort trying to stop what can't really be stopped.

It really does little to aid those who wish to steal. DRM is outdated technology and as stated in the post by EB it is a trivial matter to remove DRM from some digital content. The people who download illegally are not the people who distribute illegally. Those who distribute are those who make files useable. DVD's come copyright protected which is a lot more difficult to sidestep yet there is no limit to DVD rips knocking about.

Go DRM free and save your fans the hassle! BTW as quite a new poster on here I am not sure which author you are and I am intrigued?

[Cersei the Great]

I like ebook versions because I am able to easily look up words I am not familiar with.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

Cersei,

It's not terribly difficult to look up a word I'm not familier with when I'm reading a paper book. I just google the word on my iPhone.

[Altherion]

It's not that difficult in absolute terms, but it's much more distracting. You have to put the book down, get the phone, type the word and pick up the book again. With a Kindle, I just tap the word, read the definition and tap again to go back to the book. It's almost seamless. I definitely look up more words when I'm reading e-books.

[Spockydog]

One day, Scot, someone's gonna buy you an e-reader. Then you'll see...

Owning one doesn't mean you can't read paper books. I love my Kindle, but that didn't stop me spunking £50 down the charity book store the other day. And I have to admit, it's nice to have a real book in my hands for a change.

[TrackerNeil]

One day, Scot, someone's gonna buy you an e-reader. Then you'll see...

Owning one doesn't mean you can't read paper books. I love my Kindle, but that didn't stop me spunking £50 down the charity book store the other day. And I have to admit, it's nice to have a real book in my hands for a change.

Word. There's a place both for ebooks and paperbacks.

[The Wolves]

Cersei,

It's not terribly difficult to look up a word I'm not familier with when I'm reading a paper book. I just google the word on my iPhone.

Not Cersei but I have the dictionary app on my phone and before that I carried around a dictionary.

[Errant Bard]

Also, Scot, about that:

Owning one doesn't mean you can't read paper books. I love my Kindle, but that didn't stop me spunking £50 down the charity book store the other day.

Owning one does not mean you automatically become a convert either. I own one, and I use it something like once every two months, when the occasion for which I got it arises, basically.

As an aside, for those who look up words in dictionaries while reading, don't you feel it breaks the flow of reading? I always felt that for fiction, it is better to have the unknown word take the meaning the context suggests and continue reading. Hmm, except when reading The Eye of Argon, I suppose.

[Mark Antony]

I'm a fan of both. Love my nook but also still can't help but buy paperbacks all the time. I pretty much split my reading between the two evenly.

[Arya Summer Child]

I do not own any ebook device. On some occasions I believe it may be easier to read ebook, but I still prefer real book :) the feel of pages, the smell. I have read half of GoT on my tablet, just because I could not wait till my book will be delivered. Ebook is just another smaller computer. And you can not touch exact book or glance at it when walking past your book shelf.

[Ormond]

At this point if someone gave me an e-reader I would probably pass it on to someone who I thought would really use it.

I understand the usefulness of e-readers for those with failing eyesight because of the easy ability to modify font size. I also have a colleague who uses her Nook most of the time because she has arthritis in her hands and reading paper books can be painful for her. But until I develop some such physical problem that e-readers are a remedy for, I don't see myself wanting to use one.

[DaveSumm]

I don't have a problem with ebooks in principle, but I do take issue with the pricing. And not because it's cheaper for the seller, but because I've yet to read one that doesn't have mistakes in it. A physical copy had been poured over multiple times to make absolutely sure there are no mistakes, ebooks seem to me like someone scanned the text and just threw it up on Amazon. Random wrong letters, gaps missing between words, maps that align 90 degrees the wrong way so you have to look at them sideways.

I basically only read them if the urge to read a particular book grabs me, and I can buy it immediately. I often follow up with a physical purchase, upon which I feel I 'really' own the actual work and not a copy.

[Ormond]

It is, though the expiration date for Mickey Mouse copyright is still 2019 in the US.

I think you are a little off here. Copyright is now for 95 years, and since Mickey Mouse was created in 1928, that means 2023 is the year the copyright on the first Mickey Mouse cartoon runs out.

However, if the WIkipedia article on Mickey Mouse is correct, copyright is a separate issue from trademark. Trademarks last as long as the original owner is still using them, so while people will be able to play the original cartoon and to create new fictional works featuring Mickey Mouse after 2023, they still won't be able to use his likeness in a way resembling a trademark. And I'm sure the Disney company will haw lawsuits trying to widen the scope of the trademark as much as possible, even if they are unsuccessful at getting another change in the copyright law extending that even further than 95 years.

[Zoë Sumra]

I don't have a problem with ebooks in principle, but I do take issue with the pricing. And not because it's cheaper for the seller, but because I've yet to read one that doesn't have mistakes in it. A physical copy had been poured over multiple times to make absolutely sure there are no mistakes, ebooks seem to me like someone scanned the text and just threw it up on Amazon. Random wrong letters, gaps missing between words, maps that align 90 degrees the wrong way so you have to look at them sideways.

In too many cases this is due to faulty formatting in the original book, which still looks right on paper but is shown up as soon as it gets converted to ebook. The first ebook edition of ADWD had this problem - too many shortcuts by the typesetter and at least one major miscalculation about what formatting worked for Kindle.

Scanned copies are another thing entirely - quite a lot being of books that were published before the computer age, never therefore digitised, and converted in a hurry by someone too cheap to pay for typesetting - and badly edited self-pub is a third issue!

On the maps front, I used to work for an educational publisher that at the time refused to bring out Kindle editions because getting the table format right was a nightmare. Bear in mind that the sizing versatility of an ereader works against anything like maps and tables that rely on fixed page layout. I wouldn't want to read Maskerade by Pratchett in ebook firm because of the two places (on the same page) where page layout is used as a visual joke.

[Tellus Explorer]

I'm posting this, with an ebook in the next tab xp

[Ser Jake]

I was always pretty adamant in my love for paper books, but I got a Kindle as a Christmas gift last year and I really like it. That being said, there's nothing like holding a physical book in your hand and being able to look at the artwork and stuff like that, so paper wins for me, especially when it comes to books by authors I really like; I like to have the books to display on my shelves.

I still do use my Kindle a lot though, it's great for reading in bed (especially with the Paperwhite, which is the one I have), and there's always good deals on Amazon. It makes it much easier to try out new authors if you can just download the book for $5.99, rather than have to shell out twice that for the physical copy.

For me, I really do enjoy both, but actual, physical books are still my preferred choice.