Prefered type: Hardback, paperback, or ebook?

[Wirilome]

I don't have an e-reader. Staring at the screen names my head hurt. I love paperbacks as I have a tendency to destroy my books.

[JeffyB]

I prefer hardcover, especially for books that I want to hand down to the kids, unless my only option is paperback. I haven't gotten too far into e-reading yet, although I do have some ebooks downloaded for both the Kindle and iBooks apps on the phone for when I forget to bring a book to appointments.

[Raikas]

In theory (in a world where I have infinite space and never have to think about moving house) I prefer hardcovers because of their lifespan, the way they look on a shelf and the way they feel when you open them, but in reality they’re not always the most convenient. And I’m at the point now where I feel like I own too many books already, so I try not to add too many new ones these days (not that I’m always successful on that…).

I like getting paperbacks from the library (or buying them in airports or train stations if I’m running out of reading material en route) for reading on trips or while commuting – they’re lighter than a hardcover and I don’t have to worry about dropping an ereader/tablet.

I’m liking ebooks more and more for everything else though – a little cheaper, and more importantly they take up no extra space.

[concretecavewoman]

Hardcover and heavy stock paperback. Yes, I spent a fortune on books, and yes, I think it's worth every penny.

[concretecavewoman]

E-books if at all possible. Especially out of print older books, classics, my mysteries and all light reading and business reading.

I do distinguish between kindle books and books I get on my iPad. iPad is for computer manuals and things where color coding of the code is important . I also get some magazines on my iPad only. Otherwise I love my e-ink kindle for most of my electronic books.

Paper books for things with color pictures and diagrams. I take paperback or hardback depending on the book. For most of the ones I get that are not e-books they are only published in one format or the other.

So things like knitting and weaving pattern books I get as hard copies. Some history books and archeology books with pictures and drawings of the items are only available as hard copy, usually hardback and usually very expensive.

I agree with the various use cases you've outlined here. I do like e-ink for some situations (flights, books I've already read as trade paperback but intend to sell/donate, and anything that doesn't require graphics), and use a tablet for things with pictures. I do the same for knitting books -- buy the actual book.

[JasontheKiwi]

100% Paperback priority for me, if I can't find the book I want anywhere I'll go e-book on my phone. I hate hardback, they are so heavy and annoying. 

[Nomad Jay]

For hard-copy, hardback > paperback. E-books are better for the traveling geek, but power requirements can be a limiting factor.

[Polargirl]

I switched to ebooks a couple years ago expected to hate it but I love them. So much more convenient.

[Ananke86]

I will go buy the new releases from authors that I really love but of late that has only been three, the rest I will get digital and if I'm traveling and see something of interest it's usually a paperback so I can read on the plane.

[re-animator]

Hmmm it really depends I usually just to the library and get books that way. 

For buying books, it has to be paperbacks, they're usually much cheaper and easier to carry around plus there's always a tonne of paperbacks in used book stores for literally a couple dollars (I got 11 of the Special X books by Michael Slade for just under $40). 

I don't have an e-reader, but I have an ipod touch, that I use only for books. I like it for portability and because I can access lots of books, but I prefer being able to interact with books by making notes, highlighting things and bending the corners.  

[JonDixonYT]

I prefer paperbacks myself.  I find hard covers too big and bulky to comfortably read.  I must say that I thought my wife was crazy the first time she said, "I buy hard covers whenever I can because they look better on the shelf."  My response, "well, books are for reading and paperbacks are so much easier to read!" seemed to fall on deaf ears.  I do most of my reading in bed, so that's where that opinion comes from.  But, when I got sick of waiting for Dance with Dragons to come out in paperback I got it for the ereader and I'm enjoying it so far.  I didn't think I would like it at all but its pretty good.  Plus I can lay on my stomach in bed and not have to hold the book open (my wife pointed out that I could probably do that with a hard cover too, but I chose not to reply)

[JasontheKiwi]

I prefer paperbacks myself.  I find hard covers too big and bulky to comfortably read.  I must say that I thought my wife was crazy the first time she said, "I buy hard covers whenever I can because they look better on the shelf."  My response, "well, books are for reading and paperbacks are so much easier to read!" seemed to fall on deaf ears.  I do most of my reading in bed, so that's where that opinion comes from.  But, when I got sick of waiting for Dance with Dragons to come out in paperback I got it for the ereader and I'm enjoying it so far.  I didn't think I would like it at all but its pretty good.  Plus I can lay on my stomach in bed and not have to hold the book open (my wife pointed out that I could probably do that with a hard cover too, but I chose not to reply)

Haha love it. Yeah I agree, hard backs are just too bulky unless you can get the very hard to find and often not even made small hardbacks. paperback all the way. I actually went to ebook for a while but have regressed back to paperback. I like an actual book. Although sometimes if it's a hard to find book or way overpriced I'll get the ebook. And now book stores (in NZ) had hiked up their prices for some reason. I went and bought 'the rosie project' yesterday and it cost me $37 nz dollars. That's crazy and its paperback. 

[JonDixonYT]

Haha love it. Yeah I agree, hard backs are just too bulky unless you can get the very hard to find and often not even made small hardbacks. paperback all the way. I actually went to ebook for a while but have regressed back to paperback. I like an actual book. Although sometimes if it's a hard to find book or way overpriced I'll get the ebook. And now book stores (in NZ) had hiked up their prices for some reason. I went and bought 'the rosie project' yesterday and it cost me $37 nz dollars. That's crazy and its paperback. 

$37 for a paperback?!?!  That's a lot of money (I'm used to paperbacks being $15-20 or so)

 

I'll probably still by DWD so that my set is up to date, but I like that I can read it now and not have to wait for it to come out.

 

Side note: how the heck does the release of a trade paperback get delayed two years?

[Avistew]

Talking about price... Once I wanted to re-buy a trilogy of French books I really like. I found the paperback that included all 3 stories (giant paperback, I have to say, in thickness that is) for something like 11 euros. That's really cheap, then again all three stories were over ten years old and so I'm sure with how popular they were that they had already made tons of profits, and the publishers had reduced their margin.

 

Anyway, I thought "I wonder if they're available as ebooks". I only found the first one of the trilogy online. It was 20 euros.

 

So, basically, I was expected to pay double to get less than a third of the content (as often, the first book is the shortest), and without getting a physical object. Yeah right. I got the paperback. It's not the most practical thing to read but I've had it for 5 years and I don't regret it.

 

That's one big thing with ebooks. Their price often seems to be based on the hardcover or oversize version of the book, when in practice, for the reader, it's closer in value to a paperback, and I would say worth less because we expect not to pay for printing costs and materials. Of course, big publishers pay almost nothing for these.

I understand charging close to the hardback price when the hardback is the only other thing available. You don't want to have everyone get the ebook and make you lose all your benefits. But once the paperback is out, the ebook version really should never cost more than the paperback version. And I'd be willing to wait more for an ebook version to get the lower price.

[rendiana-jones]

Paperback is my overall preference. I love the idea of ebooks, and carrying an ereader around is convenient, but there's just something about having an actual book on my shelf.

[shredder]

I love a good hardcover book. I love how they look. I love how they smell. I always prefer hardcovers to anything else, mostly because I like collecting books (I take the dust jacket off and they look very nice on my bookshelf). That being said, I buy a lot of e-books (Kindle) and pirate even more (I always buy physical copies of any books that I pirate). As much as I love my book collection and the feel of a physical book, reading on a Kindle is just too damn convenient to not do. I love how it syncs the pages read between my computer, my phone, and my Kindle. Whatever device I have on me, I can read. If only physical books came with their e-book equivalents, like some DVDs are now coming with iTunes codes.

[guest439437484421]

I prefer any physical book over digital, but having digital makes it so much easier to accumulate my library and not worry about space and mold and any other of that business.

[fengor]

I mainly prefer paperpacks to anything else. Mostly because I get most of my books used and secondly because I like physical books. I have a few hardcovers of things like Cryptonomicon, Hitchhiker, Breaking Bamboo and other stuff but those are either sepcial editions and/or gifts most of the time.

 

Never really liked ebooks that much for fiction. I have an ebook reader and a growing collection of ebooks but prefer it for topical books and when i dont want to lug around many books. I'm slowly getting more used to ebooks but there is something strangely satisfying about being curled up and wrapped in a blanket in my reading chair, a book in my hands and a pot of tea on the side.