Ebooks and Audiobooks
I am an avid reader of both ebooks and audiobooks as well as physical hard-copy books. I truly believe that the three formats serve different functions and niches for readers, and that the appeal factors are definitely different between the three though some remain consistent. Personally, I used ebooks for two main reasons: downtime at work and at night. The ability to read a book on a work computer during slow times is wonderful and not something that I could easily do with a physical book. And at night, I almost always read on my Kindle ereader because then I don’t have to worry about having light. Like Erin, I am always listening to an audiobook in my car! Or when I’m at the gym and sometimes when I’m cooking dinner. I highly appreciate the accessibility of the format. However, I’m a freak who listens to them super sped up so I might have different appeal desires than others!
For ebooks, there are some important appeal factors that might differ. The ability to adjust font size, line spacing, etc. can definitely affect pacing. Some authors set up pages in a physical book to work in specific ways, to have a lot of white space to build up the pace or even details such as font changes or sizing differences. All of these may not translate the same in an ebook, especially if the reader has changed any of the font presentation. This could affect the desired pacing or tonal shifts that the author wrote in via stylistic choices. Additionally, length may be less of a concern with an ebook than with a physical book. The daunting 800 page doorstop might be easier to approach as an ebook than as a physical book you have to carry around. Illustrations are a major difference between physical books and ebooks as well. Especially if someone is reading on a greyscale ereader, the illustrations are unlikely to have the same appeal and effect as in a physical book. I know I’ve never wanted to pick up a graphic novel on my Kindle for this reason!
As far as audiobooks go, narrators are obviously the main important appeal that makes this format different from physical books. A good narrator can make or break an audiobook. Some audiobooks even have full-cast narrations which might interest some people or put off others. For example, the Themis Files trilogy has a full cast for their audiobook narration and I personally found it so much more engrossing and engaging than most audiobooks! I even slowed it down from my usual sped-up listening to enjoy the voice work. Celebrity narrators can be an appeal factor as well, with some readers loving a certain celebrity narrator and listening to books they may not otherwise pick up due to the narrator. Length of an audiobook could also be a factor. Seeing the time in hours can be daunting for some people. While reading a physical book may take just as long as listening to an audiobook, seeing the time laid out as “15 hours” can look a little scary. And might contribute to why I listen to them at 2x speed.
Ebooks and audiobooks are only likely to become more popular, so it’s important to understand the reasons people may select them over physical books as well as what appeal factors affect them.
Laurie, being able to pull up an ebook at work is something I can relate to. While I feel like the experience is quite different and not something I enjoy as much as reading a physical book at home, I also use downtime at work to do some light reading. I have noticed that if I start the ebook at work and really enjoy it, I tend to place the physical copy on hold so I can finish it that way!
ReplyDeleteOh that's a great idea! Swapping between formats based on the situation is super useful.
DeleteI've gotten hooked on my ereader lately, just because I tend to get most of my books from the library and downloading from Libby is so much easier than physically leaving the house. Especially in Indianapolis, where there are dozens of library branches (which makes it easy to find a close location but rather hard when you're trying to track down a few specific titles - you either have to travel around town or wait a long time for transfers). But I do agree that something gets lost in terms of format - the spacing and font choices the author and publisher specifically made just don't translate, and that's a little sad to me.
ReplyDeleteYes, I feel this! I'm also in Indianapolis and love the ease of Libby. The new feature where you can have holds delivered at a later date is my favorite if I'm not ready for another book just yet. There's nothing quite like a physical book with all its fun formatting quirks and author choices, but ebooks are certainly way easier.
DeleteYou make an interesting point about how some features can be lost when a book is digitally formatted. I hadn't considered that before. But then I think about how some books have rough cut pages and how that feature can add to the whole experience of reading a book. With e-books this feature wouldn't be there. Ultimately, I think the choice between physical materials and e materials comes down to accessibility and convenience.
ReplyDeleteI also considered the rough cut pages, or some of the books that have gold foil on the page edges. Or just super beautiful covers! All of that is unfortunately lost in electronic formats.
DeleteI agree with the point you make about audiobooks and narration. There is an obvious difference between reading a print copy and someone reading the book aloud to you. The accent differs and the speed at which the narrator is speaking differs too. These can certainly impact how we perceive the words.
ReplyDeleteAccents are a great point about audiobook narrations. I feel like that's a detail that can really add to the immersion of a story, such as a Scottish novel with a Scottish narrator. But it could also detract from the experience if that same Scottish novel is read by an American narrator instead.
DeleteHi Laurie, I talked about pacing in my response, but I didn’t think about books where the page layout is part of the author’s intent. I do like reading verse novels, and while they are definitely doable as ebooks, there is potential for a lot to be lost. I can think of one book in particular where the author used the page divide as a convention of the story. I didn’t know that at first and read it as an ebook, but I feel that in that case, I might have missed some of what the author was trying to say.
DeleteI can confirm that not being able to see how thick a book is in ebook form helped me feel much less intimidated by the length! It's just reading page by page, and you don't think so much about how many pages you still have to get through.
ReplyDeleteI often like listening to audiobooks on 1.25x speed because it drags less lol. Some narrators read so slowly and I lose focus.
I am glad that it seems like, overall, people are becoming more accepting of all reading formats being enjoyable in different ways.
You make up so many excellent points. Especially about the the things that can be lost (or gained) with different formats. There are so many different appeals to take into consideration! Full points!
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