INDUSTRY NEWS
PAPER PAPER
eBOOK
PAPER VS EBOOKS
The process of reading has changed bit by bit ever since digital technology emerged. Many have changed holding a“ real” book for reading books on their various digital devices. Speaking of digital devices, with the ability to read a book on your telephone, tablet, computer, and digital readers like Kindle and Nook, the books that once were not considered“ real books” have been waging a regular competition against the good, old-fashioned paperbacks, trade paperbacks and hard cover books.
At this point, it is impossible to resist or ignore change, even if it doesn’ t apply to you personally. Surprisingly, many digital book readers are not just the younger generations. The older generations have embraced this technology as well.
The Pew Research Center reported that in 2015 27 % of Americans read some form of eBook, and the number appears to be rising. Still, paperbacks are pretty much holding their own. Does that mean that book reading in general is increasing? Maybe. There are some pretty solid reasons for the increase in the popularity of eBooks. Those include being able to store multiple books on a little device as small as a phone that will fit in the palm of your hand. For travelers who love to read, no more hauling a full suitcase of books. Without the cost of printing, paper and labor, the cost of eBooks is generally much more economical. Then there comes ease of reading and that is where seniors get a real benefit. Backlighting helps those with vision problems, and the size and type of font can easily be changed.
That brings us to the difference between reading a print book and one on a device. For some reason the understanding of the material and retention of the information or plot, seems to be much higher on print books. Maybe it is because of something called“ motor memory”— the act of physically turning the pages, and as some people do, running a finger down the page while reading. Some believe that the feel of the paper serves as sensory memory markers— something that is not present while scrolling down a screen.
But, as always, there is another side to the story that contradicts those theories. The argument is made that in both modes of reading the attitude and preference of the reader is an important factor. In one such study, readers who preferred to read from screens were found to perform as well as those who had read the text from paper.
WINTER 2017
PAGE 8
WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE