Before I had my Kindle, about 10% of my book purchases were DNFs, books I never finished, and perhaps another 10% would be books I'd all but give up on, but would skim to the end.
Since I got my Kindle, I haven't purchased any print books. Of course, I will eventually buy a print book - when one comes along that I can't get on Kindle probably - but at the moment, I'm still too taken with my Kindle to pay print books any attention (which is probably why I'm still to finish The Unwilling Bride by Jo Beverley).
One of the things I like best about the Kindle, is the ability to ask for free samples. I rarely buy a book without first looking at a sample now. In fact, I save up samples, and have 'sample' evenings every now and again. This is a bit like a browsing in a bookshop except (1) I can do it in the comfort of my own home, (2) have a cup of tea at the same time and (3) thereby get to read about a chapter or so of say 5 or 6 possible purchases before deciding whether to buy. Generally I find samples to be quite generous - at least a chapter or more.
I'm finding that I'm buying about 1 in around 4 samples that I try - and that's probably a lower purchase rate than I used to have just buying print books off of Amazon. I live in the UK where few book shops stock romance so I was buying most of my print books online anyway and never getting the opportunity to browse other than via author websites. I therefore purchased quite a lot of books without having a sense of whether it would work for me. I'm hoping to find a big reduction in my DNFs now that I have the Kindle.
Pre-Kindle, I also had a tendency to stick to new authors I'd heard of (e.g. via other blogs) and leave authors whose names I didn't recognise alone. Now I'm trying more entirely new-to-me authors, particularly when it's so easy to try someone out on a short story/novella for a very reasonable price.
That's another interesting feature of ebooks actually, the fact that story length becomes less important. Shorter lengths can be reflected in smaller prices; I find myself beginning to look at books/ stories in a different way. I don't really think of a short story as a "short story" anymore. Just as a story. Does that make sense?
My Kindle is challenging my ideas of what books are and of what they should be.
What do you think? Do you relate to books/ stories differently depending on whether they are paper or ebook? Do you browse one or other more thoroughly before you buy? Do you prefer one or other format for particular reasons?
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11 comments:
I buy both ebooks and print books.
I love my Kindle and most of my books are now ebooks. I also tend to do exactly the same thing you just mentioned in your post. Some samples are as long as 5 chapters. That's usually enough to know weather I would like a book or not, and I do eliminate DNFs that way. Plus, it's a great way to "discover" those new-to-me authors.
However, there are certain books that I sample on my Kindle but buy in print due to preference. Those are usually within the Fantasy and Sci-Fi genre. For some reason I feel more comfortable reading those books in print. Don't ask me why.
I also collect works by a few romance writers and keep them on my shelves. The rest all go on my Kindle.
The difficulties of skimming an ebook are an issue for me. It's hard for me to DNF a book without giving it a good skim first. So I have fewer DNF ebooks just for that reason. :-)
I'm still battling a frighteningly huge TBR, so haven't bought many ebooks yet. But you encourage me to make more use of the sample feature in future. -- willaful
I should be a better consumer by downloading the samples first, but I tend to impulse buy just like I did with print books. I'm better at giving up on books than I used to be. Life's too short and I just archive the books I don't like into a special folder and then I can ignore that I ever bought them :-)
I still haven't succumbed to the lure of the ebook reader. Maybe someday, but someday is not yet here.
I don't have an e-reader, but I did download Amazon's program for e-books on the computer, because I wanted to read The Heir. It worked. However, after reading the book, I discovered I remember very little about it. Perhaps I've read print for too long and just don't associate things on a computer with story.
A paperback is still relatively inexpensive entertainment, so I don't mind too much if a print book turns into a DNF, and I recoup half the cost in credit at the UBS or get the feeling of being charitable by donating it to the library sale. Besides, it isn't possible to re-pencil bad syntax with e-books.
dick
I rely on samples because writing style is important to me. The ability to sample is a large part of my fondness for brick-and-mortar bookstores. (Granting that not all bookstores carry romance.) That preference has carried over seamlessly into online purchases: if I can't find a sample online, I rarely buy.
Hilicia - I suppose the worry might be that long samples are giving too much away, but actually, they work well on me, getting me bedded right in to the story and wanting more (if I'm enjoying it of course)
willaful - related to the skimming comment: one thing I don't like about the Kindle is not having an immediate sense of its 'size' in the way you do with print books (though price can tell you a lot). I skim print books a lot so I agree that the inability to skim is one of the cons.
Phyl - I started that way but quickly got into the sampling mode. I do just auto-buy some books though.
Nic - I am an irritatingly evangelical recent convert
dick - being an irritatingly evangelical recent convert, it is causing me some pain to resist the urge to contradict you. However, I am determined to do so, as I detect it will be futile.
RfP - the only bookshop near me that had a (tiny) romance section recently refurbished and got rid of said romance section. I always used to look forward to going to Glasgow for court/meetings because there was a Borders there (with a huge romance section!) but Borders folded in the UK a couple of years ago. That just leaves WH Smiths (which stocks categories and Saga romance), certain supermarkets (categories) and second hand shops. In short, actually browsing a bookshop for romance (not chick-lit which is ubiquitous) is next to impossible where I live...
"chick-lit which is ubiquitous"
I've noticed that in the UK. It's odd - the chick lit covers are just as repetitive as romance covers, and they're marketed to the same demographic, so in the US I come to assume that where you'll find one genre you'll also find its sister. But in UK bookstores I'm always reminded that they're not necessarily linked.
What'd I say that needs contradiction?
dick
RfP - yes, I wonder at the popularity of Chicklit. My private theory is that the more cynical 'voice' is more palatable to the British psyche- particularly younger women.
dick - I was trying to resist the urge to talk about the notes facility on Kindle (almost but not quite as satisfying as a pencil...) but having personally resisted ereaders for a long time, I know that I was never persuaded by enthusiasts extolling ereader virtues - it was my husband who bought me one. Perhaps, however, you are more fair-minded than I was (BK - before Kindle)
I find I end up buying most of my m/f books in print and my m/m books in ebooks. Why? I have no flippin clue. lol There are times when I want a book and don't want to get out of the house to go get it so I'll just hop on the computer, purchase and download an m/f book but it's rare.
I have to say that sampling the books would be a great idea. I'd probably cut down on a lot of purchasing as well.
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