Publishing Evolution #83: Paper to Pixels (or e-ink)

Exercises
1.Do you prefer paper or pixels? Is getting the material faster on the computer or is reading in a paper form more important to you? Why?

I much prefer paper for my reading medium for books, newspapers and magazines. Although with breaking news I don’t care through what medium I receive it.
I might enjoy reading a novel in pixels, [if it were a text-only work and not lacking any visual aspects the original format contained, i.e. drawings or photos].
But I don’t enjoy scrolling through screen text for pleasure reading, or pressing buttons to turn pages, since that’s too similar to computer work for me. I enjoy handling a book, tracking my progress through the pages as I read, and reaching the simultaneous end of the story and the final pages of the book.

The pleasure of reading a book begins for me with hunting and selecting it; browsing shelves, looking at book spines and cover art, being attracted to a book’s appearance, stlye and personality. As opposed to web pages of book cover thumbnails, and the swarms of pop-up ads surrounding them.
When it comes to book shopping I want to be the one in control. I like to walk the shelves and approach only the books that interest me, instead of trying to bouse on-line and wading through pop-up ads and “suggested” titles by a vendor trying to “target” me.
On the other hand, I enjoy books in another media, since I listen to audiobooks a lot while commuting. It’s a convenient and pleasurable use of my free time that I would otherwise not find for pleasure reading, and as I grow older it’s also easier on the eyes.

2.Does price influence how you get your books or is it availability? Would you pay the same price for a digital book as you would for a paper copy?
A little of both, of course. For book lovers it’s always a mixture of the right book at the right price.
But for most readers I think the decision to read a digital book would come down convenience, price, the amount of choice, and the amount of effort involved in using, carrying and protecting another expensive electronic device during the course of their normal day.
For many I expect it’s also a question of how much time they allot per day with each type of media. Which is to say, when they reach the boredom level and want to change to something else?; reading a newspaper at breakfast, listening to the radio while commuting to work, working all day with a computer screen and keyboard, then returning home to watch a TV or play on a videogame screen…

3.Visit iFiction and look at what it offers. Do you like the idea of preview and then pay?
No, I don’t think I could get comfortable with this method. I don’t like rules or time limits imposed on me when I’m shopping and this method takes a certain amount of control from me and gives it to the publisher.