A brief look at how we read books today: E-books were supposed to spell the end of print, but Americans' reading habits have taken a different turn. Here's everything you need to know.
5 comments:
Deb
said...
Our family of five is a microcosm: I'm almost exclusively print; my husband is almost exclusively audiobooks (he has a fairly long commute); the girls are more likely to download books to their kindles or tablets, but will go for a print or audio version if that's what's available. I just can't get into ebooks--it doesn't feel like reading.
I'v only ever listened to two audio books and both were books I'd already read: Angela's Ashes read by Frank McCourt and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. I can't just let them wash over me but need to concentrate.
I prefer print but do read ebooks, mostly short story collections or books downloaded from the library. Jackie does the same but has a handful on hers while I have hundreds unread, much like the hundreds of books unread.
72% have read at least ONE book in whole or in part. So 28% have read no books, not even a page. That's of those they asked, and who knows who they asked and what criteria they used to decide. They certainly didn't ask me. But no matter, once a person gets older than about 50 we're no longer in a meaningful demographic except medical stuff.
I'll listen to an audio book only if for some reason I can't read, or if the material is unavailable in print or digital, such as OTR stuff. I do read the occasional ebook, for convenience or again if the material is unavailable in print.
What makes me sad is the way the reader numbers drop if the criteria is 10 books per year, or even 5.
I don't do audio books; I no longer have a commute, and always found audio books a distraction when I was driving anyway.
I do read ebooks, and mostly I buy ebooks if the price seems to me to be reasonable for pixels and for something that I don't own, that I merely have a license to read (that, by the way, is the primray reason I don't buy as an ebook something I think I'm going to want to re-read--with a print book, I know it won't go poof).
Mostly I buy print.
(Also, I tend to buy CDs, not a streaming service or files, for the same reasons I buy books.)
I read mostly print. I do read ebooks where its hard to find in print. I wish I could listen to ebooks but I find myself drifting away a lot and am constantly having to go back to listen to what I've missed.
5 comments:
Our family of five is a microcosm: I'm almost exclusively print; my husband is almost exclusively audiobooks (he has a fairly long commute); the girls are more likely to download books to their kindles or tablets, but will go for a print or audio version if that's what's available. I just can't get into ebooks--it doesn't feel like reading.
I'v only ever listened to two audio books and both were books I'd already read: Angela's Ashes read by Frank McCourt and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. I can't just let them wash over me but need to concentrate.
I prefer print but do read ebooks, mostly short story collections or books downloaded from the library. Jackie does the same but has a handful on hers while I have hundreds unread, much like the hundreds of books unread.
72% have read at least ONE book in whole or in part. So 28% have read no books, not even a page. That's of those they asked, and who knows who they asked and what criteria they used to decide. They certainly didn't ask me. But no matter, once a person gets older than about 50 we're no longer in a meaningful demographic except medical stuff.
I'll listen to an audio book only if for some reason I can't read, or if the material is unavailable in print or digital, such as OTR stuff. I do read the occasional ebook, for convenience or again if the material is unavailable in print.
What makes me sad is the way the reader numbers drop if the criteria is 10 books per year, or even 5.
I don't do audio books; I no longer have a commute, and always found audio books a distraction when I was driving anyway.
I do read ebooks, and mostly I buy ebooks if the price seems to me to be reasonable for pixels and for something that I don't own, that I merely have a license to read (that, by the way, is the primray reason I don't buy as an ebook something I think I'm going to want to re-read--with a print book, I know it won't go poof).
Mostly I buy print.
(Also, I tend to buy CDs, not a streaming service or files, for the same reasons I buy books.)
I read mostly print. I do read ebooks where its hard to find in print. I wish I could listen to ebooks but I find myself drifting away a lot and am constantly having to go back to listen to what I've missed.
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