Today’s Book Blogger Hop question is: If you own an ebook, would you also purchase a print copy as well?
So I guess the answer to this is…not applicable? The thing of it is, I never buy an ebook first, because I still have pretty thoroughly resisted reading ebooks. The very rare times have been when a paper version just doesn’t exist – that’s come up a few times with self-published books I wanted to read.
To look at this in a larger sense, I do occasionally buy more than one form of a book – though mostly print and audiobook. I have bought audio editions of some books I already owned in paper because…I wanted to listen to the audio. I have a few audiobooks I may eventually buy in paper. I have to really like a book though – I’ve done a number of audiobooks from the library where I owned a paper copy, but I think I’ve really only purchased L. M. Montgomery books, a complete Sherlock Holmes, and a couple Jane Austen books for a book club I’m in.
I’ve bought one or two ebooks that I already had in print to make them more portable, on the theory that it would be nice to have some particularly beloved books on my phone that I could just dip into. I don’t actually do that though, so that was more theory…
How about you? Do you buy books in multiple formats? Digital then paper, or the other way around?
I mainly buy ebooks. I generally only get print books I’ll want to keep, whether by a favourite author and therefore likely to get reread or they are ‘dip into’ books. Anyway they look good on the shelf. But I also get things on my TBR when I’m in a real bookshop and the cost of the ebook is ridiculous (same price or more than the print copy? come on!) The other time is when they are illustrated, although some ebook illustrations are fine in most formats (mine for instance!)
But the main thing about ebooks is the facility to change the type size. Some books I pick up because I want them, then open them and realise I’ll never read them because the font is too small and cramped. Small well spaced I can probably managed. Hey, I had 20-20 vision until ten years ago!
I buy nearly all my books in e-reader format (or borrow them from the library). I only buy paper books when I find a book I really want to keep and re-read. Those are mostly spiritual-type books. I have limited room in my home for bookshelves, so I have to be discerning in what I decide to keep.
I tend to buy most of my ebooks when I’m at work and have an urge to read something over lunch that I either already own and didn’t bring with me, or something that I want to start reading immediately. I will sometimes still buy the paper copy after option number two, if it is something I want badly enough to have as physical object.
Ebooks are so much easier to read while eating lunch at my desk, or out along a country road in my car not far from the office if I’m taking a ‘read outside’ lunch break.
I’ve also purchased ebook versions of hardcovers that are just too stinking big to comfortably read, like Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive, when I still want to have the paper copies.