An article in today’s Wall Street Journal has been making the rounds on Twitter and in blogs—the piece is about the habits of e-reader owners, and as Penguin imprint Dutton tweeted this morning, the conclusions are “maybe not what you’d think.”
The major conclusion? Studies show that e-reader users read more often than they did before they owned the device, but they read slower. (This does not surprise me. I read the first 100 pages of Mockingjay on a Kindle and the second 100 in a hardback; I made the switch because the lag time between pages was starting to get on my nerves.)
Marketing and Research Resources reports that e-reader owners read 2.6 books per month, whereas old-fashioned (i.e. print) readers read 1.9 books per month. (A comparison: according to our 2010 Reader Survey, 65% of BookPage readers read at least 4 books per month. 20% of you read at least 8!)
An e-reader study found that 40% of e-reader users read more than they did with print books. 55% of the group said they’d use the device to read even more books in the future.
E-reader users: How have your reading habits changed since you got your Kindle, iPad, Nook, Sony Reader, etc.?
For more on this subject, read Lynn’s iPad vs. Kindle blog post.
Nope, I’d say about the same. And still predominantly print books.
I always read a freakish amount, but I do love my e-reader a bunch and find that it’s encouraged me to read more things in the public domain than I did before (so really, more classics). Also, the lag issue with the Kindle and the nook is why I got a Sony instead. The page turn is probably faster than with a real book…
I read my book club books on my iPad because I’m not necessarily ‘in love with them.’ I can get the books quickly! And I can take it anywhere! But if I really love a book, I will buy the print version for my library!
I struggled with the lack of page numbers at first, especially with epic novels like The Stand. You just feel as if that status bar is not moving at all when read on the Kindle.
BUT, I am over that hump now and loving the “now” aspect. When Mockingjay came out this week it was so darn easy to buy and enjoy right away.