The Kindle -- Good or Bad?

[EpicFaerieTale]

At the beginning of the summer the local bookstore in my town had claimed that it was going out of business and is now trying to sell the last of its merchandise at ridiculously low prices. Recently I have heard that the Borders in the town over is also going out of business. While some could say that this is simply the economy I have would have to disagree with them. Bookstores across the country are closing in favor of the Amazon Kindle. Like the slow death of CDs after the invention of the iPod society is beginning to see the end of books. My question for you is whether or not this is a good thing.


While on one hand you could say that the Kindle is eco-friendly by putting an end to the deforestation of trees for paper others could argue that it is taking away jobs. There goes a large amount of production from paper companies as well as book manufacturing companies. Personally I feel that by closing down all of the bookstores people are being forced into buying the Kindle. As well as this there is the fact that people are being asked to say goodbye to the sheer experience of going into a bookstore. Industries such as Borders and Barnes & Nobles for example have a certain flair to them that is original. As a child I remember going to the Borders and seeing the children's wing all decorated and inviting. By getting rid of this experience is it possible that it will also cut down on the growth of readers?


Perhaps I am just thinking too much into this and am a little saddened by the loss of the local bookstores but I would still like to hear your input.


Edit: While talking with my mother I learned that the entire chain of Borders was closing over a management problem. My question however remains, do you feel that people are being forced into buying the Kindle?

 

[Heartsteal]

I'm one of the people that stands pretty firmly against ebooks. That's partly because I just distrust technology, and part because I actually very much enjoy having a solid product in my hands after I spend money on it; it just feels much more reassuring, and like no one can take it away.


*isn't too big on the government, economy, or anything like that*

 

[EpicFaerieTale]

I have to agree with you. There's just something more satisfying about having a book in your hands as opposed to just having a file on a kindle.


Admittedly I have to say that I've wanted a Kindle before to see if I could get my school textbooks on it.

 

[Asuterisuku]

While I find that I like Kobo more, I think that e-books in general could very well be a mixed blessing. For starters, more and more authors are finding it easier to get their material out into the public, and we end up finding excellent stories that would never have made print before.

 

[RP Otaku]

I prefer having a book in my hands. It's just better.

 

[Hatchet]

Actually it is largely the economy that is impacting stores like Borders. Borders has been closing across the country for the past 8 years, they've only finally declared it. Ebook technology has only been making an impact in the last two years. The internet has had a greater impact on the publishing industry up until recently, but I disagree that books are going out of style or whatever. Too many people love handling books. At the same time there are definite perks to the Kindle, including portability, lower book prices and free classics. It's also a chance for new, unpublished authors to share their books at little cost to themselves. To answer your concluding question, I do not feel that people are being forced to buy the Kindle or Nook, or what have you.

 

[14hca14]

I own a kindle and I love it but I prefer books. My parents want me to use my kindle because I have been known to carry around three or four novels in my backpack along with all of my school supplies and they worry about my back. I hope that the e-book industry grows but I would hate to say goodbye to bookstores since I can spend hours in them.

 

[Kaine]

did you know the colored ebooks also let you read manga ;]


plus you can access the internet on some and use it like a tablet. Fanfiction anyone? I know Hatchet enjoys certain types of it. plus being able to store over thousands of books. Just depends how much you like hardware. You may be afraid now, but back in the day people wouldnt give up an 8 track for a cassette, a vhs for a dvd and now everything is available to you with one click. things can and will change.


Plus barnes and noble vs borders is like walmart vs local grocery store. the bigger more productive one always wins. =/

 

[BLADE MdM]

I perfer having a book in my hands... but for no legitimate reason.

 

[Tweek]

It's kinda like owning an iPod, but prefering to own albums instead of buying them on iTunes. I'd rather buy an album just so I can hold it and hang it on my wall.


My father has a kindle, and it serves its purpose very well. He can read and buy books, nothing more nothing less. The kindle is great and very light.

 

[Odd]

I really prefer a good old fashioned book. Simple as that.

 

[Melstro]

I received a 6" Kindle for Christmas. At first I was kind of skeptical as I have always believed that having a real copy of the book would always be much better. However, I absolutely love my Kindle, ebooks save trees, I can instantly get the definition of a word I don't know and the battery last for a month without needing to be charged. Kindles or ebook readers are the way of the future. :8D:

 

[kaze]

Well I stand for both. What I could see is authors selling printed books and in the back have one of those little cd discs with a PDF file version of the story on it. That's what I would buy because although I don't have a kindle from amazon, I do carry a nook from barnes & noble.

 

[Heavy Metal Snail]

I absolutely love my Kindle. I love how easy it is for me to get books. I love how portable it is. I love the feeling of having so many books and being able to change my reading at will. Now I can understand why some people prefer paper books but I feel that a Kindle is very good for me, especially since I travel a lot and don't want to be bogged down with so many books in my backpack. As for it taking jobs, I don't see paper books dying. People still buy CDs even though iTunes still exists. People buy DVDs even though there's Netflix. And people will read books even though there's Kindles and other eReaders. So for all you paper books lovers out there, I can reassure you that the book is not dead yet.

 

[Elizabeth Hill]

I've actually gotten very accustomed to eBooks. I spend a lot of time online so I'm used to reading on a screen. I like how cheap the eBook versions of books are, plus as someone said, it's more eco friendly. I use my phone with a kindle app and another reader app to read on the go, it's smaller and easier to stow in my bag.


That being said, print books will always be my first love

 

[marmar158]

eBooks are fine with me but you cant get the satifaction of turning a page with a reading device. I would say that i perfer books because it feals right. and the fact that someone is more likley to steal an expenseve kindle from you than brake into your house and jack your books shelf. (it would be an epic win if they could though)

 

[VitriolicGears]

I used to hate the idea of the Kindle before I got one. I still love print books, but the Kindle is easier to take around with me in my college bag without getting battered/injuring my back more (particularly as I'm currently reading GRRM's 'a Dance with Dragons', which we have in hardback as well as ebook, but it's HUGE). I also think it'll come in useful when I move to university. I love all my books, but it's physically impossible to take them all with me. I can buy my favourites or any particularly big books for my Kindle and leave my other books at home for my parents and sister to borrow.


I also like how I can get books which are difficult to find in bookstores and I can downloads free classics. If I download a book for my Kindle and I really enjoy it, I'll buy a physical copy of it as well, because I just like holding books.


Also, I have so many physical books that they're just stacked like crazy around my room as well as on my shelves. Sometimes when I get new books, I have to think of which ones I should get rid of, but owning a Kindle helps that, because I can buy the eBook version instead! Also, a big bookstore in the UK called Waterstones sells eBooks online as well as books in their shops, which is really cool.


I like reading print books, but the Kindle is really useful.

 

[weddingphoto]

I have to acknowledge with you. There's just something more fulfilling about having a book in your arms versus just having a computer file on a kindle.

 

[Vive]

Kindle, good or bad?


The short-term selfish answer: AWESOME


The long-term, global perspective answer: Well, maybe not so much.


I have a kindle, and I adore it. I love that books are way cheaper on my kindle than in store, that thousands of books are readily available at my fingertips to palooze, that I can carry an entire library of books around with me on something that ways about 3 ounces. Sure, the selection of books can be limited if you're looking for something eclectic, but for most people, it's pretty awesome, right?


Well, maybe not. Kindle is run by amazon.com, which derives its profits by selling hordes of stuff at cheap prices (prices that are usually just above cost). Books are an interesting case, because what really is the cost of a book when you take out the publishing costs? It is the cumulation of a publishing house "discovering" a manuscript, spending time editing it, and sending it out to be mass produced. And, it is countless hours of work on the part of the author.


So, how do you make an online book really, really cheap? Well, you cut away at the profits of the author. As an extreme example, amazon.com has started coming out with 1$ and 2$ books from new authors who may not even be any good. These books get published, but they are so freaking cheap because these new authors expect to earn nothing from the books.


So, there's a need for other, recognized authors to start selling books at low prices in order to compete with these cheap cheap books, and the author's share of the profits from each book profits of the author ends up being substantially less. This, you may not think, would be a big deal, but not every book, much less the "good" books, such as those published by Eco or Rushdie, published 1 million copies. So, it actually diminished their bottom line severely, and thus less "good" books get published, and the quality of literature decreases.


Sad story.


So, is the Kindle good or bad?

 

[runeofflame]

i see both sides to this, but its probably not just because of nook and kindle tht bookstores go out of buisness, when looking for a new book at Barns and noble i looked for THREE hours for one specific book labeled in store on there computers. after a long time i finally got sick of it, downloaded it on my nook and now have it. ive also hated carrying around and looking for books in my house, if i had to carry around all the books on my nook id be overwhelmed by the amount of books and also would loose them quite often while my nook has never really gotten 'lost' , i remember having to search for 4 months to find my copy of the second adventurers wanted book. the printing of books will no doubt continue but may drop a bit as even though the books can be put in ebook format there are many that arent and all books that are generally are in paperback, also jobs will be created for formatting ebooks and also to make the devices.


while there are great arguments on both sides its a good and bad thing, it just depends on what happens from here to see if its good or bad as if it is kept under controll and doesnt completely take over the book indusry it will be good in my perspective.

 

[Ricia]

To conclude with what other people have said, nothing beats holding a real book laying in bed and reading till your eyes can't stay open any longer. Regardless the Kindle is fantastic to carry around because of its convenience. On top of that there are a lot of sites that comb Amazon for books that are free for a day. The books are also cheaper via getting them online instead a book store.


I personalty have a system. I will usual buy a book via my Kindle, and if the book was really good, than I go buy a hard copy. If a book is a flop, well I did not pay much for it so I don't worry about it.


Sometimes I take long trips, 6hrs in the car. So I have a car charger for my Kindle and I make it read the book to me while I drive. The only down side is that it is the Robotic voice haha, so it had a hard time with fantasy names, but if you are familiar with the terminology it shouldn't be a problem. =]

 

[RayleighScattering]

I love both hard copies and digital. One thing that I love about the kindle is that I have found SO many more authors that are not as well known but have fabulous storytelling skills. The good thing for these authors is that is allows them to get their material out there with little to no cost and they charge reasonable prices for their digital downloads. One of my newest literary treasures came to me for free on my kindle! I loved it so much I bought the hard copy to pass it around.


As for book retailers going out of business? I'm not sure I have any knowledge to even make a guess but we are evolving into a digitally dependent civilization. But there will always be people who fight to keep the paper in their hands.

 

[kibou]

I don't have a Kindle or Nook or anything of the sort, so I don't know which one I like better.


However, Amazon/whatever website or anything you download your digital book from can ALTER/CHANG E or even DELETE any books they want to, and it won't be on your kindle anymore, and this has happened before. Plus the book isn't technically yours, you're borrowing it I think, even though you pay money. They also don't have to warn you beforehand or anything. So, um, yeah. I might be wrong on some of the smaller, less important details though, just so you're aware. But Amazon for sure has done that before.

 

[Macal Cord]

I prefer a real book in my hands yeah I know I can only carry one or two with me at a time but the feel and the smell of a book can't be copied. I own a Kindle Fire, no not the fancy HD one anyway I don't used it for reading I mostly keep it so I can watch Netflix or Hulu when I'm on the road or stuck someplace that I really don't want to drag my laptop. As for the way the Kindle Fire handles, the speakers are kind of weak but that's true of most tablets, I'm pretty impressed with the video quality and it's pretty fast for an android OS especially on my wifi network..However the keyboard is a little wonky at least on mine. Oh I have to mention this is my second Fire the first I sent back cause for some reason it stopped charging but so far this one doesn't seem to have that problem.


The Kindle Fire is a great alternative if you can't shell out nearly 600 buck for a mid-range Ipad.