My father is a printer. One of the best at what he does, really. So I have grown up around the art of printed
works and when the first debates about whether the Kindle would destroy the
print market and therefore my father’s job, I was firmly on the print side of
the debate. I fought back against the
cold, detached feeling of purchasing an online copy of a book when holding one
and smelling its pages was so much more rewarding. Yes, I was Rory Gilmore from the Gilmore Girls.
But then I studied abroad in beautiful Dublin, Ireland. I had one suitcase of clothing and one with
books (and a few other accessories). I
HAD to have my books with me and the impracticality of that travel arrangement
hit me. If I wanted to be a successful
actress (and I still do, don’t get me wrong) and work in film (again, still do
and one day will be there), then toting around a hefty bag of books through the
airport was not going to be practical. I
was going to have to bit the bullet and get an e-reader.
I got a Kindle for Christmas. One of the 1.5-2nd generation ones and at a click of the button, I had a book at my fingertips. The accessibility got me. Hooked me. I had access to the entire Amazon collection, not just what was in the store… and to be honest, this might have stemmed from the fact that every bookstore in reasonable driving distance was closing and I couldn’t live without my fix. I needed my books.
With the rise of the tablet and iPad (I have a mini) and the Kindle app, I can carry my books with me no matter where I go. If I’m at work on break, a book is at my fingertips. If I’m sitting in a café waiting for someone or my next engagement? I have a book. I just have to download it.
Young authors have a chance to get their work out there with ebooks. Self-published have a greater market they can reach. There are some really great things that come with the convenience of an ebook. I wish I could sit here and say: no! eBooks are bad. Buy print! But I can’t. I can’t because I have a large ebook collection and I have a growing physical library.
Now, where does that leave me in this debate? Firmly straddling the line. Don’t get me wrong, I adore a physical book with the pages in hand and cover jacket and the process of finding its place on my overcrowded and full bookshelf (I do need another). I will one day have a room of books to call my library. It has always been a dream. But do I love that I can click and get a book I’ve been searching for and can’t find? Yes. Do I love that when I’m broke, I can find a book on my wish list for a discounted price? Yes. I can’t, in good conscious, say no to something that may reach out to those who can’t afford a book but have a phone and a free Kindle app or iBook app and can click on that $.99 or $1.99 book and READ.
So we should continue to do both, in an as environmentally friendly way we can… because the book lovers and history needs the physical representation… and because we need the access to books for anyone and everyone including the busy office worker to the kid who can’t get to a store but has an app. They are both books. I want to support both.
I got a Kindle for Christmas. One of the 1.5-2nd generation ones and at a click of the button, I had a book at my fingertips. The accessibility got me. Hooked me. I had access to the entire Amazon collection, not just what was in the store… and to be honest, this might have stemmed from the fact that every bookstore in reasonable driving distance was closing and I couldn’t live without my fix. I needed my books.
With the rise of the tablet and iPad (I have a mini) and the Kindle app, I can carry my books with me no matter where I go. If I’m at work on break, a book is at my fingertips. If I’m sitting in a café waiting for someone or my next engagement? I have a book. I just have to download it.
Young authors have a chance to get their work out there with ebooks. Self-published have a greater market they can reach. There are some really great things that come with the convenience of an ebook. I wish I could sit here and say: no! eBooks are bad. Buy print! But I can’t. I can’t because I have a large ebook collection and I have a growing physical library.
Now, where does that leave me in this debate? Firmly straddling the line. Don’t get me wrong, I adore a physical book with the pages in hand and cover jacket and the process of finding its place on my overcrowded and full bookshelf (I do need another). I will one day have a room of books to call my library. It has always been a dream. But do I love that I can click and get a book I’ve been searching for and can’t find? Yes. Do I love that when I’m broke, I can find a book on my wish list for a discounted price? Yes. I can’t, in good conscious, say no to something that may reach out to those who can’t afford a book but have a phone and a free Kindle app or iBook app and can click on that $.99 or $1.99 book and READ.
So we should continue to do both, in an as environmentally friendly way we can… because the book lovers and history needs the physical representation… and because we need the access to books for anyone and everyone including the busy office worker to the kid who can’t get to a store but has an app. They are both books. I want to support both.
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