Welcome trend?

[John Fairbairn]

Could the following story from the BBC, 27 April 2017, signal a welcome trend for go books? Certainly, my paper books sell much better than my e-books. I note also that younger people in general seem to prefer paper, and I haven't seen anyone with a Kindle on the train for months, maybe years.

In London, at least, bookshops have also become bustling and exciting places. Maybe, though, there is message for go publishers in that - bookshops and publishers are trying much harder to generate excitement and accessibility. Go publishers probably need to turn on the Tasers, too.

Children's fiction helped drive UK book sales to a record £3.5bn last year, the Publishers Association (PA) has said.

The 6% rise came despite the waning popularity of ebooks, which saw sales fall by 3% to £538m last year.

Sales of children's books rose 16% to £365m, with the increase due mainly to the purchase of printed works.

Readers also flocked to fitness and self-help books, sending non-fiction sales up 9%. Revenues from fiction fell 7%, the PA's annual report said.

Including journals, the PA said that the publishing industry - covering books and journals - saw a 7% increase in sales to £4.8bn.

[oren]

Personally I still prefer the Kindle and buy the Kindle books. It's much more rare I buy paper books now. I'm glad that at least Amazon.co.jp has made pretty good inroads to getting lots of Kindle published versions.

[jeromie]

I think the important thing is that people are buying and reading books, not the format in which they are distributed. I often get fiction books or non-fiction that is pure text and read in a linear format as an e-book (though I still like to have paper copies for favorites, books I might want to lend to others, and books that are particularly meaningful), but poetry, reference books, and books that are heavy in diagrams tend to work better in a physical format. I started being a bit picky about which books I'll buy in a physical format when I moved into a small space and had to get rid of a large chunk of my book collection because I had no where to store it. I'd also like to point out that there is a vast difference between reading on a dedicated e-reader with an e-ink screen (e.g. Kindle) versus reading on a traditional screen or always-connected-to-the-internet device.

As far as go books are concerned, I'd like to see a healthy industry for electronic and physical formats. E-books (particularly from SmartGo) are nice for their portability and on-demand availability, but I don't like how they are tied to a particular device and software distributor. (I also don't like that they can't easily be lent to others.) They are unlikely to pass the test of time in the same way that physical books are, so I still buy many books that I think will retain my interest for a very long time as paper copies. I also frequently like to distance myself from electronic devices while I'm studying, so I also tend to prefer books that lend themselves to serious rumination as paper copies. Books that have a lot of text are also best in paper format, especially since I only have the SmartGo books application on my phone.

In recent years, I've also become reacquainted with my local library. I still feel a little bit of awe when I walk through the shelves and realize they will let me read any of the books in there for free.

[Kirby]

For some odd reason, I have the habit of smelling the pages of a physical book I buy. So before I start reading, I smell the pages, then go at it. Because of this, I would have to say that I prefer paper books usually. The only downside to paper books is that it's not that feasible to have an entire library of books in my pocket, like I can with an electronic device.

Maybe I should spray cologne on my phone or something to get the same effect.

Just typing this suggests to me that my habit is kind of weird.

[Solomon]

For some odd reason, I have the habit of smelling the pages of a physical book I buy. So before I start reading, I smell the pages, then go at it. Because of this, I would have to say that I prefer paper books usually. The only downside to paper books is that it's not that feasible to have an entire library of books in my pocket, like I can with an electronic device.

Maybe I should spray cologne on my phone or something to get the same effect.

Just typing this suggests to me that my habit is kind of weird.

I do this as well, and I never had the impression it was weird or uncommon for some reason (maybe because I just assumed it's similar to enjoying the smell of a new car). Only thing is, I'm not sure if I prefer the smell of a new book or an old book...

[BlindGroup]

For some odd reason, I have the habit of smelling the pages of a physical book I buy. So before I start reading, I smell the pages, then go at it. Because of this, I would have to say that I prefer paper books usually. The only downside to paper books is that it's not that feasible to have an entire library of books in my pocket, like I can with an electronic device.

Maybe I should spray cologne on my phone or something to get the same effect.

Just typing this suggests to me that my habit is kind of weird.

You're not alone! I love the smell of real books. I love walking through the dense stacks at a university library, for example. Not sure I'd get the same thing from a cologne scented iPad, but it's a nice benefit of buying the real deal. That said, I tend to opt for ebooks more often than not because they are easier to cart around. And I have so many that storage is also an issue. Now, I only buy physical books if I need to interact with them in the traditional way. For example, I find ebooks awkward if I need to use the book frequently as a reference. I also find it easier to notate real books.

[daal]

For some odd reason, I have the habit of smelling the pages of a physical book I buy. So before I start reading, I smell the pages, then go at it. Because of this, I would have to say that I prefer paper books usually. The only downside to paper books is that it's not that feasible to have an entire library of books in my pocket, like I can with an electronic device.

Maybe I should spray cologne on my phone or something to get the same effect.

Just typing this suggests to me that my habit is kind of weird.

This has got to be the coziest place on the internet.

[jeromie]

While I mentioned above that I had to get rid of many books when I moved into a smaller space, my wife and I were able to buy our own house last summer. We have one room filled with books that is our "library." Every time I get to use that word about a room in my house it brings me a little moment of joy.

As a bonus, the room is far enough from our router that I don't really get internet access down there, so it's also an electronics free room. There's a small desk in there, and it's a joy to spend time in there reading or studying.

[Kirby]

This has got to be the coziest place on the internet.

Indeed. It's one of the few things that keep me sane these days (am I still sane???).