E-books should cost much less than print books with their manufacturing over-head. A $3 difference is hardly any difference at all! I expect that an e-book price sits under half the print cost of that same book. Even better, I expect it to be even lower than that.
I enjoy my computer and my kindle and my droid phone. There is very much to recommend them and someday I would like a nice ipad or tablet, but not quite yet.
Meanwhile, I struggle with the entire idea of books in digital format where a computer crash might cause them to vanish and lead to major head-aches in trying to get them back.
Meanwhile, in my very fire-proofed home, my hard-copies, print books, sit like little soldiers on their shelves and give me great tactile pleasure in addition to the pleasure of their content.
My biggest issue though is about PRICE.
I expect to pay for a hard-copy because of the costs related to printing, binding, storing and shipping a nice book. I expect this because the materials and manufacturing have costs related to them which must be passed on to me, the buyer of the book.
It is simply ridiculous that an e-book can sometimes be found to be MORE expensive than the brand new print edition.
I use my kindle to allow me to carry an assortment of books in my bag for waiting rooms and other times when I want something to read but do not want the weight of a book and magazine bag. On my personal kindle are ebooks I purchased very inexpensively which while I would like to read them I do not care if I never own a print copy. I also have copies of a couple of my favorite very very large and heavy books that I own in a print edition to keep and use at home and on my kindle so I can read anywhere without the weight of the print edition.
If I could buy my hardbound editions with a kindle edition thrown in for good measure I would be delighted!
This is just my take on the whole kindle vs print debate. I would buy MORE ebooks if they were radically less expensive than the print editions.
Dear Lord, thank You for books, computers, kindles and smart phones. Amen.
Totally agree, this is why I rarely get anything for my Kindle unless we’re planning a long trip or something. I love actual books, if only they didn’t take up so much space :/