Five Reasons eBooks are Better than Paper Books

I love paper books, and don’t think eBooks will ever fully replace paper books, but there are still good reasons for the growing popularity of eBooks. Here are five:

1. eBooks are easy to carry and move.
My wife and I have enough books to fill 25 bookcases. Packing and unpacking my books is one of the most dreaded aspects of moving. But eBooks would make it easy. Also, if spend any time traveling, you can bring multiple eBooks with you in one device, rather than fill your bag with bulky, heavy books.

2. eBooks are searchable.
Have you ever read something important, and a month later when you want to find it, you just cannot remember where you read it? With an eBook, searching for the information is a breeze. Also, if you want to search your library for certain words or ideas, it is easy to do with eBooks. Not so much with paper books.

3. eBooks tie our reading life and our digital life together.
Many paper books I read often have sections at the end of each chapter or in the footnotes for websites, online videos, forums, or blogs which the reader can go access for more information. It is always a pain to do this, since I am rarely near a computer when I’m reading. But with an eBook, if I’m on a web-enabled device like the iPad, I can click on the link in the eBook, and go watch the video, or access the author’s blog and ask him a question, or buy the book on Amazon that he referenced.

4. eBooks are cheaper for readers.
Since eBooks are cheaper to produce, do not require paper and ink, and have no shipping charges, eBooks should be cheaper for readers to buy. Right now, some publishers make eBooks just as expensive as paper books, but this will change in time.

5. eBooks allow new authors to get into print.
Writers can easily self-publish their books. If you want to break into print, you can do so cheaply and easily. You don’t need an editor, agent, publisher, publicity manager. Some of these might be helpful if you want your eBook to sell better, but if you are trying to learn the publishing industry, eBook publishing is one way to get started.

There are numerous other reasons eBooks are growing in popularity. Feel free to list more in the comment section below.