Book sales

Yes, I heard this on the radio today, surprising but good news for the book.

Not good for the trees?

I heard that a while back, we have a few members of the family working in publishing, initially the Kindle books really took off and accounted for a large percentage of revenue in that sector, but it seems that many hanker after the physical book especially if they want something to keep. I don't have a Kindle, but I'm told they are great if you are a commuter/traveller and don't want to hump a book about with you and of course you can adjust the print size and they are light. However, it is yet another screen to join an ever growing army of screens in most of our lives. I like my books, I buy quite a lot, really good reads I can't bear to part with, the rest I donate.

I thought that was good news. Only ever read one book on my iPad, much prefer a proper book. Annie, don't they replant trees once the mature ones are harvested? Added to which don't they pulp books for recycling? As long as they don't cut down more trees in Indonesia, the orangoutangs have a bad enough time as it is.

Most of the wood pulp used for making paper comes from quick-growing softwood trees like spruce, pine, fir, larch and hemlock, and the faster-growing hardwoods like birch and aspen. The trees that grow slowly in the ancient forests are safe (from that anyway!). The orang-utans are in more danger from their trees being cut down to make space for palm-oil plantations.

I've definitely noticed this when travelling on the tube. At one time, lots of people had Kindles - especially young people - but now those who are reading are generally reading a paperback.

I think it's great - books have so much more character - and you can give them to friends and charities when you've finished with them. Also when they're finished with they can be recycled.

Ethical Consumer doesn't really come to a firm conclusion:

"E-readers require the mining of a whole range of non-renewable minerals like columbite-tantalite, which is used to make capacitors.[5] And at the end of its life, if your e-reader ends up being ‘recycled’, the chances are it will end up being dismantled by hand in a developing country where workers and the environment will be exposed to a range of toxic substances.

"At the same time, paper books are not innocent on the toxics front. The production of ink for printing releases a number of volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere, including hexane, toluene, and xylene, which may contribute to a range of public health problems.[6]

"Comparing such different impacts is obviously difficult. A paper by GreenPress concludes thus: “[The] “breakeven point” will be different for different metrics of environmental performance but...for greenhouse gas emissions this number is probably between 20 and 35 books while for measures of human health impacts the number is probably closer to 70 books.”[7]

"So overall, the best information available at the moment suggests that e-readers may sometimes be able to beat paper books on environmental impacts, but only if you read on them a lot."

However the article makes the proviso that this only holds true if people are not tempted to change their e-readers when newer versions are brought out. When you look at how often people change their mobile phones - especially young people - that seems unlikely.

I like both. I love the feel of a real book and have lots - find it hard to part with any! Some books, too, are just better as books rather than on a kindle, e.g., cookery books and nature books. However, the kindle is great for taking on holiday.

I agree with Mapleleaf. I love my Kindle for novels etc - especially when I am getting to the end of one book and need another one to read when I have. I don't have to lug two blockbusters around with me. And no chances of ripping the cover or losing pages.

But I couldn't envisage me ever using my Kindle for cookery!

I love real books, the smell and the feel of them. Can't afford to buy them now days, but DH and I are regulars at the library. Don't know what I would do without libraries and i guess its more environmentally friendly too.

I like my Kobo for travelling and reading in bed, and also for reading books I may not want to keep. Books I want to keep and reread have to be real books!

I use my Kindle when travelling or on holiday. I also love real books but they do take up a lot of space. I donated a lot of books to a charity but have kept around 50 which I love and have read several time.

I love a proper book

I love real books and buy most of them from charity shops. When I tried to donate some recently I was told they didn't want them as they weren't selling! So, to help out the charity shops, please spend a few £ on books.

Kindle for me. I need books for recipes or knitting patterns only

When you buy a music CD from Amazon you get a free download, I wish they would do this with books. Then I would have the pleasure of a real book with the freedom of a Kindle.

I tend to have one real book on the go and another one on my Kindle.

I do find it difficult to even give away the books I no longer want. I just purchased a second hand book from Amazon which cost me 1p + £2.80 delivery and it was in almost mint condition. I had a good clear out last year and even the charity shop which is next door to my workplace looked like they were getting fed up with all my donations. The probably don't make money on books.

Not surprising really. You only need to buy a kindle once. You need to buy a different paperback each time you finish the old one.

I used to be known as a book collector. We still have thousands of books in the house but I now read almost exclusively on a kindle. It's easier to carry around and I find the typeface easier on the eye than a lot of modern books, if I read something I really want to have on a shelf I buy a copy when the price drops.
Also, I used to have to take at least six books on Holliday!

I love my Kindle. I read loads, especially on holiday and the number of books weighing down our suitcases was a bone of contention between DH and I. Now I have a Kindle peace reigns ?

I have, and read, both. Kindle is great for travelling but you can't beat a 'proper' book.

Both my boys have read on their phones for years though - can't be doing with that!

Good news indeed; the paper book is here to stay. There is no alternative to having a book in hand and the ability to flick back and forth, put it down with a marker in the page and having it there waiting to be picked up again. There is something visceral in holding a book.

My Kindle is the original brick-like version so I tend to use my mini iPad instead. I still buy paper books though in preference to e-books because then I can pass them to my DD, DM, DSis etc, there's at least 4 others who will read them after me. You can't do this with a Kindle (none of the recipients has a Kindle either!).

nothing but a 'proper' book will do for me

I love my Kindle for travelling but still cannot help myself buying books. I love going into a book shop and having a browse. We have a charity shop close by where all paperbacks are £1. I only buy if they are in good condition, and once read return them to the shop.

I love paper book. Always reading it in the car while travelling on the motorway to my children's place. I also like to win competitions and free books offer. X?