Today, I’m asking you to help me with a research project, and I have four bright, shiny polls for you. Yeah, I know you already voted this month, but we haven’t had a voting here in awhile, and I think it’s the best way to get the answers I seek. Plus, in my polls, your vote actually counts.
Absentee votes? May I ask those of you who prefer to read my posts secretly to please participate in these polls? You will remain anonymous.
I’ve used the generic terms e-reader and e-versions in these poll questions, and print version applies to any print-on-demand option. If you do not yet own an e-reader, but use a reader app, please respond in Poll #3. Examples of reader apps are Kindle for PC or Stanza for iPhone.
Please feel free to voice your opinions in the comments section.
Thank you for participating. If I could ask one more favor, would you please re-tweet this post? More votes equals a better research sample.
[tweetmeme source=”cassidylewis” only_single=false]
Linda Cassidy Lewis 
More than you want to know: I love books, the heft and feel and smell of them, that I can lay them aside and pick them up later or not, and read my old notes or others’ notes. I love sharing good reads in hard copy. I don’t tweet or text (unless absolutely necessary) and I love cell phones but I have an old one, not on the Internet, that still satisfies me. I am addicted to emails already and that’s enough.
Some %age of folks are not tech savy and don’t want to do everything at the speed of sound or light. I am caught in the middle.
Ebooks have their greatest potential in the non-fiction realm, esp. textbooks, and for chronic travelers who must travel light.
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I love books too, Mary Jean. It may be the future, but I would find it sad to not have the option of print. Then again, I’ve never used a reader, I might find I love that too. If e-ink technology is truly like reading on paper, I could handle it. I just hate reading more than a few paragraphs at a time on a computer (back-lit) screen. My eyes can’t take it and shuts my brain down.
I don’t think you have to be too tech savvy to use a reader. And reading speed is your reading speed no matter how you do it, though there have been times I wished I could just have a book downloaded straight to my brain. 😉 As far as I know, all e-readers allow you to mark your place and make notes.
I applaud ebooks to replace school books, if for no other reason than to keep young backs from being warped by 30-pound backpacks. But if you look at the sales reports for fiction ebooks, it appears they’ve been embraced by a rapidly growing fiction market too.
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I’m a technology fan. I know someone that has and e-reader, so I was able to see and handle one recently. I hope to have an e-reader someday. If my novel is someday published, I hope it will be available both in printed form and electronic, I haven’t researched enough on this subject to know if that is an option. If I had to choose between one or the other, I would choose print at this time.
Great post and photo to go with it. I want a cup of coffee with cream now. Blessings to you…
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I forgot to mention how I love the image as well!
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Yeah, but coffee hater me reads that as a nice cup of masala chai! 🙂
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Ha! I remember reading that. I’ll have to try masala chai.
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I’ve never had the opportunity to try a reader, Carol. Obviously, I don’t own one, but I would like to. And I’m with you, I want print and ebook.
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This was fun! On the last question, ‘it depends’ would have been my answer.
Unlike one of your posters who said e-books are better for textbooks — I respectfully disagree. For me at least, I need to scribble in the margins, underline, highlight if I am to transfer the text info from print into my brain. (I know you can do that electronically, but I still need those old-school physical activities. Probably not the same for people who grew up with technology from kiddie-hood on.)
I do love reading fiction on my iPad.
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Right, I should have had that option. Obviously, creating effective polls is not my strength. You comment about fic vs. non-fic pointed out to me these poll results could definitely be swayed by the age of the responder. The younger people are the more they find electronic versions natural.
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I voted as well. I’m quite torn on the e-Reader thing as well. I love being surrounded by paper books. I like carrying them and turning the pages. Yet, I get the ease of use of the readers and how that is where the future is taking us. BTW, I was a hold-out on CDs when they first hit, DVDs, iPods. I guess I’m one who likes technology, but doesn’t feel the need to instantly jump in. I evaluate the options and see what makes sense for me. I’m still rocking an enV2 cell phone without Internet capability and only got that (for texting) 2 years ago.
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Thanks for voting, Barbara. Money is usually the reason I hold back on the latest technology, but in this case, it’s also my love of paper books. I’m sure I’ll buy print versions of books from my favorite authors as long as they’re offered. I’ll consider ebooks of others.
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I also love being surrounded by my paper books, but enjoy the portability of ebooks and the ease with which I can stand in line and read a page or two. It’s completely changed my attitude toward lines and other forced waiting.
I’m slow adopting technology, but once I do, I tend to go overboard. For years, I thought cell phones were ridiculous and didn’t want to be available all the time. When I finally caved, I came to love the freedom it gives me, the compact way to carry so much information with me, and the ability to respond to work email when I’m not at my desk.
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I can understand that, Cathryn. I think most of the time when I drag my feet on changing technology, or any change, it’s because I don’t understand the benefits.
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I bought a Kindle recently to see what all the hoopla was about but I must say, I would not buy it again. I’m pretty kinesthetic and I like the way books feel, smell, etc. What I DO like about the Kindle is that you can download so many millions of books that are free (the really old stuff) … that is what I have done with it and what I’ve used it for, anything new I wanted to read I’ve continued to simply buy or rent the old fashioned way.
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That’s interesting, Brett. Was it just the feel of the reader you didn’t like? How was the reading visually?
You can’t argue with free books. I have a meager book budget, and because they were less than $3 each, I’ve bought a few books I’d normally have checked out of the library. I don’t have a reader, so I read them on my PC or phone. But for now, I buy print versions of books I want to “own.”
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