Making the Most of Your E-Reader

Welcome to the age of technology, where even the humble book isn’t safe. This is the age of the e-reader, an electronic device which has e-books.

The e-reader has many benefits over the printed book.

Printed books can fall apart.
Being an avid reader all my life, I have a vast collection of books, some of which I have read countless times since I was a teenager. These books are my best friends, my comfort in hard times. They’re also held together with tape, have stained pages, and a few even have missing pages. Paper degrades over time. It can be nibbled by mice when in storage.

The e-reader solves all these problems. Having a book in digital form eliminates the degradation of physical paper.

E-books are cheaper than printed books
Here in Australia, a hardcover physical books sell for $30-$50. The electronic version sells for about $20. In some cases, that’s less than half price. Digital downloads are also instant, meaning you don’t have to wait for it to be delivered or run around different shops trying to find that title. E-books also offer the advantage that some titles are out of copyright, and therefore are on the public domain. This means they are free to download. You can’t walk into a store and take a copy of Alice in Wonderland- you have to pay for it. This same book is available in e-book stores as a free digital download. The Kobo e-reader even comes pre-loaded with 100 classic books that are on the public domain.

Easier on the eyes than a computer screen
E-readers use a technology called “e-ink”. Basically, this means the e-reader’s screen is a dull white and not backlit, with black writing on the screen. It’s supposed to resemble a physical book although personally, I find it even easier to read than a printed book. It doesn’t give me a headache like a computer screen or a book. Part of this appeal is the ability to increase the size of the font. So if there’s little light or you’re tired, increasing the font lessens the stress on your eye muscles.

So far, we’ve talked about the benefits of an e-reader. The next question is: Value. How to decide the right one?

Most e-readers have access to about the same amount of content; that is, currently there are about 2 million titles available in e-book form. All genres are covered from biography to relationships, fiction to religion. Yes, that’s right- you can now read the Bible as an e-book. What differs is the access point to this content. For example, the Kobo can access books from the Kobo website, plus e-books from online stores. In Australia, Borders and Angus & Robertson are retailers of the Kobo and both offer content from their online stores. It doesn’t matter where you purchase the device, you can access content from all three sites. It pays to shop around as prices can differ.

E-readers can usually also view PDF files. This means existing e-books in PDF form can be transferred to your device. E-readers can be synced to your computer or smartphone (in some cases) so all your content is available, wherever you are.

Why are e-readers so different in price?

The price is usually indicative of the memory size: the more memory, the more expensive the device. Some e-readers have a slot for a memory card which can hold extra content. If you think you’ll get through 4000 books in a lifetime, by all means grab yourself a memory card!

It’s worth doing some research before investing in an e-reader. Some are very basic, some are more advanced. Shop around, see which one has the right price and attributes that suit you.

Renee is a freelance copywriter based in Brisbane, Australia. She has written pieces for health publications and newsletters, pet lovers newsletters, various entertainment guides with reviews for movies and music.

Renee has spent much of her working life in the retail sector, learning about people and why they choose one brand over another. This retail experience allows Renee to create winning words for your business- on or offline.