After my recent blog titled “Tools for eBook Submission,” I’ve received many comments and emails asking about reading digital books. This is why I’ve decided to write about “14 Common Misconceptions about eBooks.” People seem to believe in some very wrong notions and myths that are simply misleading. Now would be a good time for me to set the records straight and prove to you that reading digital books is not different from reading hardcopy books. Reading eBooks is actually very benefiting for people and in fact they save cost too.
Here’s what you may have heard and been misled.
Frequent Misconceptions about eBooks:
Myth #1: Reading eBooks is bad for the Eyes
While most people can read digital books on their iPhones or iPads, most people prefer using eBook readers, which have the e-Ink displays. This technology is different from the one in televisions and computers which has backlit screens. E-ink makes the background look like a paper, so you can even read the content under sunlight. The writing remains crisp from every angle, and you can even adjust the font size to make it more readable. This way, you don’t strain your eyes.
Myth #2: You can miss pages while scrolling. You cannot turn pages.
Modern technology makes e-Books look like books, only that they are digital. With the gentle touch/ swipe/tab using your finger, you can turn the pages over and read pages as you like. You don’t have to miss reading even a single page.
Myth #3: You cannot backup eBooks
Some people believe that once you break the eBook reader, or if you lose the files, then there are no backups. While there may be different formats with each device that you use, this statement is not true. If you purchase books from Amazon Kindle, your account always has a backup copy of all e-Books that you’ve purchased. Therefore, you can always access the files from your PC, Kindle reader, or iPhone.
Myth #4: You cannot lend eBooks to people your know
Amazon offers users an opportunity to share e-Books with up to six people from the same account. Nook also has the “LendMe” option, which allows users to share any title with people for fourteen days at most, if the publisher allows this.
Myth #5: You cannot access eBook libraries
Do you know that approximately 5,400 libraries in the world are now offering e-Books? In fact, the numbers of eBook libraries in the world are increasing with each passing day. You can check out and check in once you complete reading them.
Myth #6: Reading eBooks requires much power supply
This is a very misleading statement. eBook readers consume very little power and are extremely easy to manage. Once you charge them to full battery, they can last several days. Therefore, they do not require much power supply even if you read books often.
Myth #7: They are very expensive
This is a very false statement. In fact, e-Books cost much less than hard copies because they do not include cost of printing. Digital books are hardly worth more than $25, unless it is a very big and genuinely rare book to read, by a very famous writer.
Myth #8: Readers are not good for the surroundings
According to CleanTech research, e-readers have lesser carbon print as compared to physical books. Cycling paper and printing books emits more carbon particles than a digital copy.
Myth #9: eBooks are a bad idea for authors and publishers
While most publishers may not be paying authors a fair amount of royalties for digital books, there are no other negative consequences of publishing eBooks. According to some reports, most publishers receive 50% of the price for each listed book. While Amazon may be a loss leader for writers and publishers, in the end publishers receive roughly the same amount as they would from a hard copy. There is no loss as for both parties as such.
Myth #10: Unless you have a PayPal account, you cannot purchase e-Books
While this may be true for Amazon and other famous eBook platforms online, you can still find websites that sell e-Books in the local currency. For example, at Lifestyle, eBooks, and Blogs, we are working towards increasing out eBook market.
Myth #11: You cannot use the e-reader to read books while you are in a pool
Whether you are in the bathtub or relaxing in the pool, you can read eBooks safely. If you can put your device inside a Ziploc bag, which his waterproof and sand proof, you can take your books with you anywhere without any risk.
Myth #12: They are not green lifestyle
If you were one of those people who are ‘green’ conscious, then you would know that hard copies require several leaves of paper. On the other hand, digital books save the planet by reducing cost of printing and preventing use of wood to make paper.
Myth #13: eBooks are only for adults readers
This is a completely misleading statement too. E-Books are available for all age groups. You can find a variety of titles and niches for everyone. There are fiction books, novels, academic books, cookbooks, children’s books, etc. Just name it.
Myth #14: Reading digital books is cumbersome and not portable
The entire idea about eBooks is that they are easy to carry around with you. This makes reading books more fun, portable, and convenient for everyone. E-readers are small devices that are very easy to carry around, and once charged, they can work for several hours. This means that you can read the books even while you are on the go.
I hope that this article has cleared your confusions about eBooks. Thank you for making time to read this blog. Please feel free to share your thoughts about it down below because we will sincerely appreciate your comments. Do subscribe to our future blogs too.
Click here to read our previous post “20 Benefits of Lavender Essential Oils for Your Hair, Skin, and Health” in case you missed it. To read more about amazing lifestyle tips, keep visiting us on www.lifestyleglitz.com. We are all you need for a great and happy lifestyle!
