Books have become more and more accessible as technology advances. Where once readers had to have a printed book, they can now have e-books. And where once those e-books had to be viewed on an e-reader, they can now be viewed directly on a plethora of devices thanks to apps. Yet, even with the rising wave of e-books, print books haven’t vanished, leading readers and writers alike to wonder, which is really better, print books or e-books?
While we can’t say which is better based on people’s personal preference, we can show you the numbers that point to which form of reading is most popular.
Q: Which do People Read More? A: Print
Though a Pew Internet Research study found that e-reading is popular, it is sill eclipsed by the popularity of print. On average, 28% of American adults read ebooks, compared to the 69% reading print (source).
Q: Which is Easier to Read? A: E-Books
Because they can literally fit in your pocket, you can carry hundreds of e-books all at once, which makes for light packing and lighter reading. Not only that, but the dynamic text in e-books means that letter size and line spacing can be adjusted to better meet the reader’s need.
Q: Which is Healthier to Read? A: Print
One study published in the PNAS journal found that reading e-books before bed, and having that bright light shining in the viewer’s eyes, decreased the production of melatonin, which is a hormone that prepares the body to fall asleep (source). Consequently, reading e-books before bed can make it more difficult for people to fall asleep at night, meaning less rest, and more stress during the following day.
Q: Which Do Readers Remember Better? A: Print
Though the difference is slight, when readers perused print books, they did on average, remember slightly more than those who read e-books. The reason? Print is tactile, helping your brain to create a stronger memory of the section you’ve read. With e-books, each page looks almost identical, and the weight of your e-reader stays the same. However, with a print book, something as simple as the location of the words on the page, or the amount of pages in your left hand compared to the amount in your right, helps your brain better remember where in the book you read information, also subtly helping you to remember that information better (source).
Q: Which Do People Buy More? A: Variable
Though the sale of e-books skyrocketed when they were first introduced, that incline has now basically plateaued. Why? One reason is that publishers and authors can now set their own e-book prices. And, if the price difference for an e-book and a paperback book is only a couple of dollars, readers would rather have the physical evidence of their spending.
Additionally, reader spending habits depend on accessibility. In the 2015 Digital Book World and Writer’s Digest Author Survey, it was found that self-published authors earned 78.9% of their book income through the sale of e-books, while e-books were only 43.6%, of traditionally published authors’ income (source). However, both traditionally published print books, and self-published print books performed twice as well across all platforms when the print book was accessible through book stores (source). This means, having print books available, regardless of your publishing method, can help increase sales. Additionally, self-published authors have found that print copies of their book, as well as print marketing materials can reach a different market than e-books. See author Brittney Deal’s guest blog post about why you should have a printed copy of your book here.
Most self published books will sell anywhere between 1 and 1,000 print copies. That short run print margin is exactly what Alexander’s is best at. So, if you need small print orders of your self-published book, contact us today in the form below. We’ll help you find the amount of print books best for you, and get your book into your hands.
