Online literature book apps, or ebook apps, have become increasingly popular owing to the convenience they offer. With the ease of carrying literally thousands of books on your phone coupled with a lower cost of ebooks, these apps are being eagerly embraced by more and more book lovers. The question that arises is – are ebooks changing our reading habits? Let’s find out.
The manner in which people read has been changing radically. While some people make the switch to ebooks completely, many prefer to read both ebooks and print books. The Covid-19 pandemic, however, stirred things up. It has accelerated the growth of ebooks due to stay-at-home orders and decreased social contact. An ebook store Kobo reported that eBook consumption on their platform is up by 60% year-on-year for March. Additionally, the use of their eReaders has also surged, as the number of times that people who use their device increased by a whopping 61%. This trend has been reflected by several other ebook platforms.
The advent of ebooks has definitely changed our reading habits, for better or worse. They’ve also changed things for publishers, as the growth of the digital reading culture is enabling authors and publishers to try new and creative opportunities to develop their books further and delight the readers. It has also allowed authors to directly publish their works, to connect closely with their readers and, importantly, to conceive newer ways of telling their stories. Some online book platforms also allow their readers to connect with the authors through their apps, which is a great way of enriching the reading community.
“Another thing that I like about e-books is that they’re searchable, so it’s really useful for fact-checking.”
Benefits of eBooks
Our way of accessing new information has significantly changed since digital books became mainstream. Long gone are the days of combing through library shelves for books to find specific pieces of information. The internet and search engines have given us the ability to search through thousands of resources on just about any subject with a click of a button while sitting in the comfort of our homes. Finding specific information using a search engine is far more efficient and convenient, as compared to physically doing so.
Thinking about how I read paper books, I realize that I skim ahead a lot, often reading fragments of the text in advance. At times I even read the book’s ending early on. However, when I’m reading an eBook, I don’t do that. I barely ever read the ending before I actually get there. One can say that my reading has become quite disciplined.
Another thing that I like about e-books is that they’re searchable, so it’s really useful for fact-checking. Besides, I can also store my notes and highlights on the device, which allows me to quickly find pieces of text when I’m writing.
Other features such as the option to reserve a book I want online are also quite useful. This saves a lot of time as compared to searching for a book in a library. For people like me who fear being on a plane or the subway or in a line with nothing to read, ebooks have come to the rescue. I can now carry an entire library with me at all times and read with one hand in a crowded train.
In conclusion, our reading habits are evolving with the advent of newer ways of reading such as digital books and audiobooks. However, the extent of this change stays in the readers’ hands (literally). Contact us to know more.
