eBook

 

An eBook is an electronic version of a traditional print book that can be read by using a personal computer or by using an eBook reader. (An eBook reader can be a software application for use on a computer, such as Microsoft’s free Reader application, or a book-sized computer that is used solely as a reading device) Users can purchase an eBook on diskette or CD, but the most popular method of getting an eBook is to purchase a downloadable file of the eBook (or other reading material) from a Web site to be read from the user’s computer or reading device. Generally, an eBook can be downloaded in five minutes or less.

Although it is not necessary to use a reader application or device in order to read an Ebook (most books can be read as PDF files), they are popular because they enable options similar to those of a paper book – readers can bookmark pages, make notes, highlight passages, and save selected text. In addition to these familiar possibilities, eBook readers also include built-in dictionaries, and alterable font sizes and styles. Typically, an eBook reader hand-held device weighs from about twenty-two ounces to three or four pounds and can store from four thousand to over half a million pages of text and graphics. A popular feature is its back-lit screen (which makes reading in the dark possible).

eBook Benefits

As a reader, eBooks provide several benefits that physical books don’t. Here’s our list of the top 8 benefits of reading eBooks instead of or in addition to physical books.

1. Save Money with eBooks

The average eBook price has dropped dramatically in recent years and is now less than $5, while the average print book price is still over $10.

2. Instant Gratification

If you own a Kindle device, smartphone, computer or tablet device, you can buy any eBook immediately, download it instantly to your device and start reading it right now! Even with Amazon Prime and same-day delivery, you still have to wait a few hours for a physical book to appear after you order it.

3. Transportation Convenience

You can carry literally thousands of eBooks on your smartphone, iPad or e-reader device and they weigh nothing! Try carrying a thousand print books next time you travel – you just can’t do it. But with eBooks, you can carry an almost unlimited amount of books with you wherever you go.

4. Sync Your Reading Place

When you stop reading, your e-reader device will sync to where you left off. As soon as you open the eBook up to start reading again, it will immediately take you to the exact spot where you left off. It will even do this by syncing your reading location across different devices. That means if you read on your iPhone as well as on your Kindle device, you can switch back and forth without ever losing your place or having to reread pages you already read before.

5. Save 8 Million Trees Each Year

One of the huge benefits of reading eBooks as opposed to conventional printed books is that it saves TONS of trees. Readers buy more than 500 Million eBooks every year, which reduces the amount of trees we have to cut down to print books by 8 Million trees per year (according to math from ePublishersweekly). Over the next hundred years, that’s more than 800 Million trees that will be saved assuming the eBook market doesn’t grow any more.

6. No More Book Storage Issues

If you have a huge library in your home, you’re all set up to store plenty of books. But for folks on a budget or who live in small spaces or in cities, eBooks provide a huge benefit by reducing the amount of space you need to store your books.

7. Ebooks Are Searchable

Because eBooks are read on computers, you can easily search for anything you need within a book.

8. Customize Your eBook Fonts

When you read an eBook, the font type and sizing is completely customizable. For the visually impaired, you can read on 30-size Arial font or larger all at the touch of a button. You just can’t do that with a physical book.