This Sunday’s New York Times had a story called “Shorter E-Books for Smaller Devices,” written by Jenna Wortham, who handles the paper’s tech coverage. She writes that she has trouble reading more than a chapter of a standard-length book on her iPad, because she forgets about it or she can’t remember where she left off.
Many publishers, including Amazon and now TED, are creating short essays and short fiction that can be read in a sitting, and can be purchased for a lower price than a traditional e-book.
I have had the opposite experience reading e-books on my iPad–I find myself pulled back into whatever novel I’m reading, even with all those distracting apps available at the touch of a button. In fact I’ve read more books in the last year since I’ve had my iPad than I had in the few years previous.
I can also see the advantages to having something like TED talks available in “book” format. Some of us (like me) prefer to read a presentation rather than watch it on video. Probably because it’s so much quicker to read than to listen.
Are you reading more or fewer books since you got your Kindle or iPad?