The publishing industry has seen a great change in the last few years with the introduction of eBooks and audiobooks. The sales of these formats have led to new opportunities and rising interest in older books which are now profitable. This means that they are accessible to many more readers than ever before.
As an author, you’re always on the lookout for ways to improve your writing skills, and as such one of the hot talking points in the publishing industry could be just that. Naysayers may claim that not only is e-reading no substitute for a traditional book but that it may actually deter people from picking up anything longer than a “cheat sheet”.
Besides, some people are simply wondering if there still are any benefits to reading print books anymore. So which format is right for you? Is there really something better than an engaging page-turner? Is eBook better than audiobook? What are the differences?
We’ll explore these questions as well as shed more light on the situation by sifting through a number of quality arguments put forth by each side – both physical and digital book worshippers alike.
Let’s talk about the major pros and cons of Audiobooks vs eBooks.
Pros of EBook
Highlighting
When you highlight with an eBook, all of the highlights are saved in easy-to-access locations that make it really easy to go back and review what you’ve learned. Most readers are able to mark their spots, too so they know precisely where to go when referencing the highlights for content further down the line.
Highlighting important points or phrases in non-fiction books can be crucial to your success and is an absolute must when it comes to learning all of the details related to whatever subject matter you happen to be reading about.
Cost Effective
EBooks are a lot less expensive than audiobooks because there is absolutely no additional cost for either narration or printing. Moreover, if you have to have a physical copy shipped online, you will also have to pay for the cost of shipping and delivery, which can be considerable depending on how many pages the book contains.
On the other hand, they’re extremely convenient as you get access to them immediately upon purchase. This is the main reason why publishers find it easier and more practical to turn to eBooks globally due to the fact that there are neither inherent nor extra costs involved with physically distributing them.
EBooks are More Accessible
Anyone can put together a great book of their written content and market it well. It’s also possible to make a living from what you’ve created too – this is especially applicable when it comes to selling a digital eBook. But it’s also applicable when selling the more traditional paperback book form. This was something that used to be incredibly difficult to achieve, but now anyone can be an author because of the convenience one would get by publishing an eBook.
The digital transformation has revolutionized the publishing industry, and that is the core reason why eBooks have become more accessible than ever.
Environmentally Friendly
While some of us were enjoying the latest paperbacks, e-books were actually thriving in popularity, and then later became pretty mainstream, meaning there’s a lot less wood pulp being used than would have been before now. E-books are quite environmentally friendly because they do not need any ink or paper. Eco-conscious readers can still have an extensive library on their devices without having to worry about it adding to greenhouse gas emissions.
Font Adjustment
Perhaps one of the top pros of eBooks is that you can always adjust the font according to your preferences. It can be a challenge to read printed books as the sizes of the text are minuscule. This can be quite frustrating for people with poor vision. Also, it’s easier to get tired of having to continuously strain your eyes when reading in printed form. However, you do have options though. Books in electronic format can easily make reading a lot less stressful and easier on the eyes than their print counterparts so keep this into consideration moving forward when planning your next project.
One can also adjust font sizes to find something that better suits one’s preferences! When you buy an eBook, you will have several options available to customize it such as adding bookmarks for easy reference or highlighting content that’s important to you as well.
Cons of EBook
Might Get Distracted
Whenever it comes to reading with tablets and phones, instead of using a dedicated e-reading device, we know how often the push notifications on our devices can be so distracting. Push notifications keep popping up every five minutes from apps and other things like messages and social media. All these distractions take away from the experience of being lost in the moment amidst your book.
Another concern is when someone calls you during the reading process which really takes away from being able to focus 100% unless you program your phone not to ring/vibrate during certain hours, this will allow you not to be distracted by answering the phone while trying to finish that last chapter or two!
It is not a Physical Copy
Some people just prefer a physical book to an e-book. They’re traditionalists, they like things that are tangible and are built to last. To others, the new way of reading is far better because e-books can be accessed on any device that is capable of downloading them. It’s easier, it allows for a larger audience to have access to your books, and since people like everything instantly these days there aren’t long stretches of time spent waiting for your novels to arrive from an online source.
Piracy
Piracy is a problem for many, especially for those directly involved with the music industry. Due to this reason, the film and music industry did what they could to find a way around these ‘problems’. Publishing companies that deal in eBooks have not been able to do this yet, unfortunately.
While eBook-selling platforms like Amazon are doing their best to protect their digital assets, piracy is still a major issue. Despite all the protocols in place, making pirated copies of paid eBooks is extremely easy – and it’s a big problem for authors because they aren’t making nearly as much money as they should be. On the other hand, audiobooks are harder to pirate simply because they’re audio files rather than text or digital files so it’s much harder to produce an identical copy even if you tried.
Continuous Reading Results in Draining Battery
Keeping your screen on for multiple hours can quickly drain your battery life. With smartphones and tablets, the brightness of your screen might not be as intense as it is with computer work but having any sort of light nearby can still soak up a lot of juice.
Compared to eBooks and audiobooks, paper books are much more power-friendly than eBooks or other forms of digital media because paper books only take up a little power compared to all other devices that require batteries or have the potential to suck up a lot of electricity in an ineffective way.
EBook is Difficult to Share
Most eBooks are probably fine for reading but the sharing of an audiobook is a lot better. Unfortunately due to piracy most eBook popular platforms impose different license protocols which create obstacles for both the author and their readers. To share eBooks with your friends and family can be hard as these platforms make this quite difficult.
Pros of Audiobook
Listen to Audiobook from Anywhere
This is a great way to relax and be productive all at once. It is a great resource for entrepreneurs and freelancers because you don’t have to go anywhere – all you need is your smartphone or iPod/iPad to listen on the way to work or when doing housework!
Productive
Whether or not audiobooks can really be used to multitask is still a controversial topic. Generally speaking, if you’re doing something that doesn’t require your full attention such as driving in areas that are known to you and don’t have too many risks that could endanger your life, you are able to listen to audiobooks while going about this type of activity. However, chores or things that may require your full attention such as cooking new meals and learning how to cook need to be done with complete undivided attention so as not to burn out or make mistakes.
There’s never just one correct way to group tasks together, in fact, each individual is different, however when it comes down to listening to or reading an audiobook paired with another task the most important thing is actually trying before deciding whether it works well for you or not.
It’s Easily Downloadable
No matter how fast your internet connection may be, audiobooks can typically still load and transfer within a few minutes. Although audiobooks’ file sizes are typically based on hours of audio playback, you can download and listen to multiple books at once if you have the space available on your device. Moreover, for those with Audible books from Amazon, the handy feature of highlighting words or phrases that pop out in the narration as you listen to it can be used to improve your English language skills.
Cons of Audiobook
The audiobook is More Time-Consuming
There’s a reason why people read books and not listen to audiobooks! The great thing about audiobooks is that they can be versatile–one can either choose to listen to the main passage of the work or, if they so choose, can pause it to read over sections that require more focus. Of course, this option isn’t all-or-nothing; at any given time an individual—audible or speakerphone mode or their preference—can take their current activity and simply put it on hold for fifteen seconds. Audiobook definitely ruins the entire experience.
Audiobooks Are Expensive than EBooks
Making an audiobook can be a daunting task financially. First, the process of turning a book into an audiobook requires a narrator who is paid for their time and effort. This increases production costs when compared to books that don’t include an audio component. For example, if a paperback book costs $20, the same audiobook may incur twice the cost to the buyer. But there are ways to find affordable packages for consumers.
Affects Your Reading Skills
While audiobooks are incredibly useful, they can also have the unfortunate side effect of “un-learning” how to read. Learning how to read was definitely a painstaking process for you, wasn’t it? But I bet that eventually, you could read at a pretty consistent speed. What if your parents just fed you book after book without ever teaching you how to understand our language?
Makes You Lazy
If you listen to audiobooks too much, there’s a chance that you may not read normal books anymore. This can eventually lead to someone being lazy because as this becomes the norm it will be quite convenient for one. It works for now but over time, it can become a habit that negatively impacts your life by becoming too easy to give up on things if they don’t work out instantly in your favor. This comes across as wanting to place convenience first in many situations so it is truly vital that you put effort into doing better in this area of your life though!
You Can Easily Get Distracted
People who love audiobooks might find it distracting to listen to a book and do other things at the same time. If you are mixing reading up with other chores, then you might face problems understanding what is being said in one or the other because your attention would be divided.
Wrapping Up
When it comes to Audiobooks vs eBooks, everyone has their own preference. You may want information on audiobooks vs eBooks or you may require help with academic assignments. Although they’re not similar as you might think. As you can see with this quick breakdown, you can choose the format that works best for you depending on what’s more convenient or works better based on your preferences and reading habits.
