Paper or Plastic? (Also a Giveaway)

Usually the paper or plastic conundrum arises in the context of you standing at the checkout stand of a store.

Choose plastic and save a tree. Wait! Paper means you're reducing the pollution factor of plastic in favor of a renewable resource. OK, so paper is better. Except, all those poor trees...  Or, do you produce your own bag? I have one of those nifty Chico bags that folds up smaller than my fist and expands into quite a large bag suitable for carrying just about anything. I keep it in my purse.

Sometimes I do wish things were more straightforward. In fact, what I wish is for the groceries to magically appear in my house. When I need fresh batteries, I want to open the drawer and find exactly what I need, right there, as if I never forgot to buy AA's when I went shopping last week. It's a delivery system that has yet to be perfected, though I remain hopeful for a breakthrough. (3-D printer?)

There's a similar dilemma in the book world. Now when I make my reading purchase decision I must ask myself, paper or plastic? By which I mean, paper book or eBook? Analogue or Digital?

Resistance is Futile.  Or Is it?

Despite laughably and, it seems to me, willfully ignorant, defenses of paper books (see, eg Jonathan Franzen's remarks) there's nothing wrong with preferring to read in paper. Nor is there something evil about preferring to read an eBook.

I've compiled a table of differences that is in no way exhaustive:

Event	Paper	eBook
Read in Bath	Yes	Yes (Zip-Lock Bag!)
Read in Shower	No	Yes (Zip-Lock Bag!)
Water Disaster resistance	Poor.	Very Poor
Durability of Content	Variable	High
Complexity of Device	Low	Medium
Self-Contained	Yes	No
Can Read in Dark	No	Yes, but device dependent
Cost	Variable	Variable
Ease of updates and corrections	Low	High
Instantly searchable	No	Yes
Likelihood of Equipment failure	Pretty low	Medium
Likelihood that container will become obsolete so you have to buy a new or different one	Variable	Inevitable
Weight	Variable	Ounces
Portability	Variable	High
Durability of Container	Highly variable	Variable
Dropping disaster resistance	High	Height Dependent
Fire Resistance	Low	High (for content)
Extended Warranty for Container	No	Available
Number of stories in Container	Limited	Unlimited (assuming cloud storage)
Travel required to obtain content	Usually	No
Time between purchase and reading, including travel or delivery time	Days to Minutes	Less than 30 seconds
Space required for TBR	Out of Control	None

I could go on and on and, to be honest, doing so would be pretty amusing.

My Own Experience

For a long time, I couldn't afford a dedicated reader. Prices have come down considerably, and now I can. I have an iPhone and for an embarrassingly long time I assumed there was no point trying to read on such a small screen. How fun would that be? Then one of my favorite authors ever sent me an advance copy of one of her books. I loaded it up on my phone (easy enough to do) and I discovered I was WRONG about reading on a small screen. It was no problem at all. In fact, I LOVED it.

Then I got an iPad and whoa. Even MORE fun and convenient. With an eReader, I'm highly unlikely to run out of stuff to read. I spend much much more on books now, and I spent a lot before.

I do, however, continue to purchase research books in print. eBooks are not yet at a place where they exceed the ability of print to show and display content like photographs, diagrams etc. I recently purchased two print books on houses in London and Mayfair. Both these books rely on photographs and artwork to convey the history of houses. Though I can easily imagine a time when technology solves the display of information issues, it's not well-solved yet. I would urge you, however, to take a look at the app The Elements, which is a tour-de-force of the display of visual information in a meaningful way. It's coming...

What about You?

So, where are you on the paper vs. Plastic issue? Let me know in the comments!

The Giveaway

My historical romance, Not Wicked Enough, releases today!

Berkley Sensation
February 7, 2012
ISBN: 978-0425246603

When Lily Wellstone heads to the Bitterward Estate to comfort her widowed friend Eugenia, she certainly does not have romance in mind. In fact the playful but level-headed Lily is amused to no end when, en route, a gypsy gifts her with a beautiful medallion, claiming it will ensnare the romantic desires of a stranger.

But Fate has other plans in the form of Eugenia’s ruggedly handsome brother, the Duke of Mountjoy. One day at Bitterward and Lily can’t deny the sizzling attraction between her and the roguish duke. Nothing can come of it, of course. She’s not looking for entanglements and he's practically engaged. But whether it’s her outgoing nature and the duke’s outlandish ways sparking off one another; or the mysterious gypsy medallion working “magic”—hearts are stirring in the most unexpected and wicked ways…

Read Chapter 1 of Not Wicked Enough


Buy Not Wicked Enough

I'll send one random commenter a paper or digital copy of Not Wicked Enough. Here's the rules:

Void where prohibited. No purchase necessary. Must be 18 or older to enter. You MUST leave me a way to contact you if you win. I will send a paper book anywhere mail goes. I cannot, however, guarantee that I can send or provide a digital version to someone outside the US, as that availability is entirely controlled by my publisher. I will gift a digital version where the vendor permits such gifting, so if your preferred vendor doesn't permit that you'll be stuck with print.

Leave your comment by midnight Pacific February 14. I will select a winner at random around February 15 or 16.