Ebooks vs printed books - from a reader and an author’s perspective

I think of July and August as the dead of winter, hibernation time, time to contemplate, meditate and cogitate. The death of the fiscal year is a time when we are forced to look back on what we’ve done with the year just gone, how much money we've made, and unfortunately how much we spent (and tell all to our financial overlords, i.e. accountants).

I’ve spent some money on printed books this year, I’ll admit, and, I’ve also spent a little bit on eBooks. I’ve paddled into the shallow end by getting free digital books I can read on Kindle (such as The Sun Also Rises, which I found sexist, racist, kind of outdated – but very well written! Anyway, that’s another story… apologies to fans of Hemingway).

As a reader, I can see the attractions of both formats. As an indie author and publisher, I also have to consider what happens before a book reaches a reader's hands, or screen.

The ebooks vs printed books debate looks a little different depending on whether you’re a reader or an indie author.

Ebooks vs printed books: what matters to readers?

1. You can read almost anywhere

My books are always with me, provided my phone is with me and its battery hasn’t given up (and of course my trusty Kindle is charged). If I have a few minutes while waiting for a friend or a meeting, I can open an app and read a few pages. Not at traffic lights, obviously.

Entertainment and knowledge are always at hand. This is strangely comforting.

2. You can get your next book instantly

If I see a post about a book, I can usually buy and download it within minutes. That is a considerable advantage in our want-it-now society.

Also, if I move on to the next post, I may forget what the book was called. Getting it while I remember has its benefits, although perhaps not for my bank balance.

3. They can be easier to hold

A phone or lightweight ereader saves you wrestling with a hefty hardback. You can read War and Peace with one hand and hold a margarita, soda or milkshake in the other.

An iPad can be heavier, of course. The device makes a difference, especially when reading in bed and trying to avoid dropping it on your face.

4. You can take a library on holiday

I like knowing I can take a ridiculous number of books away with me without adding to my baggage allowance.

I probably won’t finish more than one or two, but it’s pleasing to know the others are there in the background, supporting me. Downloading them before leaving home also means I can read without an internet connection.

5. You can make the reading experience suit you

With many ebooks, you can enlarge the text and change the font. Depending on your device or app, you can also adjust lighting and background colour. This is particularly useful when the publisher’s idea of a readable type size differs from yours.

Phones and tablets can bring distractions, though. I open a book, a notification appears, and suddenly I’m doing something entirely unrelated to reading.

6. They often cost less

Ebooks are often cheaper than new printed editions, although not always. There are also free classics and digital library loans.

Printed books have their own economical options: libraries, second-hand bookshops and borrowing from friends. Preferably friends who don’t mind waiting a while to get them back. For that reason, I always gift them. No expectations.

What printed books do particularly well

There’s something satisfying about holding a physical book, turning its pages and seeing exactly how far you’ve progressed. Some readers also find it easier to flick back through a printed book to locate a passage.

A printed book doesn’t need charging. It won’t interrupt you with an email. You can lend it, donate it or pass it on, while lending a purchased ebook depends on the platform and its restrictions.

Printed books also make lovely gifts. A digital download doesn’t quite have the same presence with a note on an email.

For books featuring art, photography or carefully designed pages, print can be a large part of the pleasure. The size, paper, colour and layout all contribute to the experience.

And yes, I like a physical library. Browsing my shelves reminds me of books I’ve loved, books I intend to read and books I apparently felt I needed years ago and still haven’t been opened.

For indie authors: what changes when you are publishing your book?

Printed books involve more physical costs

A paperback needs a cover and an interior designed for its chosen size. A hardback, also called a casebound book, has different production requirements and generally costs more to manufacture.

Printing costs depend on factors such as page count, size, paper and whether the interior uses colour.

If you order a print run, you pay upfront and need somewhere to keep the books. You also need a way to get them to readers, whether through direct sales, events, bookshops or a distributor. Packaging and postage belong in the budget too.

Print-on-demand publishing offers another approach: a copy is printed when a reader orders it. For example, Amazon KDP deducts printing costs from the author’s royalty, avoiding the need to pay for a stack of stock upfront. Each copy still has a production cost.

Ebooks avoid printing and postage, but still need investment

An ebook doesn’t need paper, binding, storage space or a trip to the post office.

It still needs editing, proofreading, a suitable cover and properly prepared files. Selling through a platform also means working within its pricing, payment and distribution arrangements.

There is still distribution, but it is digital. And there is definitely still marketing. Uploading a book does not automatically produce readers, much as we might wish it did.

Formatting depends on the content

For a mainly text-based book, third-party formatting tools can make creating an ebook fairly straightforward.

Most novels and similar books use a reflowable layout: the text adjusts to the reader’s screen and chosen font size. This means the pages won’t look exactly like the printed edition.

Images, captions, tables and elaborate layouts require more care. An image that sits neatly beside a paragraph in print may move when the text reflows. Books that depend on precise arrangements of words and pictures may need a fixed layout, with different reading limitations.

Whatever tool you use, check the finished ebook on different screen sizes. An exported file isn’t necessarily a finished book.

Do you have to choose?

For an indie author, offering both formats can give readers more choice, provided the production costs and work involved make sense.

A novel might suit either format beautifully. An illustrated travel book may offer a different experience in print from the one it offers on a small screen.

As an indie publisher, I found for my books with illustrative content (photos and artwork), it was problematic creating an ebook that would be representative of the work. The double-page spreads just didn’t work, photos pushed text onto the next page leaving large areas of white space that wasn’t intended. There are probably ways around this, e.g. spending hours doing the preparation and testing each iteration of design. In my case, I decided against it.

As a reader, I’m happy to have both printed book and ebook. Give me an ebook for the airport queue and a printed book to browse, admire, lend or give away.

Ebooks are our friends. Printed books are too. There’s room for both, although there may no longer be room on my shelves.

Updated September 2026

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