E-books are a great way to read and enjoy literature that’s not available at your local bookstore. But there are some things you may not know about them.
In this post, we will talk about 5 things you didn’t know about eBooks:
- eBooks are cheaper than physical books
- You can read an eBook on your tablet, computer, or phone
- There are many free and low-cost ways to get eBooks
- People on average read about 200 words per minute and the average page has 300 words
- You can highlight text and make notes in an eBook just like with a regular book
A lot of people use eBooks because they can’t afford to buy a physical copy or don’t have space in their house for all the books they want to read.
They are truly ideal if you need an easy-to-carry book on vacation, commute, or when traveling abroad. Plus, they come with many benefits, as they never go out of date and can be accessed from any device with internet access!
1. eBooks are Cheaper than Physical Books
When you buy a physical book, you have to pay for the cost of the book and then shipping.
When it comes to eBooks, they are cheaper than their physical counterpart because there are no shipping costs or taxes. All you need is your reading device of choice and an internet connection.
The ebook prices remain the same, even after they’ve been downloaded onto your device and stored on it.
Amazon has a Kindle Unlimited service that you can use to get access to popular books with monthly fees as low as $11.99 per month.
There’s even a feature called “Kindle Matchbook” that will match the Kindle price of a physical book if you buy it digitally. You can also save a few dollars by buying the book that you want at full price and then downloading it to your device in part or as an ebook.
With a physical book, you have to consider the cost of the product and then ship it to you. On average, a book costs about $29.99, plus the shipping price of about $12 depending on where you live in the US.
With an ebook, you don’t have to worry about paying for shipping and can buy it without having to leave your house or wait for a delivery man’s arrival.
Furthermore, eBooks do not require physical space as books do. This means they take up less room and can be carried anywhere with ease, as we will see below!
2. You Can Read an eBook on your Tablet, Computer, or Phone
The eBook is a powerful medium that can be read on a variety of devices, including phones and tablets. The portability of these devices allows for convenience in reading wherever you go.
Physical books take up space. You can’t travel with them as easily and you need to keep them somewhere safe.
With an eBook, all that is needed is your reading device of choice because they weigh nothing and don’t have any shipping costs when it comes to buying the book.
Kindle books also don’t take up space on your device. You can have thousands of eBooks stored and ready to transport with you at any time, without costing as much money or taking up a lot of room in your home.
We know, however, that it can be hard choosing which device is best for you when there are so many options available in the market today.
If you’re looking for an e-reader that offers a lot of storage without having to purchase any additional cloud services, then the Kindle Paperwhite might just be perfect for reading your favorite eBooks.
But if money isn’t an issue then we highly recommend getting one of Amazon’s newest models: the new Kindle Oasis! This model comes loaded with features and has a large, high-resolution display that will make it easier to read your favorite books.
It also has the longest battery life, so you won’t have to worry about charging your e-reader anytime soon!
An alternative could be the Kindle Voyage, which offers a slim design that is perfect for traveling, or an iPad if you’re on the go often and don’t want to have to worry about charging your device all of the time.
This tablet provides plenty of storage space so that you’ll never run out of room for your favorite books.
It also has a light-weight design which is perfect for easy carrying and reading in dark situations!
3. There are Many Free and Low-Cost Ways to Get eBooks
We live in a digital age where we can access information on the internet with just one click of a mouse.
It’s no wonder, then, that there are many ways to get free or low-cost eBooks. From downloading them from an online library like Project Gutenberg to borrowing them from your local library, there are plenty of opportunities for you to read books without spending much money at all! In Gutenberg.org, in particular, you can download free eBooks in MOBI, EPUB, and PDF formats!
You can also buy a Kindle, but for most people, it is cheaper to download free or low-cost apps from Apple, Google Play, Nook, and Kobo. Apps are available for both Android and iOS devices so there is no need to be locked in one ecosystem!
In addition, there are many internet sites where you can download free or low-cost eBooks. One example is “The Internet Archive” which has over 12 million books in its collection, including a variety of literary classics and texts from numerous languages.
Another way to get eBooks is from your local library. Libraries usually have a very large selection of popular books, so you’ll be able to find something for pretty much any genre or interest!
You may ask which books are available for free or low-cost eBook downloads? The answer is many of the most popular novels as well as classics such as “War and Peace” by Leo Tolstoy, or “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens.
As you see, there is something for all tastes and all reading levels.
4. People on Average Read About 200 Words per Minute and the Average Page has 300 Words
The average person reads at 200 words per minute which is why publishers recommend using 300 words per page in an ebook for optimum readability and comprehension.
You can use 20-30% more content but make sure there’s still enough tension and pace as too many short sentences can be distracting.
You should try to engage the reader to continue reading your eBook:
- Add a cliffhanger to each chapter, include suspenseful dialogue, or have one sentence per paragraph.
- Use subheadings for complex content such as the first few chapters of a non-fiction book so that readers can find what they want quickly and easily.
- Keep paragraphs short (no more than five sentences) with clear headings/subheadings.
- Write content that is concise and clear, with an engaging style for maximum readability.
Every person has a different reading speed, but you must know what your readers are capable of reading so you can optimize for maximum comprehension of your ebook.
5. You Can Highlight Text and Make Notes Just Like with a Regular Book
If you’re reading a book on your device and want to highlight text or make notes, don’t worry!
E-books are just like regular books. You can highlight text and make notes in an eBook in the same way. It’s really easy!
The first thing you’ll need to do is find the section of the eBook that you want to mark up. When you click on it, it will open up as if it were any other page in the book.
You should be able to see a toolbar at the top of the screen with different highlighting colors available (black, yellow, green) as well as underline and strikethrough options.
Now go ahead and use these tools to highlight anything important or make notes in the margins.
If you want to erase your markings, just tap on one of the “X” marks at the top of the screen and it will remove everything from that page without affecting anything else in your book.
When you are done highlighting and making notes on a particular page, just tap the “Done” button to save your changes. If you don’t want to save what you’ve highlighted or made notes about, then be sure not to hit that “Done” button.
Now you can read any eBook with the same ease as reading a regular book!
Conclusion
We’ve covered five of the most interesting things you may not know about eBooks.
From their affordability to how they’re ideal for commuters, there are plenty of reasons why your next purchase should be an eBook.
They are a great way for people who can’t afford or don’t want physical books, as well as those who live in small spaces and need something they can easily carry around with them.
If you’re looking for a way to read the latest and greatest books on your favorite topic, an eBook is just what you need. You’ll never have to worry about running out of reading material again!
So what you’re waiting for?
Go and buy your first ebook!
