Wednesday, January 22, 2014

More and more people turn to e-books



By: Scott Stein, VP of Client Services, Leonard & Finco Public Relations

A new report from the Pew Research Center says the percentage of adults reading e-books is on the rise.

The survey found that 28 percent of American adults had read an e-book in 2013, compared to 23 percent the year before. Nearly 70 percent reported reading a book in print, an increase of about four percentage points from 2012. In addition, the survey found that most people who read e-books also read print books. Count me in that category.

Please understand that it’s tough for me to start my day without the printed newspaper in my hands. So it was a big step for me to dive into reading books on my iPad last year – something my son still has a tough time believing. What I found is that I like it. As a result, I’m quite certain that I read more books last year than in any other year in recent memory.    

I suppose if you consider the time that I spend on my iPad at home, reading a book on the device was probably not a surprise. I have to say that it’s great to be able to look for books, check one out and start reading without ever leaving the house. Of course, there are times that the book or books I’m interested in are already checked out, but that’s no different than a typical visit to the library.  

The Pew Research report also found that the average American adult read or listened to 12 books in the past year. That number may be skewed a bit by those voracious readers that many of us know, so it’s also important to note that the typical or “median” adult read five books in 2013 (meaning that half of the adults read more than five books and half read fewer).   

After finding that I really do enjoy reading e-books, my goal for 2014 is to be above average in the number of books I read. Whether you like to read on an electronic device or find you must have the pages between your fingers, I hope 2014 is an above average reading year for you, too.

Have you tried e-books? What’s your preference when it comes to reading books?  

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