While print media is not going away anytime soon, there are many situations where ebooks have an advantage over print books. 

media update’s Emma Beavon explains six reasons why ebooks are better than print books. 

Print versus digital is an age old debate — generally argued about in the media industry. But that debate has moved to books; are ebooks or print books better? 

Many people argue that print is superior because of the actual feeling of a book and being able to physically turn the pages. Others, however, argue that ebooks are far more functional and take up far less space than print books do.

While both sides have their advocates, there are many people who are fans of both books types as they are not that different when it comes to their fundamental purpose. When comparing the two, you will find that although hardcover books are loved for their feel and authenticity, ebooks are far more functional.

Not convinced? Let’s take a look at some of the advantages that ebooks have over traditional printed books: 

1. Ebooks are instant and accessible

To download an ebook, all you need is an Internet connection — unlike physical books where if you forget to bring the book of news clippings with you, you have to go straight back home to pick it up. 

This means that someone can carry multiple ebooks around, on whatever device they are downloaded onto, and read them whenever they want.

Printed books can often be heavy and can take up quite a lot of space. It is much easier to carry an eReader, laptop, tablet or phone with multiple ebooks downloaded onto them.

This is extremely useful for students and employees as they can go through learning or business material wherever they are without having to carry a million books around. 

2. Ebooks are customisable

Ebooks are extremely useful to companies as they can be customised by employees or clients to fit their specific needs or to update information in the ebook. 

Redbook is a great example of a product that is useful for professionals. This product is a fully customisable ebook that allows PR professionals to easily manage their press coverage. It displays content in a neat, professional and user-friendly way.

Ebooks are mostly cloud-based, which means that they can be updated at anytime. In the case of Redbook, this means that PR professionals can constantly add or remove information from to fit their needs or their client’s needs. 

3. Ebooks allow you to share content

Thanks to an ebook’s online nature, you are able to share the  content with many people — at any time.

In the instance of Redbook, this is a hugely beneficial feature for PR professionals that are making use of this service. This is because they can show their clients the work they have done at the click of a button.

For the PR industry, this is a huge advantage as it is often hard to measure the success of a PR professional, and so, this ebook service gives them something tangible they can show clients to prove their success. 

4. Ebooks offer interactive elements

Videos, audio and additional information through external links are examples of interactive elements that can be added to ebooks. While reading, users are able to bookmark, highlight and make annotations on the ebook. 

These interactive features make the reading experience a more engaging one. WHY?

5. Ebooks are environmentally friendly — for the most part 

As businesses become more focused on ‘going green’, ebooks are becoming a more popular option for sharing content.

The digital nature of ebooks means that the paper printing process is eliminated. This means that money that would have been spent on the printing process is saved. Even though this is a huge benefit, keep in mind that while ebooks save on the printing process, they do still use electricity.

"While mobile phones and digital communication bring convenience and connectivity, they also consume energy. Our multi-megabyte emails, WhatsApps and tweets travelling through the ether all have a carbon footprint — we just don't see it," says Samatha Choles, writer for PAMSA.

Do you prefer ebooks or print books and why? Let us know in the comments section below. 

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Print and digital are often seen to be fighting against one another for dominance. But they might actually be stronger together. Find out more in our article, Print versus digital: Are they even at war? 
*Image courtesy of Vecteezy