Physical vs. Digital books

Given that we’re going to be broadening discussions around here into technology in an attempt to be even more Comprehensive about our Christianity, I thought we could start with the tech of ebook publishing. The focus here at C.C. is predominantly about digital books (Ebooks), with a nod to physical books utilizing Amazon’s POD (print on demand) service. To be honest, I’d initially ruled out physical books as I know nothing about getting books printed. My limited 3rd party experience with getting physical books published revealed two voracious demands: Time & Money. Just getting a hardback book project started costs 10s of thousands of dollars, several people and still takes a year or more. Those costs do not cover any marketing of the book when it is done.

On the other hand, the project here at at C.C. cost me about 3 days of research and testing of publishing services and software, then a mere $40 to buy the software I settled on. Fast and inexpensive. In the first 18 months of this project 13 books were published with an average book page count of 222 pages in 3 digital formats (epub, mobi, PDF) and paperback. All this for $40 and my time, probably only 6 hours / day, 5 days / week at that point. So a 222 page book every 6 weeks with one person for $40 isn’t bad, eh?

Something to keep in mind…

The picture accompanying this post is one of the core rooms in our house, the library. Books in every format are important to us and we consider them legacy items for generations to come. Our nieces and nephews should plan accordingly!

Of course since June 2020, my wife and I built a house, moved, settled and I’m just now getting back to a regular schedule, so yes, things have slowed down production-wise, but Lord willing will return to the original pace, with even more content, soon.

All that to explain why, at the end of the day, the focus here is on ebooks with printed books as an option so long as they remain inexpensive and quick to accomplish. This also returns us to the topic of this and the next couple posts and one that sparks intense discussion everywhere I go…

Which is better, physical or digital books?

I’m going to give each their due. First we’ll discuss the ways in which physical books are better, then the ways in which digital books are better, then lastly, the post that will hopefully spark discussion: Which is truly “better”, IMHBAO*?

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* In My Humble, But Accurate Opinion