5 Commonalities of E-books and Paperbacks

Instead of framing this debate as an either/or proposition, let's see where the two formats overlap.

1. Both digital and printed books are soldiers in the battle to promote the written word. Mass audiences today overwhelmingly consume oral entertainment (TV/movies), which actually discourages critical thinking. 

2. Time alone without distractions is still required.

3. Semantic processing - how a reader understands and remembers a story - occurs in the same fashion regardless of format.

4. Contemplation, reflection and self-examination are the desired result of each.

5. Elements are the enemy of both. Drop your e-reader in the bath and most likely it's kaput. Same with paperbacks or hardcovers.

As British novelist Nicholas Shakespeare has said, a writer shouldn't think of him/herself writing on paper or writing on a screen but on a human heart.