Ebooks vs. Paper

I love my Kindle, I bought it mostly with the intent that it would be much easier when I went on trips.  I have to admit that in the past when I went on a trip I had 3 or 4 books in my carry-on, I needed to make sure I had enough if I finished the first one or two; so my bag was extremely heavy.  I figured that the Kindle would solve this dilemma for me. 

There are pros and cons to ebooks as compared to traditional paper books; first ebooks are really easy.  They are easy to buy, easy to carry around (literally hundreds of books are on my kindle and now even on my iphone whenever I want them), and easy to use.  Second, ebooks are more environmentally friendly, an important consideration to my sustainability poster girl daughter.  Third - you can “borrow” ebooks from the library without worrying about return dates, no more fines for late books.  With all of that said, I am not convinced to entirely give up on traditional paper books.  Paper books don’t need electricity; they never run out of battery.  I have to admit, when I dreamed about the idea of seeing my name in print, I was visualizing a printed paper book.  There is nothing like opening up a brand new book, or opening a very old beloved book with ragged edges and notes in the margin to mark special parts.  I can't help but smile when I see a full shelf of books (or literally dozens of bookshelves in my case).  I do purchase quite a few books for my kindle on Amazon, but there is nothing quite like spending the afternoon browsing in a bookstore.  I love to wander through the shelves, skimming titles and reading the inside and back covers waiting for that special book that speaks to me. 

I have to admit I am a bibliophile - I simply love books.  I have always considered my books among my most prized possessions (second only to photographs and sentimental items like the Lladro statues of gypsies that I got with my Mom on a trip to Italy).  I have so many favorite books and favorite authors.  I have obviously transferred this love to my daughters, as they are both avid readers (although less so while in college for understandable reasons). 

As I consider the world of publishing and the many choices out there, a huge decision for me is whether to try the traditional route of an agent and a publisher with actual "on the bookshelf" books or jump on board with new technology and epublish.  It is a big decision. I am leaning towards epublishing, at least at first.  There are so many options with little or no cost to get started.  I do have quite awhile before I need to make my final decision because for the average novel there is a word count somewhere between 80,000 and 120,000 words and my current manuscript is just over 8,000 words so I still have quite a way to go.