I’ve always loved holding a physical book. The weight in my hands, the smell of the pages, the little imperfections in the print. It feels alive. Like the story exists somewhere outside of my head, in the world, waiting for me to meet it. I can linger on a paragraph, underline a line I love, or just stare at the cover and imagine the story before I even open it.
But then there’s the e-book. And I have to admit; I love it too. Carrying hundreds of books in my pocket on the go, reading in the dark without a lamp, highlighting a sentence, making notes, jumping between chapters… it’s like magic. It makes reading so easy, so portable, and so flexible.
I haven’t published a book myself yet, but I have a friend who does both; physical and digital. Watching her navigate both formats has been somewhat eye-opening. With the physical books, there’s the thrill of seeing a story become tangible, holding it in your hands, maybe even giving it as a gift. With e-books, the possibilities feel endless. Instant access for readers all over the world, a chance to experiment, release stories without waiting for printing or shipping.
Being a writer, I notice how this affects the writing process itself. Physical books often make me think about pacing, about moments that deserve to be savored, highlighted, about scenes that feel solid in the real world. E-books, they push me to think about readability, flow, and how to grab someone’s attention in a few pages.
I also think a lot about publishing. Traditional publishing still has that prestige factor. Seeing your book in a bookstore, displaying it on a shelf, but it can feel restrictive somehow, with the endless querying, searching and all that, which I will get into another time.
Self-publishing, especially digitally, is exciting because it’s immediate and gives you full control. Watching my friend do both makes me realize how each path shapes not just the story, but the writer.
Honestly, I don’t think one is better than the other. They both teach me something different. Physical books make me pause, reflect, savor. E-books let me devour, explore, experiment. Traditional publishing gives polish; self-publishing gives freedom. And sometimes, it’s okay to wander between a physical book and an e-book, letting each day choose its own kind of reading.
Because at the end of the day, they are all stories. And there’s room for every way of reading, writing, and discovering them
