Special Guest: Why I read paperback books...and I think you should too by Jeff Gunhus



Why I read paperback books…and I think you should too
By Jeff Gunhus

As a hybrid author with both traditional and self-published works, I have greatly benefitted from the rise of e-books. It’s hard to think back to the world before Kindle and Nooks and IPads. Back when you had to go at an actual bookstore (remember those?) and
browse the aisles, judging books by their cover, cracking open a book every now and then to hear the voice of a new author. Most of the time, this toe dipping would last only a few minutes. Occasionally, you would look up and realize a half hour had passed by, somehow you had ended up sitting on the carpeted floor and were fifty pages into the book. And that’s the book you’d buy.

I know you can get a similar experience online, maybe even a better experience. Cool algorithms check in our your past buying habits to offer you up more of the same books you’ve enjoyed in the past. This can help discoverability every bit as much as browsing the aisles at a large bookstore. You can even toe dip using the “look inside” feature. Even buying a book is more simple. Just hover over a button, hit the buy now icon and the book appears in the device of your choice. Where, if you’re anything like me, it has a good chance of staying indefinitely, totally forgotten.

My reading list is long and grows every time I bounce around Amazon for more than a few minutes. But it’s the paperback novel I purchased that sits on my desk, staring at me, challenging me, that I tend to actually read. More importantly, when I carry a book around with me, my kids see it and they know what I’m reading. When they see me on a device, they might think I’m checking emails, playing Words With Friends, etc. Seeing me with a book in my hand sends the message that reading is fun…and that maybe they should grab a paperback and try it too. 


Jeff Gunhus is the author of both adult thrillers and the Middle Grade/YA series, The Templar Chronicles. The first book, Jack Templar Monster Hunter, was written in an effort to get his reluctant reader eleven-year old son excited about reading. It worked and a new series was born. His book Reaching Your Reluctant Reader has helped hundreds of parents create avid readers. As a father of five, he and his wife lead an active lifestyle simply trying to keep up with their kids. In rare moments of quiet, he can be found in the back of the City Dock Cafe in Annapolis working on his next novel.

His latest book is the thriller/horror novel, Night Terror.  

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