Long gone is the age-old image of curling up against a sofa, illuminated by a fire, and reading a paperback book – no, if anything, the backlight of the roaring fireplace is now replaced by the bright white sheen of a tablet, phone, or computer screen illuminating the face of someone who has taken up reading through electronic books. The rise in popularity of electronic books (more commonly referred to as e-books) has been see throughout the world: since 2011, e-book sales were greater than sales of hardcovers, and electronic readers (also known as e-readers) such as Kindles and Nooks have risen as popular holiday gifts for family and friends.

This rise in popularity has also been particularly visible in South Korea, which had the world’s highest percentage share of e-book sales at 24.2% in 2012, along with an 80% increase in e-book sales in 2013. Korean publishers are also recognizing this trend - nearly 40% of the country’s publishing companies are releasing more than half of their books electronically. Reasons for this continuous, growing interest in e-books may be due to the fact that mobile devices are becoming steadily available. South Korea also has further plans to integrate e-books into common use by digitalizing all of its textbooks in public grade schools by 2015.

Although the increasing availability of mobile devices may be a reason that e-books are becoming more popular, it is not the only one. Many people turn to e-books rather than traditional paper books because e-books have many advantages to reading normal paper books. The biggest advantages of an e-book are its convenience and price. An e-book can be read on any platform, be it a phone, tablet, computer, or an e-reader made specifically for reading e-books. Even without having to go through the trouble of buying a Kindle or a Nook, e-reader applications such as Calibre, Mobipocket, Aldiko, or Kobo all allow e-books to be read through electronic devices one already has in his or her home. Because hundreds of books can be stored in one device, e-books also have become much more convenient when reading while travelling: after all, it is much easier to carry around a phone than it is to carry around dozens of paperbacks.

However, not only is it much more convenient to read an e-book, but it is also much easier to find the book itself. Even without using free e-book specific download websites such asTuebel, Bookyards, Bibliotastic, or Project Gutenburg, a simple Google search of a book’s title often leads to multiple websites where e-books are available for download. As a result, instead of having to sift through hundreds of books at a bookstore in order to find one specific title, searching for e-books simplify the process by allowing readers to find their desired books at the click of a button. For the majority of adults, e-books are all the more convenient and practical than regular paper books.

Another reason many people are drawn to e-books is because of the cheaper prices of e-books. Not only has it become incredibly easier to search and find books, but e-books have also allowed readers to read their books at a much cheaper cost. Most e-books can be downloaded for free, and even those that are not free are usually much cheaper than their paper cousins. For example, Kyobo, South Korea’s largest bookstore, prices its e-books at a range from 2,000 to 9,000 Korean Won, whereas its paperback version is priced at 13,700 Korean Won. Some bookstores even offer a six-month rental plan of 200 Korean Won per book, which further decreases the cost of reading. As a result, downloading and reading an e-book can dramatically reduce the financial burden that buying and reading multiple paper books can have.

In an increasingly digitalized world, e-books are the natural next step in reading. Thanks to the advantages that an e-book brings in its convenient storage, straightforward locating, and cheaper cost, it is possible to find and read new material within the comforts of your own home. So, perhaps, the next time you find yourself playing the same game on your phone or being too lazy to get yourself to the nearest bookstore, try searching, instead, for an e-book. All it takes is a simple click.