Tips: 6 ways to know if you should buy someone an e-book reader

A sharp increase in traffic to our Ratings of e-book readers (available to subscribers) is confirming predictions that these devices will be among the hot tech gifts of the season. So are the flood of inquiries I'm getting from readers, friends, and colleagues who are seeking advice on whether someone on their gift list is ready for e-reading.

Here are six personal traits that I think tilt the answer to "yes." My tips are for people who primarily read prose books rather than magazines, newspapers, and the like.

They read a lot on the go. Thinner than all but the slimmest tomes but holding hundreds or even thousands of books, e-book readers are made to slip easily into purses and briefcases. If someone reads mostly at home, though the bulk and weight of what they read is less of an issue—and they might happily trade the portability of a reader for the greater readability of a physical book. Check our Ratings to see which e-book readers are lightest and thinnest. (Even non-subscribers can see the specs for specific models.)

They're not totally technology-averse. At their best—as in a well-designed model with a wireless connection to get content—e-book readers are easier to use than most computers or smart phones. But think twice about giving one to someone who, say, calls you frequently for a refresher on how to retrieve messages from their cell phone.

Books aren't cherished objects to them. Some people are hopelessly in love with physical books. My mother-in-law, for example. Despite being a serious bookworm—she even works in a bookstore—and reasonably tech-savvy, she shows no interest in e-book readers. In part, she's ambivalent about reading on a screen. She also happens to love owning books almost as much as she does reading them and has plenty of library space in her rambling old Connecticut home.

They buy a lot of books. Though some e-books can cost $20 or more, most new best-sellers are priced between $9.99 and $14.99, which is notably cheaper than buying them as physical hard-cover books. Popular older titles can also cost less as e-books, such as the hundreds of thousands of free public-domain versions of classic titles. Some e-book readers offer free samples, too: Kindles owners can get a free first chapter of virtually every title, for example.

They're prepared to pay for books. An e-book reader may lighten the financial burden on serious book buyers, but it can also increase spending for those who hardly ever pay for books and instead rely on loans from libraries or friends. You can connect some models, including the Barnes & Noble Nooks and Sony Readers, to a computer to borrow digital books from public libraries at no charge. But not every library offers such e-loans (which work much like physical loans, complete with a time limit). And those that do offer a much smaller selection of e-books than of physical books. (Check at OverDrive.com to see which libraries offer free e-book loans; thanks to our reader David for the link!)

They're having trouble reading regular books. Among the improvements to e-book readers in the last year or two has been the option to display type in bigger sizes—up to about 36 points, which looks like

this.

That feature could be a boon for someone whose eyesight is failing. In addition, the Kindles have a text-to-voice feature that will read any book aloud. The voices, male or female, are somewhat robotic but generally intelligible.

Any other tips from those who own an e-book reader or have given one as a gift? Add your advice below.

—Paul Reynolds