Considering the purchase of your first eReader, but aren’t sure what you should take into account? It can be easy to get swamped in details with all the information on the web today – but with a few basic questions you can decide if a handheld eBook reader is right for you.

How much do you spend on books? If you were to total up the cash you spend on books, you might find a rather shocking dollar amount. Even if you are a moderate reader, reading one book a week, you are probably spending around $500 yearly on books. If you read mainly the bestsellers or newly released hardbacks, you might even spend twice that amount. Even moderate readers will save money with the purchase of an eBook reader. For new bestselling books (typically the most pricey of releases), you can often get prices as low as 50% off. A moderate reader can save about $300 a year by using an electronic reader. For frequent readers, it is even more cost effective- saving $500 or more. Since most of the eBook readers cost from about $170 (the Sony pocket edition) to $490 (the new Amazon Kindle DX), the eBook reader will easily pay for itself within the first year alone.

Do you find yourself carrying books, newspapers, or magazines along with you during your work commute, during travels, or at other times? Most people do carry reading material with them to keep themselves occupied during their morning commute, breaks at work, or lunch hour. However, keeping up with all this reading material can get to be a pain and make even organized people feel scattered. If you take reading material when you’re on the go, an eBook reader can truly be a value! You can get all the latest content, including up to the minute newspapers and magazines, delivered instantly to your handheld eBook reader. This is quite a bit easier (and less cumbersome- think of how difficult it is to read a newspaper in tight spaces for example) than having to keep up with papers, books, and magazines.

Do you enjoy having the ability to view photos, read PDF documents, get free books, and have other options typically only seen on computers? Nearly all eReaders offer Wi-Fi that delivers reading material in seconds. If you want to use your eReader for work, or reading any type of PDF documents, you can download PDF files and read them anytime. Some of the newer models of eReaders (like the Amazon Kindle DX) even allow web browsing, while others (the Barnes & Noble Nook and the Sony eReaders) allow you to “check out” and download eBooks for free from your local public library.

If you find that you are spending too much money on books, and too much time and trouble keeping up with them, the eBooks might be an ideal solution. To choose the right eReader for you, it is important to look at a detailed comparison where you can see the features and specifications of each model.