JK Rowling prefers paper books to e-books

London: Celebrated writer JK Rowling prefers the romance of the printed book rather than e-books even though she has recently acquired a tablet that has a library of over 200 books.

Speaking to journalists and others at a book reading event at the Southbank Centre here, Rowling said that until some time ago she was "hesitant" to use e-books, because "I didn't understand it, but finally I got it."

She could carry over 200 books in a tablet while on a holiday recently, which she said was useful to read whichever book she wanted, but insisted that "I always loved printed paper."

Rowling said the Internet had made it an \"interesting time\" to be a writer.

Rowling said the Internet had made it an "interesting time" to be a writer. There were fewer readers now and the published industry was "in a state", but now at the click of a button a writer could publish on Kindle and other such devices.

"When I started writing in the early 1990s things were different", she said. Rowling's latest book, The Casual Vacancy, published last week to mixed reviews, has already sold millions of copies (paper and electronic versions).

Rowling justified unusual and roundly criticised secrecy by her publisher before the book was launched. Earlier, she said, due to the internet, drafts and proofs of books would often find their way on websites selling goods, such as e-bay.

Asked for advice to aspiring writers, Rowling said that instead of waiting for inspiration, "you can make inspiration come to you."

Inspiration, she said, was necessary, "but then comes the hard work". "My favourite place to be is when you are two-thirds into writing a book then I get into a state of permanent inspiration. I find early morning is a good time start writing", Rowling said, and advised aspiring writers to go through an agent to publish, since creative people were not always able to deal with the "hard work" involved on the business side of publishing.

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