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Will eBooks ever replace paper books?
Last week I started following a really fantastic conversation on LinkedIn about whether or not people believe that eBooks will ultimately replace paper-based books.
Opinions were varied across the board. Most of us agreed that, in the end, we can’t imagine life without our over-filled dusty bookshelves.
Below was my contribution to the conversation….we’d love to hear yours:
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There will always be a home for printed books. I love the record analogy. Some people still love their vinyl!
However, publishers, publishing professionals and authors need to understand that eBooks are the income-generating future of the publishing business. The price of eBook readers continues to come down (anyone remember when an iPod or a PDA was overpriced?). For avid readers, the cost of a Kindle can be offset within the first several months by money saved on purchases that would traditionally include shipping (Amazon), gas (driving to the store), and paying cover price (traditional retailers).
Just to fess up, I bought my first Kindle last year. Actually, my business partner bought it for me because I was vehemently opposed to the idea of an electronic eReader. I swore up and down that my Kindle could NEVER replace the joy I felt while curling up on the couch with a cup of coffee and a good – actual – book.
I’ve been eating my words ever since. The convenience, the ease of bringing multiple “books” while traveling, and the accessibility of having just about any book I want to read 90 seconds away via download has made me a true convert.
Will I give up my dusty bookshelves? Never. Will I continue to by hardcover/paperback books that I want to add to those shelves – classics, favorite authors, etc. Absolutely. Has the printed book become less a part of my reading experience? One hundred percent.
But, kind of like vinyl, I’ll never give them up completely.
All The Best Sara
Monday morning, Publishers Weekly Editor-and-Chief, Sara Nelson, posted an article stating that she was feeling optimistic about our country and industry. She mentioned the new government, the economy, and that her hope that layoffs in the publishing industry were abating. A few hours later, the word went out that Nelson had been caught in the PW layoffs.
The irony aside, Sara should feel optimistic about publishing and our world.
The publishing blog Beyond Hall 8 pointed out that publishing seems to belong to the young. To the casual observer, 28 year old phenoms are taking over the media. Even PW has a regular feature called 40 under 40. We should celebrate the energy and innovation that a constant stream of young hopefuls brings to our businesses. We should not begrudge the phenoms their moment in the sun.
But neither should we forget the contributions and value of our industry leaders. Sara Nelson showed herself to be a very capable leader. She grasped and touted new technology and innovations and never hid behind the comfortable “because we don’t DO it that way in publishing.” stance. Age is not the issue in publishing, innovation and willingness to pay attention is the issue in publishing. Sara Nelson paid attention.
Our industry is going to survive and grow because of people like her. Publishing is better off because of Sara Nelson. She is a consistent, classy, intelligent member of our community who spent her time at PW participating in industry events, showing new-comers a great deal of patience, and still found the time to post well-reasoned, well-written articles that kept our industry well-informed.
Best of luck, Sara… let us know how we can help… we owe you!
D5 Creation