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| Photo credit: Johan Larsson on Flickr |
Before I go on, I'd like to say (once again) that I love print books. Nothing beats the smell of a new book (except maybe new shoes), and I love having something tangible in my hands as I read and I love comparing the texture of the paper and most of all, I love collecting my books and adding them to my overflowing bookshelf.
But I also love my e-reader. I love not having to worry about losing (or finding) a bookmark, I love being able to rest the e-reader on my lap while I sit outside without fear of the wind blowing the pages around while I'm trying to read and I love that I can carry as many books as my heart desires in a little device that doesn't weigh more than a couple pounds.
I think that sometimes people get caught up in choosing a side between print and electronic books and they forget that a book is a book and it doesn't matter what format the writing comes in as long as people continue to read. And really, that's the important part, isn't it? As long as people are reading, writers and readers alike have little reason to worry because as long as there is a demand for books (and by books I meant books in any format) there will be people who continue to write and publish them (and, I suspect, there are people who would continue to write books, even if the demand disappeared).
So now on Monday (according to the NYT article I linked to above), Amazon announced that in the last three months they sold 143 e-books for every 100 hard covers they sold, and it makes some people nervous about the future of the print book. But guys, e-books are not the print apocalypse nor are they the demise of the book. Because while it's true that the rise of e-books may at some time or another eventually lead to print books becoming a little more difficult to find, I truly don't believe that they will disappear entirely, at least, not for a very long time.
We should celebrate the rise of e-books just as we would an increase in sales in print books—because a book is a book and a rise in sales is always good news for writers and readers because it means people are reading.
And as long as people continue to read, what else matters?
18 comments:
Indeed. Until it is clear whether the ebook sales are coming at the expense of print books it is hard to say what the final effect will be. Maybe ebooks are leading to greater overall sales and that is something to celebrate.
Each type of book has its pros can cons. The big pro of Ebooks is that they're so easy to buy and so portable. The big pro of print books is that you need to go to a store to buy them and then you're exposed to lots of other books.
But the best news of all about ebooks is that they have changed the publishing landscape. Self-publishing is no longer something to be ashamed of. Anyone can do it. Thus, you don't have to go cap-in-hand to a publisher to get a platform. Who hoo!!!
I read in another article online that people with e-readers read more on average than people who only read print books. That alone is an encouraging sign to me, because it means more people are buying books that they might not have otherwise.
There are certainly more opportunities available to writers today than there were five or so years ago. It's been very interesting to see how the landscape is changing.
Yeah I don't see there being an issue in the future with not being able to find a print version of something that has a high demand. I'm a lover of print books. I work a lot on the computer and I edit on my tablet, so I like to take a break and rest my eyes from technology, or even the need to click and scroll. But because ebooks present such a huge opportunity for rising authors and also allow instant access to a copy if the need arises, that gives them a huge plus. I'm not sure also if Amazon is counting their 99c books, which must sell a lot better than the hard copies simply for the price. I wouldn't be surprised if that skewed the numbers. As it stands, I believe people still prefer hard copies in the majority, but soft copies are selling easier because of price and availability. As you said though, and said tastefully, books are books and all that matters is that we read on!
I don't know why people are freaking out. Books are about reading, not the medium.
That said, those that are heavily invested in paper books need to adapt soon or they will feel the pinch.
Who knows, in five or ten years, it might not even be ebooks anymore. It could be something else entirely!
Angela
I'm not sure if Amazon counted their 99c books either, but that's a good point--the numbers could certainly be a little skewed. I do know that they didn't include their free books, which obviously sell pretty easily. I'm also relatively sure that although e-books outsold print on Amazon, in the market overall, e-books are still a minority, so I agree with you that people probably still prefer print books over e-books. In the end, though, I'm just glad to see that people are reading.
That's an interesting thought--you're certainly right that it could be something else entirely in five or ten years. Who knows what the publishing landscape will look like then?
Thanks for stopping by, Angela!
It's not really one or the other. I agree that a book is a book regardless of the format, but I also think that print books are going to go out of style and it might be sooner than you think, but I can't tell the future, so I have no idea when that will be. Does this mean book stores will disappear? Not necessarily, they might just change how they sell things and what they sell.
But I remember when there stopped being VHS' and started being DVD's. I HATED DVD's and thought it was a fad that would go away. I couldn't record my favorite television shows while I was missing them on DVD's, like I could with VHS'. I also hated the fact that they broke or got scratched so easily and didn't save your place when you stopped watching in the middle of a movie. I had VHS' that were twenty years old and still as good as new. I was positive that people wouldn't spend all that money to replace their entire collections of movies when they already had plenty of decent VHS', but they did anyone and people liked it better and within a few years VHS' were outdated.
I've been railing about how ridiculous the whole "e-books will kill off print books" meme is for a long time now, and it's really refreshing to see someone speak to the contrary without sounding like a Luddite. Thank you.
No one can tell the future, so your guess is as good as mine when it comes to guessing what will happen to print books. I suppose time will tell.
The VHS/DVD shift is a good comparison. I know a couple people who, like you, believed DVDs were a fad and would disappear in a couple years but...well...now the VHS is a thing of the past and DVDs are fighting Blu-Rays (which, coincidentally, do save your place when you stop watching in the middle of a movie).
I suppose we just have to wait and see what happens, but for now, any news about people buying more books is good news to me. :)
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
You're more than welcome. Thanks for stopping by! :)
I love my kindle. I had to give up my beloved collection of books before I moved abroad, and it was excruciating. I thought the Kindle would be fun, but would never replace the real deal. And here I am, 2 years later, totally converted. My favorite part is being able to start a new book the instant I finish an old one. I'm sure once I'm settled in somewhere on a more permanent basis I'll buy hardcopies of my favorite books again, but for now I'm happily living with photographs on my shelves instead of books. You're right. A book is a book. And reading is reading.
I have to admit, especially when reading a series that already has many (or all) of the books released, the instant download thing is a pretty big perk. It also makes buying books feel easier and more tempting, somehow. I don't think that's an accident. :)
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts, Marina!
Ah sorry. I am totally losing track of time management. Not that I had any anyway but lately i can't even find time to aimlessly browse ont he net. I don't know where it goes. Im with you. Im just getting into ebooks now I have an ipad but I love it. It's a lot less hassle, but also I love books. I like to have books more than data but I'll buy stuff in whatever form i can get them
Why are you apologizing? There's no need, really. :)
So I have a NOOK with an e-ink screen, but how do you like reading on the iPad? Part of me is tempted by the gorgeous screen and animations and covers, but the other part of me is worried about the effect of reading a back-lit screen for long periods of time.
On another note, I'm with what you said about reading in whatever form you can get. As long as the story is good, I don't care if it's on a screen or on a page.
I get headaches and migraines all the time anyway so its hard to say if the ipad has xtreme effects like that, but it can be a little uncomfortable
I feel like it'd probably be fine for reading for a little while, but after a bit it'd probably start to get tiring. Guess I'll just have to see for myself in the future. :)
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