Most people involved in the publishing industry concur that e-book sales will outstrip dead-tree versions within a few years. Only those hopelessly buried on the banks of denial continue to argue the point. Even then, they argue about should it happen, not will it happen. The supremacy of e-books marches inexorably onward like Sherman’s troops to Savannah.
E-books currently represent less than one percent of the print market. But the seismic shift is beginning. For the first quarter since Amazon’s Kindle rocked book shelves in 2007, e-books sales at Amazon out paced their paper brethren. While Amazon isn’t known for an open-kimono policy on sales figures, publishers confirm the assertion.
The cost and convenience of e-books is unparalleled. I have ten book shelves in my house filled to the brim with reads. I can put the entire contents of two or three of them on my Kindle. While you can download free e-reader software to your computer, e-reader costs continues to sink like cement shoes in the East River.
It’s mainly the people that wore bell-bottoms on the first round, or those that shouldn’t have, who complain about the readers replacing books, and many of them haven’t yet held one. Easy on the eyes, with adjustable font sizes, and a built-in text-to-speech to keep you company on a long trip: my biggest concern is dropping the blasted thing on my tile floor.
Ensign Wesley Crusher introduced me to the notion of an e-reader in the late ‘80s. Now I happily curl up on the couch with my own. And my son, at 13, hails from what I call the LeapPad generation. They don’t restrict their definition of a book by static pages between a cover. In the same way music no longer requires disks that spin. To them, the fastest delivery method wins. The best content wins. The best value wins. The magic is not defined by the medium.
As usual, I don’t expect everyone to agree with me. How do you feel about e-books? Ever tried an e-reader? Love them, hate them, or none of the above? Let me know.
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m visiting from SITS Girls. The Hubby and I don’t have e-readers yet, but we are looking at them. For us it’s a practical thing: there’s only so many books that will fit in a 900 and some odd square condo, and we are both bookaholics. I’ll probably always have books. But the more shelves budge, the more I know I will be getting an e-reader, if for no other reason, than storage. I’ve looked at friend’s readers, and I like them. They’re easy to read, and I just love the whole instant gratification of wanting a book and getting it immediately, like you kids. I’m all for anything that makes reading easier.
Fortunately e-readers continue to drop in price, plus you can load reader software on a PC or iphone. I had a 750 ft condo in CA! The shelves are killing me. Thanks for talking the time to comment. Take care.
Found you through SITSgirls. I want an e-reader so bad. My husband has a Sony one and loves it. I go back and forth between it and the Kindle. I don’t think it will totally replace books but I see it being more of print market. Where I see it needing to grow is in color an d resolution. I read a lot of photography books. I would not buy those on an e-reader even if they were available. But for all my other reading I would love to have one.
I agree. The coffee-table book can never be adequately replaced by a reader, nor should it be. But for the vast majority of quick reads, they are tough to beat. Thanks for coming by!
Hi! I’m visiting today from SITS. I’m digging your blog concept here. I’m an aspiring writer, but it’s hard to get “real” writing done with all the blogging! I’m a bit torn about an e-reader. I love bookstores, I want to hold the book, I love the smell…it would be so hard to give it all up! Currently, I do not have the cash to purchase one so I don’t have to decide. If I did, however, I could probably move to a smaller house because I would save a TON of room. Also, since I seem days away from needing reading glasses, the font feature is very attractive to me.
Granted I don’t have an e-reader, but there is just something about cracking open a book. Like the way it feels in your hand when you are holding it. Maybe I’m just old fashioned, even though I didn’t wear bell bottoms (unless my Momma made me). I can definitely see the appeal of the e-reader, but I hate the thought of losing the actual printed word.
Stopping by from #31DBBB.
I enjoy the feel a book, even the smell. The cost to produce them will eventually make them too expensive for most of what gets printed today. I don’t see them ever disappearing completely. IMO. Thanks for stopping by.
It’s interesting that you pointed out that your son is from the “Leap Pad” generation. We currently live in Saudi Arabia where the choice of children’s books is not as extensive as back home in the UK, where we return yearly for a few weeks to stock up with what feels like suitcases of books.
However my new shiny iPad has been seized by my 11yr old daughter as a means to download and read the Warriors series of books by Erin Hunter. I get less iPad time but the compensation is that I’m not constantly looking for shelf or cupboard space to store her endless supply of books (we do lend them to friends, but need to keep them just in case her 9 yr old brother wants to read them in the future!)
For mobile people, like your family, the convenience is unbeaten. I’m a big fan of paper, but it’s the reading that is most important to me. Thanks for the comments.
My son (two-legger) read the Warriors series, too.
I’ve had a Sony e-reader since early 2006, and I absolutely love it…for a certain kind of book. Novels, and things I don’t feel the need to mark up, are perfect for the e-reader. But for non-fiction and books with a lot of information, I prefer a paper copy. They’re easier to underline, makes notes in, and refer to later.
I don’t see books disappearing completely, but I can imagine sales dropping sharply in the future.
I’ve moved around a lot, and the one thing that makes moving the most difficult are my books. They’re heavy.
You’re absolutely right, certain types of books beg for margin notes. But the whole manufacturing process for books is costly. It’s tough to envision that continuing across the spectrum. Thanks.
Stopping by from SITS. I personally love to hold a book in my hands and turn the pages. I can’t imagine an electronic gizmo replacing that. But, I will say, I’ve never held one in my hands, as you said! I’ve only tried to read e-books on my computer, which is too hard on the eyes. And I did wear bell-bottoms the first time.
I wore bell bottoms the first time, and I love paper. But the e-readers have advantages books can’t touch. I’m not wishing the change merely thinking it’s inevitable. Thanks for your opinion!