A short while back I wrote a blog entitled, “Kindle or Kindling”, and it discussed the pros and cons of owning an electronic book reader. I’ve decided to revisit this topic, though I want to look at it from a different light. No, I am not changing my mind on how I feel about digital books, but I am concerned for the future of books in general. It seems that while the Kindle, Nook, and other eReader devices have been flying off the shelves, bookstores have been experiencing different kind of empty shelf. Is it possible that our friendly digital bits will soon be shredding their paper counterpart to pieces?
I’ve recently traded my Kindle and iPod Touch for an iPad. The best of both worlds. Now I can not only surf the net and and play with Apps with the touch of a fingertip, but I can read books. Kindle, Nook, Kobo, etc. are all available on iPad…and in color! Yes, my new gadget is wicked awesome and sometimes it makes me wonder why I should ever purchase another paperback book again. Despite having my all-powerful iPad, my heart is still deeply rooted in paper and ink. As I mentioned before, I love the smell, feel, and look of a real book. But paper books are in jeopardy.
The advent of eReaders has changed everything in the publishing world. Everything. Independent authors now have a way in which to promote their work without having to fight for a publisher’s attention. Some are selling better than well-known names. Publishers are struggling to competitively market their best-selling authors against newbies like us who sell our books for 99 cents. Bookstores are all but closing their doors. Barnes & Noble seems to be the exception—thanks to their Nook—but how long before they reach their final chapter?
This is both a fantastic and unsettling time for both authors and readers. Independent authors are singlehandedly competing with the Stephen Kings of the world; publishing houses—desperate for the next best thing—are plucking up the new talent on the web. It truly is a renaissance for “Indies”. Readers have more titles to choose from then they ever did, and they can sample the lesser know authors for free. Thousands upon thousands of eBooks are 99 cents or less. Classrooms are porting textbooks over to tiny files. No more heavy book bags. Win-win!
But what about our old friend, The Bookstore? Borders has recently gone bankrupt, and Barnes & Noble is hanging on by a thread. What about libraries where books and research go hand-in-hand? I have a friend who works at a library, and she wonders if she’ll have a job in the next ten years. It’s a sad state of affairs for the traditional reader. Paper books are outdated, like it or not, and it may be a matter of time before we’re all reading everything on a screen. Is it really so bad to think billions of books will soon be stored electronically?
Hm… Not sure how to answer that yet.
Stef likes to speculate what would happen if a catastrophic solar flare should release from the sun. Would we all learn a valuable lesson when that solar flare eradicates our electronic world? Could we function without the internet, computers, cell phones, mp3 players, tablets, GPS, video games, television, electricity…? I like to think that we’re not too dependent on our gadgets quite yet, but I’m an optimist. I’m nearly hooked on my iPad as it is, but I know I could detach myself if necessary. I’ve already done it with cable TV.
Before I wander too far off topic—too late, I know—I want to return to books. Yes, the paper ones. Outdated though they may be, I believe there is something special in carrying around a single book. If it falls on the ground, it won’t break. If I bring it to the park to read, I can’t get distracted by downloading 500 more titles while reading news, shopping, and listening to music. I’m not sure I’ll ever feel any emotional attachment to a device which needs batteries to live. A book, however, is like a good friend with whom I want to share my attention. A book is simple. A book is real.
-Matt
I’ve recently traded my Kindle and iPod Touch for an iPad. The best of both worlds. Now I can not only surf the net and and play with Apps with the touch of a fingertip, but I can read books. Kindle, Nook, Kobo, etc. are all available on iPad…and in color! Yes, my new gadget is wicked awesome and sometimes it makes me wonder why I should ever purchase another paperback book again. Despite having my all-powerful iPad, my heart is still deeply rooted in paper and ink. As I mentioned before, I love the smell, feel, and look of a real book. But paper books are in jeopardy.
The advent of eReaders has changed everything in the publishing world. Everything. Independent authors now have a way in which to promote their work without having to fight for a publisher’s attention. Some are selling better than well-known names. Publishers are struggling to competitively market their best-selling authors against newbies like us who sell our books for 99 cents. Bookstores are all but closing their doors. Barnes & Noble seems to be the exception—thanks to their Nook—but how long before they reach their final chapter?
This is both a fantastic and unsettling time for both authors and readers. Independent authors are singlehandedly competing with the Stephen Kings of the world; publishing houses—desperate for the next best thing—are plucking up the new talent on the web. It truly is a renaissance for “Indies”. Readers have more titles to choose from then they ever did, and they can sample the lesser know authors for free. Thousands upon thousands of eBooks are 99 cents or less. Classrooms are porting textbooks over to tiny files. No more heavy book bags. Win-win!
But what about our old friend, The Bookstore? Borders has recently gone bankrupt, and Barnes & Noble is hanging on by a thread. What about libraries where books and research go hand-in-hand? I have a friend who works at a library, and she wonders if she’ll have a job in the next ten years. It’s a sad state of affairs for the traditional reader. Paper books are outdated, like it or not, and it may be a matter of time before we’re all reading everything on a screen. Is it really so bad to think billions of books will soon be stored electronically?
Hm… Not sure how to answer that yet.
Stef likes to speculate what would happen if a catastrophic solar flare should release from the sun. Would we all learn a valuable lesson when that solar flare eradicates our electronic world? Could we function without the internet, computers, cell phones, mp3 players, tablets, GPS, video games, television, electricity…? I like to think that we’re not too dependent on our gadgets quite yet, but I’m an optimist. I’m nearly hooked on my iPad as it is, but I know I could detach myself if necessary. I’ve already done it with cable TV.
Before I wander too far off topic—too late, I know—I want to return to books. Yes, the paper ones. Outdated though they may be, I believe there is something special in carrying around a single book. If it falls on the ground, it won’t break. If I bring it to the park to read, I can’t get distracted by downloading 500 more titles while reading news, shopping, and listening to music. I’m not sure I’ll ever feel any emotional attachment to a device which needs batteries to live. A book, however, is like a good friend with whom I want to share my attention. A book is simple. A book is real.
-Matt
