Was interested to know...

[syustat71605]

...what your opinion on / view of eBooks and eReaders are. Do you see it as the death of physical books, the natural evolution of technology, a different medium to enjoy and experience literature...?

Comments

[paperbackbandit]

As a bookseller, our biggest concern should be that people are still reading, regardless of HOW they are reading. As long as consumers are still reading books, the bookstore will survive but only if it is willing to adapt. Chain bookstores are betting on their own ereaders to keep up with the changing market; small independent stores who can't afford a multimillion dollar investment in the technology will need to rely on partnerships with ereading companies in order to still compete. The Google-ABA partnership has stalled for the second time this year and is only pushing indie bookstores further behind. When stores will be able to host ebook sales on their websites and reign in the profits, bookselling will change again

[orangemike]

As a reader: I don't like 'em. They are awkward, require technology to access, are incredibly fragile. The actual printed bound book is the most glorious example of portable information technology since the invention of writing itself.

As a used book seller: they terrify me. The used book trade is horrible as it is, with the giant predatory corporations eager to swallow us all whole (slavery or death being our only options). As the love of the physical book disappears among the marginally-literate, the economics will only deteriorate.

[saya22]

While I agree that it is the next step in the evolution of bookselling/reading, I do not believe that it will be the catalyst of the death of physical books as we know it.

Sure, I see the practicality of eBooks: it's light and convenient, and you can cram as many books as your memory allows. But the major setback of eBooks and indeed, most digital merchandise, is their ephemeral quality. Nothing digital last forever, as it is easily lost or corrupted. Hell, we lost the actual NASA footage of man landing on the moon when some random NASA dude film something else over it! (cue the whole world facepalming, I know I did) Besides, haven't you ever had your laptop corrupted and the whole neighborhood can hear you scream as EVERYTHING in you computer disappear?

You said it yourself, 500 years and the physical book form has not changed (what changed is the accessibility to them). The reason is because of the physical reliability of books. In ten years your eBook may be corrupted and you'll lose your whole library, but we still read written

[kingshearte]

I still haven't figured out how I feel about them. In theory, I'm OK with them, and yes, they probably are the way of the future and all that, but I just like actual books. Also, the vain part of me likes the fact that when people visit me, they are surrounded by my books. They can look around and be impressed at just how many there are (and in some cases at least, which ones they are). They can learn something about me by looking at those titles. Having one lone e-reader sitting on the coffee table just isn't the same.

Will I make the switch? Eventually, probably. But probably not until it becomes excessively difficult for me to acquire the books I want in paper form.

[roguebelle]

I'm so not worried about it at all. People have been talking about the "paperless office" for 30 years, and that's never manifested. I don't think physical books have anything to worry about, at least not anytime this century.

Personally, I don't think I could ever get the deep satisfaction from an eReader as I get from my bookshelves. I love looking at my well-organised shelves, I love being able to rifle through them, I love when they get hectically over-stacked. I like that they represent who I am to anyone who comes into my house, too -- which an eReader can't do.

[bekscilla]

There are still people who will print every email they get. I don't think the "paperless office" will be paperless for a LONG time. And as much as I like the idea of an eReader, i just want my booooks