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When Dorchester Publishing announced that it was going to an all 
digital format in the near future, I wasn’t terribly surprised. It was fairly well known that the company had been struggling financially lately, and the Powers-that-Be likely thought by going digital and shrinking the editorial staff to the barest of minimums, they’d shave the cost of business and be able to stay afloat.
It is true that electronic publishing, especially romance fiction, has increased over the past few years. Several e-publishers have garnered much respect for their business ethics and superior products – that being their ability to put good novels in the hands (or devices) of readers.
Another factor in the increase of e-sales has do to with there being more user-friendly devices available. Those range from low-end $169 to top of the line $845. There’s also a more standardized form of e-files and the several readers offer download files or apps so you can read most if not all of them.
For years e-publishing has been touted as the wave of the future. But according to the latest RWA statistics, it still only accounts for 5.4% of books sold while paperbacks account for 90.6% of the market. But what would happen if those numbers were reversed? What if print publishing was on the endangered list?
Here’s a short list of what would vanish if books became obsolete.
- Bookmarks. No bound books, no need for book marks
- Book lights. The majority of e-readers have backlights so you can read in a dark room.
- Bookstores. Why build and staff stores if all they offered were downloads?
- Book signings. Impossible to sign a digital copy downloaded on a device.
- Book bags. Hmm, you could use them for your groceries.
- Libraries. Okay, I suppose they’d be around to archive those old tomes.
And that’s not touching on the industry that’s needed to get a book into publication, plus the staff and the cost of promotion to get books top shelf space in a bookstore.
- Cover artists, models and photographers.
- Printing houses.
- Paper suppliers.
- Distributors.
I totally agree that having the ability to house hundreds of books in one slim reading device is fabulous. But you know, I still love the tactile feel of a book. If I drop it or it gets wet, it doesn’t break.
So what’s your preference? All digital reader? A mix of both? Or are you a lover of real books and don’t ever want to see them disappear?
Filed in: Writers and Writing
Aug 23rd
2010
7:28 am
kris Said:
I have a Kindle and it is so great for travel (I typically go international and they can be long trips, so freeing up all that luggage space for shoes, not books, is a truly great thing!!). But, I still absolutely love real books. I have a mix of both in my TBR and I really don’t want to see actual books disappear.
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Aug 23rd
2010
7:33 am
donna ann Said:
I prefer real books though do have some ebooks on my laptop & borrowed them from my library. Like you I enjoy the feel of holding a book in hand — being able to flip through it easily (yes the occasional peek ahead or double check a prior passage); enjoying the cover; not worring about breaking it or charging it etc., being able to share it with others when done. (I donate a number of my books after I’ve read them to the library – let them be part of my bookshelf
) Yes it is nice to have instant gratification of downloading (also dangerous as no time to remember all the books in the tbr pile before buying more) but curling up with a good e-reader just doesn’t have the ring to it.
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Aug 23rd
2010
7:45 am
Emily McKay Said:
I thought I’d be the absolute last person on the digital bandwagon. I remember debating it with my hubby, The Geek about 15 years ago when digital readers were just a glimmer in some geek’s eye. I loved books and I would never go digital.
But two Christmases ago I asked for a Kindle because I’d just plum run out of shelf space and I hate to cull books. I do still love the feel of a paperback in my hands, but now I also love my Kindle. And now that we have an iPad, I love that too. I think the simple truth is, I love paperbacks because I love stories. The more I read on my Kindle, the more that becomes the vehicle for my drug of choice.
In completely unrelated news … my baby girl went off to kindergarten today! I’m so sad!!!
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Aug 23rd
2010
8:58 am
Margo Maguire Said:
I haven’t tried an e-reader yet, but I have a feeling that once I pick one, I’m going to love it. I often read more than one book at a time and using an e-reader will suit me just fine – I think!
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Aug 23rd
2010
9:59 am
Shana Said:
I still like a book in my hand, but if it all goes digital, then I guess I’ll adjust. Everything is changing…
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Aug 23rd
2010
10:39 am
Scorpio M. Said:
I buy both pbs and e-books. There are pros and cons to both but I do enjoy the new technology and love having a library at my fingertips.
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Aug 23rd
2010
10:48 am
Laura Said:
I’m a real book girl but like Shana said, if e-books were all that was available, I guess I’d have to adjust. Makes me wonder though, what about the literacy signings at National – how would that work if real books were eliminated?
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Aug 23rd
2010
10:53 am
EllenToo Said:
I will never go to an e-book reading device no matter how handy they are…..I want a book a real book in my hands!!!!
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Aug 23rd
2010
11:23 am
Kristan Higgins Said:
I too like a printed book…but I so appreciate the wonders of e-readers! And to me, as long as people are reading, mazel tov! If these lovely devices make it easier to read, then all the better.
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Aug 23rd
2010
11:30 am
Catherine Kean Said:
I look forward to one day getting a Kindle or some other e-reader. I know people who have them and love them. I have to say, though, given the choice between an e-book and a book printed on paper, I’d pick the paper one every time. I have a lot of books in my personal library–novels, research tomes, cookbooks, writing reference books–and can’t imagine ever giving them up.
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Aug 23rd
2010
12:23 pm
Gail C. Said:
For me, I want that book in my hand. I work on a computer all day long, when I go to relax I don’t want to feel like I’m doing more work. I understand the benefits of the e-reader & talked w/the hubby about getting one for him. He’s going on deployment, won’t have a lot of space for books, but will have downtime. For him (who won’t be near a bookstore) it’s a great alternative. For me personally, I’ll hold out for paperbacks as long as they are still on the shelves.
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Aug 23rd
2010
12:41 pm
Soleil Said:
I’ve resisted getting an ereader for a while now. I love paper books, always have and always will. But I am considering getting an ereader because a) I’m running out of shelf space and b) it does save on cutting down trees and the carbon footprint of the publishing industry. However, I still love the feel of a paper book in my hand. I know ereader screens are supposed to as easy on the eyes as reading a paper page, but I’m still not sure about reading on a screen when I spend so much time staring at the computer screen each day! And out of the things you mentioned that would go away with paper books, I would definitely miss bookstores the most. There’s nothing quite like walking into a bookstore and seeing all those shelves, smelling that book smell, and knowing that you have time to browse.
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Aug 23rd
2010
12:56 pm
catslady Said:
I’ve always said “never say never” but I don’t see myself getting an ereader in this lifetime. I love my books. I’m surrounded by them (much to my husband’s dismay lol). I do see the practicality of ebooks but it’s just not the same. I have a horrible feeling that some day books will be items that only the very rich will be able to afford but I’ll be long gone by then
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Aug 23rd
2010
1:00 pm
Nancy Robards Thompson Said:
I’m a traditionalist. I love the feel of a book in my hands and the look of them on my shelves. They’re comforting, like old friends keeping me company.
However, just today the local paper ran a story about progressive schools issuing text book on e-readers. As I watched my daughter – who has ELEVEN textbooks – head out the door with a huge burden on her back, I really wished all she had to carry was a slim-line e-reader.
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Aug 23rd
2010
1:14 pm
Janette Kenny Said:
I’ve always shared by books with others too, Donna Ann.
Ah, hugs on your baby off to K, Emily. I got to play with an iPad at conference and fell in love with it. On my to buy list.
That’s a good point Margo.
Shana change is inevitable. I’m just a dinosaur at heart.
Scorpio, I’m glad to hear you like and uy both formats. I can see me doing the same.
Laura, I can’t see those signing at National (or anywhere) working at all if we go all digital.
LOL, Ellentoo. I suspect you aren’t alone!
Well said, Kristin! As long as there are readers…
Catherine, I’m the same way. I love my books.
Excellent reasoning why both formats have great merit. Gail, in her dh’s situation, he’d never be able to haul books around as easily as what he could store on an e-reader.
Soleil, I wondered about eyes strain too as I work on a computer all the time. And wow, I can’t imagine there not being a bookstore!
That would be a shame if it proves true, catslady. Reading should be widely available for everyone.
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Aug 23rd
2010
1:15 pm
Janette Kenny Said:
Nancy, that’s oh so true. We burden the kid’s down with books to carry anymore. E-readers would be a blessing for them.
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Aug 23rd
2010
1:44 pm
Rainy Said:
I love the look, smell, touch of books. Whether they are neatly shelves in bookcases or stacked on a table, they add comfort to a home. I guess you could line up your Ipods and Kindles on the mantle….
I’d always want to have the physical touch of a real book but technology is here to stay. I can live with both feet in each world.
The Kindle works wonderfully for my vision impaired brother-in-law who can increase the font to his liking.
When I walk or do housework, I listen to a book on my Ipod. Great for long drives.
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Aug 23rd
2010
2:11 pm
Christi Said:
Interesting topic for me since I own a bookstore.
I have to say that many of my customers have e-readers and I still haven’t lost them as customers because people love their books, and they seem to be doing both. That is just my observation in my small store of course. I do believe all text books should be in ebook form. I know colleges talked about it and seem to have backed off the idea. I can tell you that I have had customers give up e-readers telling me they break really easily and judging from the number of refurbished ones you can find that may be true, but don’t know that first hand. Also, people HATE not being able to share their books.
I think we probably have a few generations before we have to worry about it too much. To someone like me who is very connected to technology it is easy to think everyone is, but really that is not true. I get surprised everytime a customer my age (50s) has me call them because they don’t have email – but really it happens pretty often.
It looked to me like a lot of western books are published by Dorchester… westerns are read mostly by people my age and older and they are not in the group going to readers,so that is too bad! Also, I can’t help but wonder if some of those authors won’t leave a soon as possilbe. Giving your readers a choice is one thing but being forced e-reader or nothing won’t sit well with a lot customers. Consumers overall don’t like to be told who to buy from or what to buy.
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Aug 23rd
2010
5:59 pm
MJ Said:
I still have shelves loaded with paperback books, but since I started reading ebooks, first on my phone, then on my Nook, I’ve found I read a lot more. I’ve read twice as many books this year as the same time last year! And I admit I’m addicted to the instant gratification. For instance, Mockingjay will be on my device by the time I wake up tomorrow!
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Aug 23rd
2010
7:33 pm
Melanie S. Said:
I debated ereaders for quite awhile but the decision was taken out of my hands when I won a Kindle, have to say I have been converted. I will never go radical and replace all my books for digital copies and I am still out at the bookstore buying books but I love the convenience of sitting at home and having a book instantly or taking a bunch of books on one device on trips.
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Aug 24th
2010
8:19 am
Laine Said:
I think older readers will move to ereaders. I can read all day on my neo but I can’t hold a paperback open long enough to get through half of it without pain in my hands. And I love being able to choose the size of the text – much easier on the eyes.
Older readers are also more likely to have run out of room for more books. My husband wants me to get rid of all my Harlequins. (I have shelves full.) But I’ve bought 20+ Harlequins each month for 1 year plus many, many other ebooks and my 1GB sd card isn’t 3/4 full yet. And I take all these books everywhere with me. Great for train trips into the city.
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Aug 24th
2010
10:12 am
Karen H in NC Said:
I have so many paperback books on my TBR shelves, it’ll take me years to finish them all….literally years. To add an ereader into that mix would just give me more books to read when I already have enough for 5 people. I have some ebooks on my computer. I have no plans to buy any sort of ereader. That is something that falls in the category of ‘things I think I’d like to have, but will probably never buy’.
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Aug 24th
2010
11:24 am
Elaine Said:
So, I am a day late but still. Yesterday was the first day of school for Florida. So the grand parents called to asked how it all went. What a pleasure and a blessing to be able to respond that the three of them were all very excited about it. I have been meaning to post this somewhere because I think of parents that have to motivate their child day after day for school. That would give me a depression. So I count my blessing every first day of school, every year.
Kindle/e-book ways: we have three. thanks to the uncle who spoils niece and nephews at Christmas.
They are Wonderful when you 16 year old son tells you he need a book for tomorrow’s class at 10pm the night before. You go online and poof! he has it.
Great when you go on a very long (30 hours)family car trip/ vacation with the van packed to the brim.
They are wonderful space saver and all the lightness of luggage…
Although they have bookmark application, My daughter marks her books in such a way, they become work of art. I would miss that.
I also love to get my hands on an old book that has some-underline some- insight notes in the margins.
And as happy and surprised as my 12 year old was to be the recipient of his very own kindle, I heard panic in his voice as he realized he would not be holding a paper book any more. No more page turning, colors, covers! art craft. I was impressed as how much holding a book was/is part of his reading experience.
So, i like kindles for their convenience and lets not forget the Eco friendliness of it. but I LOVE to give books as gifts. And when i go by myself or bring the children to the book store, I have to laugh at the sight of them running to the doors as you would think it a toy store. They get all exited on the way there and I do not hear a peep on our way back home as they dive in their a new adventure.
Have a great day
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Aug 24th
2010
12:04 pm
KathrynSmith Said:
I love that e-books are so environmentally friendly, but they scare me too! lol. I really don’t want to lose that wonderful feeling of physically holding and inspecting a book. There’s something very personal about it for me. Also, I think the industry really needs to step up anti-pirating measures and sort out pricing before e-books really take flight. But just as there are people still buying DVDs and CDs, hopefully there will always be a demand for physical copies of books.
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