Digital: Fleeting or Lasting?

[Contrary Mary]

One reason the Kindle and other such devices is not for me is cost. Last time I looked, a Kindle was $200.

I buy almost all my books used. I usually get tons of sf four times a year at the library book sale for $1 each. So, I can buy 200 books---which for me is at least a year and half of reading--I read slower since my last eye surgery---for me for the same price.

Also, certain less popular books may not be available for purchase/download as an E-book. My only recouse to find certain books is a physical book from a used book dealer.

Admittedly, fifty years from now, the picture might be quite different. As technology improves, and becomes more widely avaialble, it often becaomes cheaper. I mean the first VCR's were over $500.

But one thing at least for now--when traveling, I pack a handlful of cheap paperbacks. If i leave one on the plane or in the hotel romm, I am out only a few dollars. (My collectible itmes don't leave the house). Forright now, paperbacks especially are cheap, easily portable and can be found in large numbers in used bookstores (there are four used bookstores in my city).

When the e-book readers can match the convenince, pice and portability, then things may change. But the paper book has been around for centuries; I think it will take a while to dissapper---if it ever does dissappear.

 

[Rodders]

This is all pretty new technology so it's bound to get cheaper as time goes on.

Pretty soon though, i can see that we'll also be downloading the morning papers on these to read on the train. I wonder what the photos will come across like. Would they be able to use moving pictures?

 

[Cedanhart]

I would love to say fleeting. The idea that sooner or later everyone will be reading from a screen, handheld or otherwise, scares me. There's nothing better than leafing through an older book and listening to the soft flicker of its pages. When I look at them I sense no life, or soul, or feeling of total immersion from a digital book. The smell and touch of a page as it turns, is to me as much a part of reading as the story you discover on it.

But then, I imagine people said much the same thing when mass printing was established. Back in the day a fellow luddite was probably lamenting the loss of the hand-written word, denouncing the new-fangled devilry about to overthrow his enjoyment of a book.

 

[Rodders]

How long do you think the Book, in it's printed form, has left before it's predominantly electronic? Four maybe five generations?

 

[J-WO]

How long do you think the Book, in it's printed form, has left before it's predominantly electronic? Four maybe five generations?

I'll go out on a limb and say one. Maybe less. Electronic readers at the moment are pretty awful compared to books, but it only requires that slight breakthrough--that new release that pushes the consumer into getting it because its cheap and looks just like a real page--that'll tip the scales.

There's the increasing necessity angle, too--rising cost of paper, carbon footprint of transporting all these piles of fiction. And on top of all that an increasing readership due to increasing world literacy. Look at the population of china and India, the two boom time economies of the next few decades.

Doubtless real books will stick around like vinyl has--a physical, totemic presence that looks and feels great. I won't be throwing them away too soon.

 

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

I agree with J-WO. Already, apart from hardcore music fans like me, lots of my casual-listener friends simply don't buy CDs anymore, instead loading their iPods and whatnot with variously-acquired mp3s. And this has happened within the lifetime of the generation that was first exposed to mp3 players.

e-Book reader costs will plunge and the technology will improve - the same thing has happened with mobile phones, mp3 players and laptops. In fact, it's going to be easier for rare or lesser known books to be made easily accessible in the digital scenario because publishers and sellers don't need to maintain a physical inventory. I think digital books will actually be of benefit to the mid-listers who are currently engaged in an unequal battle for shelf space in stores.

 

[J-WO]

And repressive regimes are only gonna look stupid if they burn books.

 

[thepaladin]

The problem with losing things is that as things go away replaced by "easier" things they do so incrementally. Things become cliches because they are accurate. The oft given example of the frog in the slowly heating water or the slippery slope argument are applicable here. If in a single day, or even year everyone had been told "books are going away, now we're all going to use E devices" it would have bee very different. But as each generation comes on and as we have seen, reading itself becomes less and less important as "mass" intertainment, people forget. Today a book often becomes a best seller because the author or the story gets mention in the "media". A best seller doesn't need to sell say a milloin copies, only a few books manage that and they are usually books that have been made into movies or books written by well known persons.

The sheer joy of walking into a room filled with shelves of books....the smell, the effect on light and sound, the felling of being surrounded by thoughts and discussions both quiet and animated...these are almost forgotten. I doubt that a kindle or it's descendants will ever be held in the affections of a reader as much as a single book can be now. (Though that will depend on the person and if it's all that's available...well.)

Paper is largly made of what is called "scrub" (brush etc. that isn't used for lumber) wood and I truly don't think that book production needs to be a worry in saving the world. There are those who still pay a fortune to get music on vinyl discs and keep their turntable in good condition. If you ask them they will tell you the music sounds better on records despit the industry experts who will rush in and correct them. I think the truth might be, it sounds better "to them". Well, "to me" a room with shelves of deep, warm, preserved thoughts, with exciting, original, or familiar stories murmuring to me, waiting for me to pluck one down and enter it's pages won't be replaced by my computer screen or a hand held reader. I am forced to agree that humans will always choose what is easier, I'm just not sure that's always what is best.

 

[Lexam]

Hi all first post. I started reading in digital format back in 2003 on sony palm pilot, then on a Palm Zire 71, a Palm TX (Might go back to this one), a black berry pearl (was a bit of a pain), and a T-Mobile G1 and finally on my lap top.

This has been very convenient because I can take an entire library with me. If the batteries die then it does suck however. Too me if the story is good enough to immerse you then you completely forget what you are reading on. Don't get me wrong I still love a good physical book, we have a library instead of a guest bedroom.

Also with the digital format authors can put their works out there where they did not have the resources before. My wife is an author and was able to put her on Amazon while publishers in this economy do not want to take advantage of new authors. But authors not wanting to be paid. I don't see that happening much. Just like any artist they want to be paid for their work. It's part of the ego and believe me I know I live with one!

 

[GOLLUM]

Hi Lexam.

Feel free to introduce yourself over at the Intro section of the forum.

Welcome aboard.

 

[J-WO]

But authors not wanting to be paid. I don't see that happening much. Just like any artist they want to be paid for their work. It's part of the ego and believe me I know I live with one!

Authors want to get paid, definitely! All I'm saying is there might conceivably come a time when that's no longer an option.

Welcome to the Chronic, Lexam!

 

[Ian Whates]

But authors not wanting to be paid. I don't see that happening much. Just like any artist they want to be paid for their work. It's part of the ego and believe me I know I live with one!

For those of us who are fulltime authors (okay, I'm a publisher as well, but the argument applies to both), there's a little more than ego involved; there's also the need to pay bills -- mortgages, utility bills, food... that sort of inconsequential thing.

 

[J-WO]

For those of us who are fulltime authors (okay, I'm a publisher as well, but the argument applies to both), there's a little more than ego involved; there's also the need to pay bills -- mortgages, utility bills, food... that sort of inconsequential thing.

All too true. For you guys I guess the future of publishing is no mere parlour chat like it is for interweb chinwags such as me. Paragraphs equal paypackets. If I may ask, as a writer/ publisher/ general mover-and-shaker, how do you see it all going in the near future?

 

[Lexam]

For those of us who are fulltime authors (okay, I'm a publisher as well, but the argument applies to both), there's a little more than ego involved; there's also the need to pay bills -- mortgages, utility bills, food... that sort of inconsequential thing.

I agree we have all of those of course. Lucky she has a decent paying job. But would love to get paid for her work so she can work on it full time. I read earlier someone mentioned a patronage, but I don't see that happening in our society today. And if it did happen I don't think there are enough people to support the amount of writers we do have.

 

[Rodders]

I must admit, everytime i pass one of the digital readers in the book shops i am tempted and i think that i'll probably end up getting one of these next year. (Maybe the year after so that the price can come down a bit.)

This is definately the way forward. I can always buy the books that i really enjoy and envisage reading again in book form.

 

[deltakid]

I'm a technology freak and do like the format of real books. I'm not sure if I would take my kindle along for lying at a sandy beach or similar things. But then again there will be outdoor versions of ebook readers very soon. I like the new format and especially the content delivery but as with many other things it is a bit sad to see a format go...

In some years I think even the people who don't really like ebooks will enjoy them. Think about music... everybody moves along with new formats. Vinyl, tapes, cds, mp3...

Sure there are still people who enjoy original vinyl records and collect them or buy amazing turntables to listen to them. But this group is rather small. I'm sure the same will happen to books as we know them now.

 

[Shingetsu]

Right now I personally prefer physical books. I've gotten a couple e-books and I don't really care how how they look and the very limited options you have to change things. But I could see maybe switching when the quality of the e-book program becomes better. So that it looks like a more natural book.

I've thought of getting the Kindle or Sony Reader. It would be nice to have so many books with a few clicks. But just like e-books on the computer, I'm not sure I like how they look yet. The Kindle's screen seemed kind of small. It might be the size of a paperback, but most of it is taken up by buttons and the keyboard at the bottom.

But as new versions of the Kindle and other readers come out, I'll probably be considering it more and more. It might not be too many years before I get one. I've only been reading for two and a half years and I have two book cases in my room, both nearly completely filled. So another reason to get one would be to save physical space.

I think as time passes and better technology for digital books come out, less and less people will go to a book store and buy books. It will simply become faster and more convenient to download a book in a matter of seconds on the computer or an e-book reader. No wasted gas. No getting dressed. Your computer and e-book reader is open 24/7, never closing. I don't know about anyone else, but I've certainly wanted books at 2 or 3am before. It'd be nice to get them instantly whenever I want.

I think it might be a slow death for the physical book. People will slowly switch to digital as time passes. But it is also possible that it could be a sudden change if new technology makes it really appealing to switch. Perhaps what will eventually happen is sort of a print-on-demand kind of thing. No storage of books will be held anymore. But a person might go online and order a book in physical format and they print off a single copy and ship it to you.

It'd be interesting to see a single massive digital library with every book. But I don't know if that would be something the government controls or a private company. I guess we don't know what the future will hold for books until the time comes.

 

[thesoothsayer]

I never thought I'd switch to a digital reader, but today, I noticed my ever shrinking physical storage space and ever growing stack of books, and realised that I'll probably switch within the next few years.

I'm waiting for the first reader that incorporates handwriting recognition technology and downloading/backup that is not too restrictive/inconvenient for users. And also probably for the price of digital books to fall as well, which I'm sure it will soon.

For the price of the readers and ebooks combined as of now, none of the available readers have tempted me to switch yet.

 

[Diggler]

Digital has proven to be a great way for budding authors to get noticed. David Moody has gone onto great success through his first Autumn novel being offered for free. As for digital novels becoming collectible, or going up in value. I seriously doubt it. Digital is just too easily replicated.

I also feel that Authors, especially established Authors, will eventually see validity in offering their novels for a nominal price over the internet. They could bypass the greedy publishers (no offense Ian Whates ), and offer quality stories at reasonable prices.

As for Ebooks, just like digital download games, they are severely over priced. They are also overlooked because of this reason.