I was at a meeting with fellow writers from Staten Island and the discussion about eReader's became a topic with the most teeth for that day. Taking place in the Huguenot Library, surrounded by books, the Library manager had asked us what we thought of the future of libraries. He was referring to the hurricane of eReader's in the current market. eBooks will be outselling traditional books for eternity, but the question is, will traditional books go extinct?
This past week, my son played hours and hours of Angry Bird's on the Kindle Fire. I watch a TV show from the 90's called Neverwhere (Neil Gaiman). Regina was able to get caught up on Tudors, which is also a TV program. On an eReader!!! I have read a total of 1 book on that eReader and I think Regina has read a couple. In the meantime, I'm also reading Snuff, by Terry Pratchett (Hardcover). That is all I'm able to do with the book, so when I'm done reading it, I'll just put it on the shelf and may re-read it in a few years when my curiosity strikes.
It is because of that scenario that I rest my case. But, I digress...
You can cut down a tree, turn it into a bunch of books and after they are read (hopefully), and then they'll be put on a shelf taking up real estate. Not all eReader's can do everything described above, to be honest. If you were to be lucky enough to have an iPad 2, you'd be able to do that and more. The versatility of the eReader is causing many trees to breathe a sigh of relief.
The nail in the coffin comes down to economics. I have hundreds of hardcover and softcover books in my library. My shelves are no longer organized. Books have filled up the shelf to the point where other books sit on top of those books, as well as in front of them.
At an average of $20 per book, I must have spent around $4,000 dollars.
An eReader can cost about $300 - $500. An eBook can go anywhere from 99 cents to $20. At a greater up front cost, over time the eReader will save you money. And that is just from a book perspective. Try reading your favorite cancelled TV Show on a hardcover. Try playing your most addictive mobile game on a paperback or a magazine. Try ordering a pizza from your telephone book.
Above all, enjoy reading. It's just something to think about.
Well, as an owner of a Kindle and an Itouch, I have to disagree... I cannot tell you how frustrating it is to be at the beach with your kindle and the battery dies... my books never die on me. There is nothing like the feel of a crisp new book or the smell of a really old one. Perhaps it is the English major in me, but I will never give up on my local library or my messy collection of literary finds. I like technology, in fact I embrace it; however, there will always be a place for new books on my shelf.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! I've also heard that Kindle's, iPad's and other electronic devices are not really big fans of gravity. I've dropped and in some cases thrown books at one point or another.
DeleteWe also know that in two years, the iPad 3 will be an outdated piece of scrap. This is not a problem a hardcover has ever had to deal with.