With innovations such as the Kindle and the soon to be released iPad, some feel that the days of reading paper copies seem to be numbered. However, there are those who still believe that no matter how advanced literary technology becomes, it will never be a replacement for picking up a real book. Newspapers are facing a similar fate, with online versions and subscriptions available at a fraction of the cost and in a far more convenient form. Even textbooks are becoming digitized, with sites like zinio, coursesmart, and even mega-textbook producer McGraw-Hill now has an e-book store. However, it is still a topic of debate amongst the people as to whether or not they believe the industry of bookselling is going to last. Some believe that it most certainly will not, and that it should not. Many think that for-profit book selling is something we are leaving behind for a new industry that works to provide the reader and the author with accessibility to read and publish without the middle man–online access to books, newspapers, and magazines. No doubt, there are certainly perks to these electronic versions, in my opinion the greatest of which being the ability for readers to instantly and publicly respond to articles, books, etc. through comment boards and blogs. There are those, too, that still believe that book selling will continue on, just not maybe in the same way that is has in the past. Sites like amazon allow reader to buy books online, from the convenience of their home with the confidence that they are getting the most competitive price. I personally side with this side of thought, and although I am not entirely confident that in 100 years we will still have books, I very much hope that we do. Books and magazines are individual pieces of art, a combination of the written word combined with masterfully designed illustrations and cover art, all to give the reader a unique and desirable experience when they purchase the book. The folks at DK publishing feel the same way, and they came out with this video I saw on BoingBoing this morning, inspiring my post on the future of publishing. The video is incredibly clever in both it’s visual design as well as message.
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I just made a post related to this issue! I believe only the strongest and internationally recognized newspapers will shift to an all digital format and be read a lot on eReaders. But I think people will stay away from any that try to charge for subscription. It’s too easy to get the news for free.
As for books… I really hope they survive. Newspapers are dispensable, but books are cherished and collected. Generations to come will always know what a book looks like, feels like.
I couldn’t imagine a world without books that you can physically hold in your hand. For me it’s is sometimes hard to read type on a computer screen and much more advantageous to be holding a book instead. Also when I look at a computer screen for too long my eyes start to hurt and i get a headache. This never happens with books. So I think if there are people who want paper books there will be paper books to be had.