Are Books Becoming Obsolete?

Rumelo

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 22, 2010
Messages
59
Reaction score
6
I have a confession. And please don't hate me. I read a lot. And for the most part I read on my kindle. And I've gotten so used to it that when I switch to a physical book I sometimes catch myself tapping a page to continue reading. Then I remember that books don't work that way!
 

Tchaikovsky

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 23, 2017
Messages
100
Reaction score
14
I am curious as to the future of the book business. With more and more people using Kindles or even reading online, it's likely that piracy of books will become popular too, as it did with MP3s. Who knows, there might be a book version of iTunes or Spotify, where you pay 99 cents to download any books.

But then that raises the question of, what about public libraries?
 

noirdood

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 21, 2015
Messages
238
Reaction score
15
Location
California desert
Everything I own is going to roll over and die -- with one or two exceptions; my car is a 2000 year Toyota Corolla and in 50 years it will be on its last legs. I live in a mobile home from the year 1957 and it won't outlast the Toyota. I have 100 cameras and lenses, mostly of the older film variety. Some models, it turns out, you cannot get parts at any price for them and the ability of being able to obtain film for them is up in the air. I have thousands of photogaphic negatives and the black and white films tend to last 250 to 300 years. I have books and short stories and magazine articles and photos in newspapers but they will not last too long. I have prints from my photos and the black and whites will last a long time, color prints will fade fast. I have digital prints but they are ephemeral, they do not last. I have some print and e-mail books and the print books will last a long time. I'm wondering what to do with the good stuff, like the negatives. I've got the Muhammad Ali-Oscar Bonavana title fight in Madison Square Gardens, The NBA championship in New York in 1971, the Olympics in Mexico City in 1968, rare photos of Elvis, the Beatles and Princess Grace Kelly. Hate to chuck a this when I flee this mortal coil.
 

ww412

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 4, 2017
Messages
52
Reaction score
1
All the local bookstores in my area are really busy every time I pass by. Around the holidays, they're completely packed! I think electronics are definitely taking over, but in my experience, there will always be that person who wants to physically hold a book.

My cousin works at the library and she tells me it's actually quite busy everyday especially on weekends. A lot of young teens and children still like to check out a book. It's really fascinating because I thought libraries were always empty. But she assures me it's a busy time.

Cheers
 

JonnyTheDean

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 27, 2017
Messages
75
Reaction score
7
Location
Mancunium
I really hope books are still around for the long haul - I just can't lose myself in an ebook. I spend quite enough time staring at a screen throughout the day without wanting to stare at a screen when reading a book too.

Besides, kindles don't have old book smell, which is a vital part of the reading experience!
 

noirdood

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 21, 2015
Messages
238
Reaction score
15
Location
California desert
How many people record family events like births and deaths on the family Bible USB Flash Drive? I think books will be here for a while.
 

Zoe R

Fluffhead! Fluffy fluffy head!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 30, 2017
Messages
183
Reaction score
31
I was totally floored to visit one of Amazon's new Amazon Books retail stores. Of course there is the irony that they are opening retail book stores when they were a large cause of the death of them, but they are doing it in a unique way that seems smart. They only have high rated books, it's all set up for browsing, covers out, and you get them at Amazon prices if you have prime.

I went through a heavy kindle phase, but I've been reading physical books again. I do regret it when it's a heavy book that I want to read while lying in bed, lol, but I like the tactile nature of it.
 

Jan74

Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 10, 2017
Messages
1,072
Reaction score
136
Location
Canada
My best friend has a kindle and she loves it she averages 2 books a week. I've thought about kindle, but honestly I like the feel of a book in my hands, so I can't transition over yet. The only thing about buying books is they take up space.
 

Jason

Ideas bounce around in my head
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 26, 2016
Messages
6,011
Reaction score
1,036
Location
Nashville, TN
Every year my dad gives each child a book for Christmas. A real one with paper pages, a spine and everything. I love my collection of classic literature and can proudly say I've read every one of them.

The grandchildren (my nieces and nephews) also get one. Between all of us that's 8 books a year. He also reads only print books and easily reads 20-30 a year on his own.

I don't think print books are going away...
 

T.D. Dracken

Registered
Joined
Apr 28, 2017
Messages
47
Reaction score
1
My in-laws are big readers. They get every Clive Cussler book that comes out and usually read them on their on their iPads. They realized that after they finish reading, they can look back some time later and don't remember the stories as well as when they read them out of a physical book. I'm willing to bet there's something more too that and enough people will realize it that physical books never go out.

Besides, without books where will we get actually new stories instead of constant re-releases of movies?
 
Last edited:

Keledron

Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2013
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Location
Poconos, PA
I don't ever see print books going away. Kindle is a fantastic convenience, especially when it comes to bed-time reading. No light to keep my wife up, over flapping pages to wake her up ;)

However, I will always keep a physical copy of books I truly enjoy. Digital is not permanent. Someday, even Amazon will be replaced with the next-big-readingthing-companythingy. As someone who has been around and worked in IT and technology my entire life, I'm well-versed to the fact that things change, and change quickly in a digital world. Things that we can't imagine the digital world without will (more than likely) disappear at some point.

I.E. Myspace. I had a band back in the late-2000s and could not imagine reaching people without a platform like MySpace. Facebook? That's just a college thing.

Granted, we've reached a point in tech where I think e-books are a permanent thing. But they will always be for convenience of sheer volume (and instant-purchasification). I think the desire to have a book you can hold, smell and put on a shelf will always exist.

But I've been wrong before :)
 

grandma2isaac

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 17, 2016
Messages
2,755
Reaction score
443
Location
Warsaw, Indiana
My husband thinks books waste space and are "Too heavy to pack and move." I love everything about them, the smell of an old book store, the peace I feel in a huge room filled with the written word, the knowledge that I can travel to so many different places without leaving the room I am in. There have been times on my kindle when I wanted to reread a portion and had to search to find it. Much easier done with a paged book! All that being said, my kindle is great for travelling. I read about seven books a week. It takes two weeks if we are visiting relatives. Imagine the weight of seven books in your luggage! Over seven thousand can go with me when I carry my kindle.
I did go through and get rid of a lot of my books for my husband's sake, but amazingly there are still books that arrive at my home from time to time. I can't seem to help myself sometimes.
 

Spookyboo

Registered
Joined
Apr 29, 2017
Messages
15
Reaction score
1
Location
Let's just say it's a Dakota
I have read a few books on kindle and it can be very convenient since I can read the same book on my computer/tab/phone but an Ebook will never replace a real book for me.
 

pbandj

Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 4, 2017
Messages
70
Reaction score
8
Location
Somewhere, USA
I don't think print will go away. There will always be readers who prefer a printed copy over an ebook. However, I do have a friend who pirates ebooks. I scolded her accordingly. Personally, I buy print because not only am I addicted to the smell, but I also just enjoy being able to flip pages and make little handwritten notes of what parts I most enjoyed. (Though, that's only with my personal copies.)
 

louisgodwin

Back from the dead
Poetry Book Collaborator
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 11, 2005
Messages
1,610
Reaction score
548
I think it's just a matter of preference. Both ebooks and paper books will continue to sell. It's like with movies, do you prefer watching them on cable or netflix? Just two different formats to bring you the same product.
 

stormie

storm central
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
12,500
Reaction score
7,162
Location
Still three blocks from the Atlantic Ocean
Website
www.anneskal.wordpress.com
First, there are pros and cons to both ebooks and print. I am now a convert to ebooks.

But I'm wondering if your question is more along the lines of "Are YouTube and streaming videos (movies, tv shows) the future, nudging books aside?"
It does seem that less people are reading books. I, too, wonder what the future holds for the publishing industry.

When I first began submitting my writings to magazines 17 years ago, there were so many to choose from. And they paid. Then slowly, one-by-one, each magazine closed its doors. Or merged. Or stopped running short stories. As for books, I've seen publishers merge or close.

But that's only my observation.
 

shootseven

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 25, 2015
Messages
91
Reaction score
9
I read a lot of nonfiction with both photos and endnotes. I occasionally look at the endnotes during reading when I'm curious where a piece of information came from. Flipping back and forth is much easier to do with paper books. Because of this, I can't see myself switching to ebooks any time in the near future.
 

Yarns

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 1, 2017
Messages
61
Reaction score
2
It might be that print books will go out of fashion in favor of digital libraries. I'm not sure, myself. But if you live in a small place perhaps it would be more convenient.

That's one thing I don't like about the digital revolution, is that I end up having to buy products that I already physically own to replace them digitally. Specifically, old games. Books may end up being the same in some sense, except that a physical book doesn't need to be replaced because of outdated hardware or software, of course.
 
Last edited:

Feidb

Been Here A While
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 22, 2008
Messages
606
Reaction score
51
Location
Las Vegas
Website
www.fredrayworth.com
Books becoming obsolete is a load of garbage. Not true. Book sales are actually up, according to one fairly reputable source, Donald Maass. He gave our keynote speech at the Las Vegas Writer's Conference here in April and talked about not only the fact that print books are NOT being out sold or killed by e-books, but the fact that people ARE still reading, a LOT.

That same issue has also been addressed multiple times in the media that I've seen since I watched him give that talk two months ago.

I go to Barnes & Noble every Sunday and always have to wait in line to get to the counter. Always.

People ARE still reading.

Someone is feeding you a line.
 

AW Admin

Administrator
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 19, 2008
Messages
18,772
Reaction score
6,285
I read a lot of nonfiction with both photos and endnotes. I occasionally look at the endnotes during reading when I'm curious where a piece of information came from. Flipping back and forth is much easier to do with paper books. Because of this, I can't see myself switching to ebooks any time in the near future.

A well-designed ebook actually makes endnotes or footnotes easier. Tap or click to see the note. Tap to go back to the body page you were reading.

This isn't even hard to do, and it's old ebook technology.
 

Tyger

Registered
Joined
Jun 13, 2017
Messages
8
Reaction score
0
It's not only that most people are turning digital - a lot of the newer generations dont read altogether.

It's mostly erotic books like 50soG, or teen (girl) romance.

Don't know if things were much better 10-20 years ago as I can only speak from experience.
 

CameronJohnston

Great Old One
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 7, 2017
Messages
1,201
Reaction score
119
Location
Glasgow, Scotland
Website
www.cameronjohnston.net
I could never go ebook-only. I do like a physical object to read and it's great to just get away from staring at a screen sometimes.

Occasionally I need to quickly flip back to previous scenes to check out a detail and I find that such a chore to do on ebooks.
 

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman
Super Moderator
Absolute Sage
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 12, 2005
Messages
22,454
Reaction score
4,956
Location
In chaos
It's not only that most people are turning digital - a lot of the newer generations dont read altogether.

It's mostly erotic books like 50soG, or teen (girl) romance.

Don't know if things were much better 10-20 years ago as I can only speak from experience.

This might be your opinion, Tyger, but it's not backed up by any actual facts or research I've seen.
 

Cobalt Jade

Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 21, 2015
Messages
3,289
Reaction score
1,440
Location
Seattle
I have noticed it's a lot harder to finish a middling-to-crappy ebook than a physical copy would be. Something about a physical copy forces me to continue.