Old School or New Wave?

E-readers have a pretty long battery life, but of course, you can charge them just like anything. I've yet to find one I like, but I suspect that future generations will be better and eventually I will buy one. But it won't be for casual reading, it will be for travel reading--so I don't have to haul four books with me when I go to Cancun for a week. It will also be because it will be multi-functioning (web-browser, storage for pics, etc).

Here's what I think will happen in the industry. Sales for e-readers will plateau (just like sales for any electronic device) and e-book sales will follow suit and eventually occupy, MAYBE, a quarter of the market share (and that's very optimistic, and I'm talking 10 or so years from now). Right now e-books occupy MAYBE 5-10% of the market and some reports already indicate a plateau.

It's important to remember that 10% of the population is responsible for 90% of the books purchased. I think e-readers haven't so much impacted that 10% but rather have spurred a new readership. This is a good thing for publishers and authors. Look at the earnings for the big 6 publishers. Simon and Shuster, for example, showed an increase in earnings by 10% in the last quarter. They're not going anywhere.

Also, don't make the mistake in thinking that book-store closures (which happen now, as they did in the past) are tied to ebooks. They're not. It is tied to online sales and increased competition. New bookstores open all the time, and online sales, for mega book-chains like Chapters/Indigo don't represent the bulk of their earnings. In 2009 online sales accounted for around 8% of total sales. (http://www.ndir.com/SI/articles/ValueWorkshop/IDG.pdf)

So while technology is an important part of the book industry, I don't think it's changing the face of publishing, it's just giving it a nose job.

Also, even though a new epub starts up everytime a bell rings, it doesn't mean that they are the future of publishing. Anything e-only publishers can do, the big boys can do better. That is evident in the fact that the big guys dominate all aspect of the publishing world, including e-books.


ETA: Wanted to add one point of clarification: I'm not oppose to e-publishers or POD publishers. Not at all. I think there are far more bad than good, but for the savvy author who does their research, there are some real gems out there. Some that produce top notch product and generate noteworthy sales (selling units by the thousand rather than by the dozen). There aren't many of these, and they're all vying for the same market share, but they do exist. I've seen em. They're kind of like a sasquatch--you have to look really hard to spot em, and most of the time when you think you have, you're really just looking at some hairy German guy . HUH??? let's blame that analogy on how early it is, shall we?

I love print books but an e-reader tops my Christmas list this year. I anticipate having to travel for long stretches in 2011 and the convenience of a library in the suitcase is something I greatly desire.

I've had to go almost entirely e-reader because of my sight and my wrists. It's easier for me to use a Barnes & Noble nook with its scalable fonts and light weight; I just got a hardback copy of Mary Ann in Autumn by Armistead Maupin but cracked and had to buy a copy for the nook, as well, after reading almost four chapters. (He's one of my favorite living authors, and I really have no problems throwing as much of my money at him as possible.)

I'm getting a KIndle this Christmas. I'm looking forward to it. Most of my print books end up heading off to Goodwill after I read them. I only keep certain books, that I may want to read again or reference books for writing projects.

I'm looking forward to making the switch, but on occasion I'm sure I will still by print for one reason or another.

I'm an Adam. Pleased to meet ya.

Slightly more seriously - I'm a bit of both. I love printed books, and would much rather own/read one than an ebook, but I also have an ereader, 1 published ebook and another coming early '11.

I've read some great ebooks lately that I would have missed out on if I only read print.

Since I bought my Kindle, I have purchased somewhere around 150 ebooks and 2 print books. Love, love my ereader. I'll never go back to paper.

All of my romances are e-books. The romances of the authors I like (and the writing friends whose books I wanna read because, well, they're my friends) are e-books.

I do not own an e-reader. Buying one at some point would probably be a good idea, because right now any e-books I buy, I have to read as PDF on my computer monitor, and that mightily messes with my eyes. I occasionally buy e-books from the authors whose books I like and the authors I personally like, but I don't buy as many as I want to, mostly because I don't own an e-reader.

Hubby prefers e-books, and one of the highlights of his year was discovering that his new Evo phone, which he got from work, has Kindle capabilities.

I love good, old-fashioned solid books, especially great old tomes and reference works. I have a collection of Analog SF Magazine dating back to 1960. I love my books. They're my friends.

However, I bought an iPad last summer. I currently have the Kindle, Nook, Stanza, and iBooks readers on it plus several more. I use my iPad constantly and, while I paid significantly more for it than a standard ereader, it does more than any standalone ereader possibly could. I've probably read more in the last 6 months using the iPad than I have traditional paper books.

Apple even replaced my iPad when I accidentally bricked it last month.

I keep it sync'd with my Acer net book and use the iPad to write and edit on these days as well.

I have a nook and love it. Bought it in February (disclaimer: I do work part time at the local Barnes & Noble, but didn't get an employee discount on the purchase) and have about 150 books on it so far. I buy almost exclusively e-books at this point, at least for myself. For my kids, I still buy regular paper books, because I don't want them taking an e-reader to school.

Interestingly, I think I read MORE now, because of the flexibility of my e-reader. It's a lot easier to toss that in a purse than the latest ginormous hardcover best seller, so I read on the go all the time.

As a disclaimer, I am the dept mgr for a Walmart electronics dept. We tried to sell the Sony ereader, but that machine sucks as$, especially the less capable version. I think the Nook and Kindle are much better machines though I wish both had full touch screens like the high-priced Sony dies.

I love my Kindle.
I like to read, and read a lot - but page turning is hard for me as I have only one functioning hand. The Kindle is perfect for me. Goes a bunch on one charge, haven't had any problems with it, and buy & read lots of books because it's cheaper to get & read eBooks.

I still love print books, too - but I really love the Kindle!

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Auto-sync finally did me in. I have loved ebooks for years, but I didn't love them MORE than print books. But now that I can open my entire library on my kindle, my phone, my PC desktop, my macbook, my husband's kindle, my netbook...

My entire library. EVERYWHERE.

Turns out, I'm way more addicted to never being without my books than I was to paper.

With my horrible eyesight, it was the adjustible print that finally did me in. Large print books are expensive and heavy. Now I carry my whole library in my purse all the time. Plus I have a bible, dictionary, the complete Jane Austen, etc...

The day I lugged around twenty-five paperbacks through an airport and almost killed myself more than once tripping over the damned bag, I decided how convenient an ereader, which would hold hundreds, if not thousands of books, would be. My Kindle has over four hundred books on it right now and fits in my purse.

Dee Carney said:

The day I lugged around twenty-five paperbacks through an airport and almost killed myself more than once tripping over the damned bag, I decided how convenient an ereader, which would hold hundreds, if not thousands of books, would be. My Kindle has over four hundred books on it right now and fits in my purse.

Click to expand...

Heavy reading?

I love my kindle! I still buy print books and always will but I also own those same books on my Kndle-

I am 100% Kobo now. I love it. I almost never have to charge it. I don't think I plugged it in in over a month? And I use it every day. I love that I can regulate the font and have it the same nice big size no matter what book I'm reading. And almost every book is available as an epub. I love print books...but I would only buy them now if I had to. I've bought about 10 books in the last month...all epub for my Kobo. My 'To Read' list is growing rapidly because I keep shopping for more books. I can't read them as quickly as I'm buying them.

Going Kindle for Xmas.

*cough* I've heard some strip DRM from their files *cough, cough*

I read on a Palm tungsten PDA. I started with a Palm Pilot about four years ago, then got this one on Ebay because it holds an Sd card and plays music. Also does other handy pda functions.

I like how it fits in my hand, love autoscroll and the backlight(I like to read in bed).

I'm so satisfied with it I'm not sure when I'll upgrade to a regular e-reader--probably when someone gets me one as a gift.

I love computers/tech and am thrilled to be part of e-publishing.

RandomJerk said:

Going Kindle for Xmas.

*cough* I've heard some strip DRM from their files *cough, cough*

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Stripping DRM would be wrong.

*cough* So easy my 12 yo can do it *cough, cough*

*nods*

Just wanted to chime in. I have too many books and have started feeling guilty for buying new ones. Then, as if by magic, I got an iPad as a gift (from a very generous individual). Holy cow! I am reading like a mofo. I feel no guilt because they don't take up any space. I am in total love with this thing. I read the newspaper on it, I read books on it, I read comics on it. And I read more than I ever did before.

Books will never be replaced, but I gotta say, from a semi-skeptic I've become a convert. Ebooks are amazing! (Although I do think $9.99 is a bit steep for an eBook).