Listen to Margaret Atwood on the rise of the e book, does it mean the death of the paper book or will it increase book sales. Link to this week’s interview on the Today Programme
You said it, Fran ... I was going to say the same thing. Nothing better than the feel, look and smell of a 'real' book.
In no way shape or form is the paper book dead. As Maragaret Atwood rightly says and we would all agree the E book is ideal for travelling…but would you take it to the beach? There is nothing quite like walking through the door of a good bookshop, rows and rows of lovely books lined up just waiting to be taken in hand, covers read decisions made will I or wont I? The smell the atmosphere…the hunt for that one book you must have and can’t find anywhere…Ah well on to the next bookshop, I know I will find it I just must keep looking!
F
It’s too soon to say that… As new media whom nobody can foresee the development, the e-book could be either a fashionable gadget or a great derivative of the paper books. Only the readers will give to this reading way its future or no. That’s a topical question for both publishers and booksellers, and, why not, for the authors! In USA, the market is booming, helped for that by the lack of ‘brick and mortar’ bookstores. The prices are lower than paper books. In France, the Governement wants to legislate the retail price (Prix Unique) despite the world market. Another mistake: the ‘war’ between the main suppliers like B&N, Borders (yes!), Amazon, Apple, FNAC (in France)… with their reading device (Kindle, Nook, iPad…). So, wait and see what could happen to this new business. As a publisher, I closely follow this evolution!