It just isn’t summer without my annual trek to the bookstore or a friend’s shelf to gather up this year’s “must reads.” Optimistic? Yes, but I can still recall the days when I actually read those all-consuming, mindless yet somehow satisfying beach books.
But if Sony is right, I may have to give up this rite of summer for good. Instead, I will spend countless hours online reviewing and purchasing e-books. According to Steve Haber, president of Sony’s digital reading business division, within five years more e-books will be sold than print books. The Association of American Publishers reports that U.S. book sales fell 1.8% last year but e-books sales tripled. Just as digitization changed the music industry and social media has forever changed the news industry, there is now an escalating shift in the book industry that may change traditional publishing.
With the recent proliferation of e-reading devices, like the Kindle, iPad and Nook, consumer adoption of e-readers has dramatically increased. Publishing houses and bookstores, forced to develop more nimble business models, are rushing to develop e-bookstores and establish standards to control and protect content. Authors are discovering they may no longer need traditional publishers, as a multitude of e-publishing and distribution services make it simple for them to publish their own books. A recent article in The Wall Street Journal highlights this trend discussing one author’s decade-long trials to get her books published. After repeatedly being turned down, she published it herself. The result: 36,000 copies sold, a Hollywood film option and a commitment from Amazon to publish a paperback.
So what does this mean to the everyday reader? In the future, will we sit around at book club discussing the latest best seller while referring to our iPads? Will our students hand in their summer reading annotations in digital format? Will sharing a good book with a friend become taboo as it will be considered stolen content?
E-readers will certainly be ever-present on trains, planes and subways. The ability to multitask – read books, papers, check email etc. – is too enticing. However, I already have to worry about my iPod in the sand. I find it difficult to get comfortable holding a 1.6 lb. device over my face while reading in bed (I’m fearful it will hit me in the head if I fall asleep). And when I do go to sleep, I’m certain it will break when I toss it off the side of the bed. You see, old habits are hard to break, but these new devices are not.
As with all technological advances, the value is in the intended use. I love the new iPad! I absolutely believe it will change the publishing industry as we know it today. But is this the beginning of extinction for the print book? Not by a long shot.
Besides – what will I put on my bookshelves?
As design director at Cookerly, Tim serves as the creative lead in the development of branding campaigns, print collateral and digital media for clients across a broad range of industries, including consumer, professional services, healthcare and technology.
As senior vice president at Cookerly, Mike Rieman specializes in building and maintaining relationships with the media and has an excellent track record of landing significant placements in print and broadcast media including USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and Money Magazine.
As vice president of Cookerly, Sheryl Sellaway uses her extensive corporate communications background to lead consumer PR efforts, deliver strategy for marketing programs and share expertise about community initiatives.
As a senior vice president at Cookerly, Matt helps organizations protect and advance their reputations and bottom lines through strategic communications programs. Using creativity, planning and flawless execution, he works with a team to deliver compelling public relations campaigns that produce results and support clients’ business objectives.