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I have just bought and downloaded Peter F Hamilton's "Great North Road" for £2.40, several months before the paperback comes out for £6.29.

The only disadvantage is the Kindle ebook can't be sold or transferred to a non-Kindle device. That said, anyone familiar with Mr Hamilton's epic style of book (1,100 pages!!) will acknowledge the plain ease of carrying it in digital format rather than paper, and saving on bookshelf space.

Paper book sales are dropping rapidly in the UK, despite 10.5M copies of 50 Shades of Grey sold in 2012.

In the future, will any books be published on paper, except large format textbooks, charts, and the like? I can see even those disappearing if flexible colour epaper screens become common.

I think they're going to disappear. The Kindle and devices like it (iPad, etc etc) are massively more efficient in terms of their resource use... Provided we quite with this crap of a new iPad every year where everyone throws the old one out. I'm kind of hoping consumers will stop that.

On the other hand though, I do wish that an initiative would be established to store physical copies somewhere as a sort of fall back. Never know when something epically fantastic will happen and we lose all the digital data. Be a shame to lose all the works of human history because there aren't any non-digital copies around.

I actually like to think colleges will very soon start making the transition as sales of text books (and their horribly out of wack pricing that makes GW seem tame) continue to drop. It's just more useful for the school and the student.

The real blow I think came when the supermarkets started selling books for less than the wholesale price to bookshops. You can't compete with that, supermarkets don't sell many books so pick a handful of the main best sellers which the bookshops would rely on. But mass purchasing power of supermarkets means they get their way and they get it cheap.

That's a problem because the publishing industry are cutting heir own throat doing that from what I can see. Once most bookstores close they'll only have the supermarkets left, and they'll only want a minority of common interest books, not a range of books. Pretty much the only thing you'll be able to buy will be rubbish like 50 Shades of Grey and a few other popularist titles.

As for things like Kindles, well books on them aren't all that cheap. Some are, but a lot are nearly cover price. So the difference is in the media, not the savings. My wife works in a bookshop and sales seem to be holding up and doing better this Christmas than last even though they now sell Kindles in the shop. Selling Kindles in a bookshop might sound crazy but I'm guessing there's a secret agreement somewhere about sharing online sales or something but that's speculation.

 Kilkrazy wrote:
In the future, will any books be published on paper, except large format textbooks, charts, and the like?

Of course. Books have appeal greater then simply the stories in them. There is the charm of having a library, the tactile feel of the book, the fact it never runs out of batteries, can be easily lent to a friend, and added bonus that the bookseller can't go into your house, steal it from you, and leave some money on your dresser after you buy it.

I personally prefer books because I can touch and feel them. But I'm also the kind of guy who prefers buying CDs and hard copies of video games.

Books will have a niche and many publishers will charge premiums for "artisan-made" books eventually.

I don't see books completely disappearing as many, many people across the world hardly have access to running water and electricity much less paper books.

Poor people would also want to access books from libraries and being unable to afford an electronic book or charge it consistently would hinder their ability to read.

As a pragmatic solution, we should continue to print books as electronic devices are susceptible to damage and I'd hate to be one of the apocalyptic "I-told-you-so" crowd when a world-wide EMP nukes/fries our precious electronic storage media.

 WarOne wrote:

As a pragmatic solution, we should continue to print books as electronic devices are susceptible to damage and I'd hate to be one of the apocalyptic "I-told-you-so" crowd when a world-wide EMP nukes/fries our precious electronic storage media.

I can see it now...

50 years from now, you'll see it advertised everywhere:

"Paper, the way of the future!"

Books hold dignity and a certain je nais se quoi akin to class or panache which ebooks will never replicate.

However, the true deathblow to print-based literature will come in the form of a universal file format that the various e-readers all share. Until then, e-readers will continue to be a publisher's wet dream, which is not shared by younger markets.

I enjoy reading my on Kindle because it has around 250 books on it and is smaller than any book I have ever owned.
On the other hand I have solid copies of all my favourite books.

I have a program that can take non kindle formatted books and make them into the format and vise versa.

I personally like good ole fashioned paper books. I figured I look at screens all day I can give my eyes a rest when reading.

I have a Kindle app on my tablet, it does well for what I use it for, mostly travel, and it's quite convenient to save me the space for a few paper backs in my usually crowded baggage.

That said I maintain a personal library of 200+ volumes and I don't want it to go any where any time soon. There's just something about books you know?

 Ouze wrote:

 Kilkrazy wrote:
In the future, will any books be published on paper, except large format textbooks, charts, and the like?

Of course. Books have appeal greater then simply the stories in them. There is the charm of having a library, the tactile feel of the book, the fact it never runs out of batteries, can be easily lent to a friend, and added bonus that the bookseller can't go into your house, steal it from you, and leave some money on your dresser after you buy it.

Exactly. If I have a physical book it is mine and I can do what I want with it. I can resale it if I don't like it. I really hate the property rights for electronic books.

As some Antiquitic chap said (it may have been Cicero?) - "A room without books is like a body without a soul"

 Ouze wrote:
Of course. Books have appeal greater then simply the stories in them. There is the charm of having a library, the tactile feel of the book, the fact it never runs out of batteries, can be easily lent to a friend, and added bonus that the bookseller can't go into your house, steal it from you, and leave some money on your dresser after you buy it.

Well that is eeriely coincidental Is 1984 seriously not public domain? I would have thought it old enough to be there by now but guess not.

Not so much a problem with the eBook format as the companies that offer the product, but yeah. What I'd really like to see in the future is access to large public libraries of books. The 'Kindle' being just an access terminal. Oh the dreams of a half decent future

 LordofHats wrote:
Not so much a problem with the eBook format as the companies that offer the product, but yeah. What I'd really like to see in the future is access to large public libraries of books. The 'Kindle' being just an access terminal. Oh the dreams of a half decent future

Just don't ask for practical applications.

I love books. But i know i ue them when i look at my book for class, I can get a hard back for 20$ used, then get them online for 10$ new for my nook.
Not to mention that all i have to do is go online, Buy it, download it then attach my computer to my nook, No going to a store and picking it up.

For me, the Kindle or other e-reader will replace most of my paperback fiction buying, except for the series I have started and want to continue (Iain M Banks, for example.)

I think POD (print on demand) could actually become useful for paper books, Black Library already do it for some of their older books. but I could see it becomeing popular among publishers wanting to shift more towards Ebooks while not alienating a section of their customer base.

I personally like Real books, but I mainly read at home, I know if I traveled more or read books on the way to college I'd probably invest in an E-Reader. they'd also be great for RPG books, because there is generally more than one and they're heavy.

I'm on the same page as most of you. I always viewed paperbacks as essentially disposable media- they just will not survive long term. Knowing that, I switched purchasing things purely for the story to my kindle. When I want to collect a series, or book I get it in hardcover.

Gitzbitah wrote:I'm on the same page as most of you. I always viewed paperbacks as essentially disposable media- they just will not survive long term.

My 1971 paperback of To Your Scattered Bodies Go is in wonderful shape, and it's over 40 years old. How long must something keep until it's not considered disposable?

I have some books that are 150 years old and still well readable, but I also have books only 10 years old that are yellowed. The quality of paper is very variable.

The quality of binding also varies wildly in the modern era, even in the low grade paperbacks.

Gitzbitah wrote:
I'm on the same page as most of you. I always viewed paperbacks as essentially disposable media- they just will not survive long term. Knowing that, I switched purchasing things purely for the story to my kindle. When I want to collect a series, or book I get it in hardcover.

Pretty much the same for me. The books I really want, I get in hardcover (even scored an Easton Press edition of Dune a few months back at Half Price Books. woot). I just got my first Kindle (Fire HD 8/9") this past week, and I'll use it to pick up cheaper books such that interest me.

I will stick to my good old books thanks. There is nothing better than brushing your hand across the bookshelf trying to decide what to read next, you just don't get that with a kindle!

On the other hand, my university books would really benefit from an electronic copy. Lugging them around all day if no fun task. It would however, restrict you from selling the book back now I think about it...

I will always prefer the tactile experience of reading a physical book, but I read just as much, if not more on my nook. E-books are almost always cheaper, and it's easier to transport a lot of reading material when traveling. I prefer the nook especially when it comes to texts for school. Being able to fit all my books into something that can be slipped into a leather folder is muc hpreferrable to lugging around a backpack filled with textbooks.

 Kilkrazy wrote:
I have just bought and downloaded Peter F Hamilton's "Great North Road" for £2.40, several months before the paperback comes out for £6.29.

The only disadvantage is the Kindle ebook can't be sold or transferred to a non-Kindle device. That said, anyone familiar with Mr Hamilton's epic style of book (1,100 pages!!) will acknowledge the plain ease of carrying it in digital format rather than paper, and saving on bookshelf space.

Paper book sales are dropping rapidly in the UK, despite 10.5M copies of 50 Shades of Grey sold in 2012.

In the future, will any books be published on paper, except large format textbooks, charts, and the like? I can see even those disappearing if flexible colour epaper screens become common.

Carrying heavy ass books around builds character.

Trust me, I play D&D.

Necroshea wrote:

 Kilkrazy wrote:
I have just bought and downloaded Peter F Hamilton's "Great North Road" for £2.40, several months before the paperback comes out for £6.29.

The only disadvantage is the Kindle ebook can't be sold or transferred to a non-Kindle device. That said, anyone familiar with Mr Hamilton's epic style of book (1,100 pages!!) will acknowledge the plain ease of carrying it in digital format rather than paper, and saving on bookshelf space.

Paper book sales are dropping rapidly in the UK, despite 10.5M copies of 50 Shades of Grey sold in 2012.

In the future, will any books be published on paper, except large format textbooks, charts, and the like? I can see even those disappearing if flexible colour epaper screens become common.

Carrying heavy ass books around builds character.

Trust me, I play D&D.

And it's likely their only form of exercise, too.

hey-oh !

 azazel the cat wrote:

Necroshea wrote:

 Kilkrazy wrote:
I have just bought and downloaded Peter F Hamilton's "Great North Road" for £2.40, several months before the paperback comes out for £6.29.

The only disadvantage is the Kindle ebook can't be sold or transferred to a non-Kindle device. That said, anyone familiar with Mr Hamilton's epic style of book (1,100 pages!!) will acknowledge the plain ease of carrying it in digital format rather than paper, and saving on bookshelf space.

Paper book sales are dropping rapidly in the UK, despite 10.5M copies of 50 Shades of Grey sold in 2012.

In the future, will any books be published on paper, except large format textbooks, charts, and the like? I can see even those disappearing if flexible colour epaper screens become common.

Carrying heavy ass books around builds character.

Trust me, I play D&D.

And it's likely their only form of exercise, too.

hey-oh !

Hey walking to the kitchen takes a lot of effort! Look at those cheetos and mountain dew! They're like a thousand miles away! Ugh!

 Necroshea wrote:
Carrying heavy ass books around builds character.

Trust me, I play D&D.

Were you also punning on the rpg character building elements of D&D there? Brilliant.

 Ouze wrote:

Of course. Books have appeal greater then simply the stories in them. There is the charm of having a library, the tactile feel of the book, the fact it never runs out of batteries, can be easily lent to a friend, and added bonus that the bookseller can't go into your house, steal it from you, and leave some money on your dresser after you buy it.

Ah, the joy of contracted electronic media. I still remember the halcyon days when I owned (read: had legal access to) Avatar: The Last Airbender on iTunes.