Amazon, owner of the hugely popular Kindle eBook reader have recently announced that for the first time ebooks have out sold a course in miracles bookstore. Is this the end of printed books? Probably not. With the announcement that ebooks are out selling printed books, Amazon have also said that printed books sales are up too.
So what does this mean for paperback books. Well from this point it’s just a prediction but I postulate that paper books have seen their day. With bookshops operating on slim margins and many closing in recent months it seems as though the electronic world has hit them hard.
With the ebooks in it’s infancy and already out selling printed books it’s a matter of when and not if paper books will bite the dust. The possibilities for ebooks are endless. You will one day find pictures, sounds and even videos inside your ebooks.
There are reasons to keep the paper book but these reasons tend to deal with senses. People just love the feel of a book or the smell. They love holding a book physically in their hand but I believe it’s only a matter of time before we all convert and embrace the electronic way of reading.
Ease of use
Printed books
When wanting to read a printed book you have 3 options these days:
First the cheap option of visiting the library. I recently ventured to my local library and was disappointed not to find the books I was looking for.
Second the next cheapest option of buying online. This is the best method for buying books for me. You will find much cheaper books online, mostly because they are second hand but I find the quality of these second hand books to be just as good as the new. The only downside is, having to wait 3 or 4 days for the book to arrive, not to mention you have to pay postage and packaging.
Third and most expensive option is going to a book shop. If you don’t care about money and you want a brand new book that you know no one has touched then this is the best option. But lets face it who wants to spend more than they have to.e
Ebooks
This is the easiest and cheapest way to read. It only takes a couple of minutes and you don’t have to go anyway. Simply go onto a website, find your book and download it. Couldn’t be easier. You can have the book and begin reading it within 5 mins.
There is no need to find space to put your books, there is no need to fill suitcases when you want to take a few books with you on holiday, all you need is an ebook.