For hundreds of years people have been reading books, from handwritten accounts all the way through to the modern printed novel. The printed book has become part of our lifestyle, part of societies around the world, and influenced millions of people. But is this all about the end? The Advent of the eBook-reader has for some signalled the end of the printed novel, the beginning of a new age of reading, and the emergence of the novel into the technological age.
Are sales increasing beyond books?
In the last few years there has been a wide abundance of ebook readers hitting the market, the most popular being the Amazon Kindle. Whilst the Kindle is the top of the tree, there are hundreds more eBook readers waiting in the wings to take the top spot. Even the Apple iPad 2 can offer you thousands of books to read, so it could be argued that this is really kicking off, people are beginning to see ebook readers as a viable option.
If you walk into any bookshop you can guarantee that there will be an eBook reader of some type for sale inside. This shows us how the eBook reader is beginning to find its place in the market, and will continue to develop its niche over the coming years. Could it mean in a few years time the bookshop will be no more?
Passionate book readers
Sales figures for the Amazon Kindle show around 30 million being sold worldwide this year alone, and with the introduction of new models in the range it will be no surprise if sales continue to increase. In fact since the Kindle was launched sales have tripled year on year. In the same time there has been a drop of physical sales of printed novels, but is there really a link?
No doubt the Kindle and various other eBook readers are convenient. When you go on holiday you can have one slim reader rather than five heavy books, and you don’t need to put a bookshelf up to store them all. At the same time, there is a strong passion amongst book fans for having the printed novel in their hands. I know myself that I would rather own a book than a file on a reader, it’s just not quite the same is it?
Millions of people own an eBook reader, but at the same time even more people will be going into a bookshop today and buying a book. Be it a travel book, the latest bestseller, or an obscure history book for study, book sales will continue over the coming years. There may be a point where book sales are lower than sales on eBook readers, but will companies really want to stop selling books?
Personally I doubt it; the printed novel will always be a favourite amongst book readers who don’t want to replace that feeling. There is no doubt the eBook reader is becoming more popular, and if that brings the next generation into reading then I for one back them. And who really wants to carry heavy books around with them on holiday?
Author Bio:
James who has a keen interest in eBook readers and how they will change the world of publishing and reading.
So, what do you think ?