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I have always bought lots of books, but I live in a rural area, The closest bookstores are 1 hour away for Books-a-Millions, and 2 hours away for any independent. E-books have been a godsend for me.
The book business is in a time of rapid change, I would not hazard to guess where it is headed. Personally, I see nothing wrong with self-publishing e-books; maybe publishers can change their function from gatekeepers to editors (sorely needed, if the self-published books on Amazon are any indication), and overall agents for advertising/marketing books. But if they just resist the tide, as the music industry as tried to do, they will lose in the end.
Maybe paper books will become a more specialized area, for illustrated Children's books, art books, and other books for which e-book format is as yet not quite feasible.
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