Jason Kelly: The Future of Books

[kennyc]

Just happened to run across this blog entry:

Tower Records, which sold books at some of its retail locations, declared bankruptcy in 2006 and disappeared from the US retail landscape. Borders (BGP) declared bankruptcy earlier this month and began liquidating $350M of inventory Saturday at discounts of up to 40 percent as it embarks on closing a third of its stores. Barnes & Noble (BKS) is surviving as America’s largest bookseller, with 1,300 stores across the land, but its low margins combined with high fixed costs and inventory requirements make it look vulnerable to shifting consumer habits.

Those shifting habits include a declining interest in reading, a preference for interactive technology such as games and other portable electronic devices, and a growing belief that short online summaries of a subject are better than detailed explorations in print.

Rest here: http://jasonkelly.com/2011/02/whats-...ture-of-books/

[TheHothive]

That's a sad news. People today especially the young ones should make reading a habit. Because if people's interest will continuously deteriorate booksellers will be gone in the future.

[Anthem]

Originally Posted by Jason Kelly

Thus, not all is lost in the world of books. The trend away from printed books to e-books may create a trove of previously unavailable material, for sale to readers usually at a price lower than printed books cost, but in a structure that rewards authors more than they could earn in the printed-book system erected over centuries.

Now, the question will be whether we can find all of that material that is actually worth consuming in an electronic market so utterly filled with paperless debris. Sifting for the desiderata is not going to be easy.

[rePete]

I'm an impulse buyer. I like to wander the aisles of stores and look things over. Mood has a lot to do with "if" I buy a book but flipping through the pages, reading the flyleafs, checking out pictures is all a part of my buying experience.

If I only had digital, I'm sure my reading habits would slow down dramatically.

[Giggleton]

Originally Posted by Anthem

Now, the question will be whether we can find all of that material that is actually worth consuming in an electronic market so utterly filled with paperless debris. Sifting for the desiderata is not going to be easy.

Yes, even the recommendations listing on this forum is a bit too fast IMO.