Survey Claims to Reveal the Death of Printed Books

[emellaich]

In truth, I shared the original article more for discussion purposes. The survey feels much too limited (to few questions), to use as the basis for any judgement of the relative popularity of the two formats.

[wannabee]

Paper books won't crash.

[Namekuseijin]

that's definitely the death of papyrus scrolls.

[SeaKing]

If it happened, we would all live.

I think though the newsstand like kiosk, the book sections, magazine, paper sections in Walmart, the grocery store, the pharmacy, other stores will keep paper books alive.

People like to browse, to choose, and they go to the store anyway.

Originally Posted by injapan

... gosh there is so much waist when most books are only read once or twice then possibly thrown away ... esp in the case of newspapers and magazines

The irony is that newspapers and magazines are two things that I don't want to read electronically, even though they are the most wasteful in terms of physical resources. Then again, I usually pick up the free dailies and community papers since the electronic subscriptions are still on the expensive side.

Ebooks still have a ways to go for convenience though. They are great for novels and certain non-fiction works, but they suck for just about everything else. Reading anything non-linear on an ereader (e.g. textbooks) is still a harrowing experience since it is a royal PITA to flip back and forth.

[HappyMartin]

The survey was done in the US? Well I guess the US is a typical sample for the rest of the planets population so if it might be true for the US it is most likely true for South America, Asia and Africa as well.

[howyoudoin]

Actually, considering rising literacy levels outside the developed world, it stands to reason that printed book consumption would be at an all-time high currently.

Then there's rise in population worldwide. What was it? 1 billion in 30 years or so?

Honestly, if these two factors aren't reason enough for traditional publishers to celebrate, you know they're really digging themselves into a hole.

[QuantumIguana]

Books are a good use of paper. I have books that are well over 100 years old. If I no longer have a need for a paper book, it gets donated so someone else can read it. Junk mail, now THAT is a waste of paper! It gets thrown in the trash without even being read once.

If my power runs out on my e-reader, or if I forgot my e-reader, I can pick up a paper book.

[BeccaPrice]

I just picked up a fascinating paper book - The Information, by James Gleick. It's going back to the store so I can get it in eformat... the type is too small for me to comfortably read.

[Provenzano]

"The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated"
--- The printed book

[emellaich]

Originally Posted by howyoudoin

Actually, considering rising literacy levels outside the developed world, it stands to reason that printed book consumption would be at an all-time high currently.

Then there's rise in population worldwide. What was it? 1 billion in 30 years or so?

Honestly, if these two factors aren't reason enough for traditional publishers to celebrate, you know they're really digging themselves into a hole.

I haven't looked into this specifically, but many developed countries (Japan, South Korea, Germany, Italy, as well as China) are seeing population decline. It's only in India, the U.S., the African countries, and Indonesia among others that population will increase. I wouldn't be surprised if the final tally showed an increasing proportion of non-readers.

[xg4bx]

until we hit the point of 'all or nothing', reading on an ereader will continue to feel like a novelty to me. if i'm paying the same price, i'm choosing the physical item for my money.

[Christine54]

I am still in the novelty stage with ebooks, I haven't had the iPad for long, but I must admit that I really like reading books in e format. They are so bright and easy to read. That being said, I will always adore paperbacks and big, shiny coffee table books, for no other reason than I like the way they feel in my hands.

[howyoudoin]

Originally Posted by emellaich

I haven't looked into this specifically, but many developed countries (Japan, South Korea, Germany, Italy, as well as China) are seeing population decline. It's only in India, the U.S., the African countries, and Indonesia among others that population will increase. I wouldn't be surprised if the final tally showed an increasing proportion of non-readers.

It's debatable about the proportion, but surely there's no disputing that the sheer number of readers are increasing? And if the huge majority of those new readers are from the developing world, they're more likely to be reading physical books, rather than e-books.

I realise this particular survey is US-centric, but IMO we've got to look world-wide before declaring the printed book dead.