What Will Become of the Paper Book? -- in the age of the Kindle?

[tecweston]

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

Damn it, I wish, wish, wish people here weren't so dismissive of Romance as a genre. Everywhere it's mentioned, it's in combination with the word "cheap" or "trashy" or (most hated) "mommy-porn" or something like that.

Romance is a genre largely read by women, largely written by women, and therefore, it's seen as somehow less worthy of respect than, say, mysteries (so many of which contain "violence-porn" - but violence is more American-respectable than sex is, i guess) or science fiction.

Yes, there's a lot of cheap drek in Romancelandia - there is in any genre - but there's also a lot of thoughtful, well-written books out there as well.

Most genre fiction, including romance, is cheap and disposable. It's nothing personal.

I was using romance novels as an example because I work at a store that stocks the bestsellers in paperback form, and almost all of the short MMPBs are romance novels. They're always way cheaper than the other books and usually part of a series that includes 500 other books. Cheap, disposable fiction made for people bored in a gift shop looking for something to read. So are the thrillers and horror and mysteries that we stock as well, but whatever reason those are usually the taller MMPBs that cost a couple dollars more.

[Sydney's Mom]

I agree with the argument about the mass market publishers. Bestsellers, romance, mysteries, all do just fine in digital format.

But I have yet to buy a knitting book in ebook format. I guess those are art books. I like to page back and forth, and spend a lot of time just staring at the pictures. Good books take the kind of pictures where you can "feel" the item.