Answer to Question #229611 in Marketing for Bibi

Question

Channels of distribution for books have gone through a metamorphosis in recent years with the emergence of e-books, such as Amazon’s Kindle, Barnes & Noble’s Nook, or Apple’s iPad. Indeed, by mid-2010, Amazon.com reported that sales of books through its Kindle outnumbered its sales of hardcover books by a ratio of 180 e-books for every 100 hardcover books sold. Only paperback books still sold more units than e-books. But the e-book channel continued to grow rapidly to account for close to 10 percent of total book sales by the end of 2010. Do you think e-book channels will eventually totally replace conventional, physical book channels? Why or why not?

Answer 1

I don't believe that e-book channels will ever completely replace traditional, physical book channels. Some things cannot be replaced, and reading a paper book is more convenient. A digital version of your favorite story just does not meet the same needs as a bound, original, personalized, and colorful copy. Some voracious readers will never abandon their habits, and they will instill a love of reading in their children. Paper books are far more portable and do not require electricity to read. You may read them in more places, and switching between them is usually easier. It's much more natural, and after reading so many books - both paper and digital - I can tell you that our bodies and minds are more drawn to natural, tangible objects like books, and immediately respond to them.

Visiting a bookstore, collecting books on a shelf, writing all over the pages, folding the page corners, the mystery surrounding a beaten-up used book, trading with your friends, easily sharing with others, and the smell of a new book versus a musky old book are all enjoyable experiences related to print media. Because E-books are all technological, you don't have the joy of reading them. The focus of technology should not be on books. E-books and other digital mediums have their uses. People, on the other hand, will always require and value the real and tangible. Our understanding of the term "digital" is changing. From being lauded as revolutionary and cutting-edge, it is now sinking to the monotony of being just another utility, much to the chagrin of its prophets.