Tuesday 19 July 2011

Death of the traditional book...?

There's much debate across the net right now, on whether traditional books have had their day.  It can't be denied that readers are stampeding towards Kindles, Nooks and Sony E-readers, (myself included). And if you look on Amazon, you will see that the Kindle has been their bestselling item for two years running. It's the most-wished-for, most-gifted, and has the most 5-star reviews of any product on Amazon.  Can't really argue with that.


Also, when the American Association of Publishers released their latest sales figures, it was plain to see people are heading away from traditional print in their droves, and heading towards the digital platforms instead.


We've all seen what happened to Borders - I hate to think of the little independent book stores going the same way.  So... does this mean the end for 'proper' books?

I don't think so.  As much as I love my Kindle, (sorry to keep going on about it, but I do), I love the feel of a book as well.  I love seeing a good cover, cracking open the spine, and smelling all the lovely pages.  I love seeing how long until the next chapter, and how far until the end.  And when I've finished reading, I like seeing the books I've read all lined up together.


I think I'll buy the majority of my books in Kindle format from now on, but I'll still treat myself to the odd traditional one every now and again, for nostalgia's sake...

4 comments:

Unknown said...

I totally agree! I was against the Kindle at first but now that I have one it is great but nothing beats the feel of a book in your hand and seeing them on that bookshelf :)

Amanda Leigh Cowley said...

Karissa, let's hope there's enough customers for both.

Kindles are a bit like dishwashers. I remember when they first came out, everyone was saying 'why would I need one of those...?'

Tess said...

I am still against it (OK OK it doesnt help that I dont own a Kindle.

I just love the feeling of a traditional book and just cant see how with Kindle I would get that.

...but saying that, if my husband is reading this and would like to buy me a present, I really would like to see what the fuss is all about (o:

Amanda Leigh Cowley said...

Trust me, you'll love it!! All those free samples you can download. It's like wandering along the library shelves, flicking through the pages before you buy.

Keep hinting, you never know...