What is the future of the printed book?

1. 60

   Wayne Tildenposted 14 years ago

   What is the future of the printed book?
   
   With the growth of the "electronic book" like iPad and others, will books printed on paper gradually disappear?

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2. 60

   manthyposted 14 years ago

   I hope not, I think if that does happen that books will become art!

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3. 60

   acewebdesignposted 14 years ago

   I dont think so, I think that books will have a place for a long time yet, because people do need to give their eyes a break from the screen at some stage.

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4. 71

   Arthur Windermereposted 14 years ago

   Good question. It's a possibility that printed books will become more scarce. All technology moves toward greater efficiency and storage space/shipping costs for books is a major inefficiency. I suspect it's only a matter of time before printed books become a luxury. On the other hand, I doubt demand for printed books will ever fade. The pleasure of holding a book in one's hand, feeling the grain in the page, smelling the paper are things an iPad can never simulate. The question is whether it will be practical to continue supplying that demand in the face of environmental concerns.

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5. 80

   angela_michelleposted 14 years ago

   I don't thinks so, I still prefer the printed book, and I believe there are so many others that feel the same way. Look at stores like Barnes and Noble, they have been expanding and even profiting. New libraries are still being built everyday.

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6. 61

   shape_shifterposted 14 years ago

   I agree with the others on this page in that they will never totally be phased out, but interest, at least for the very young, is definitely veering toward the "gadget" and I fear this will only alter the publishing game further for authors... Also, keep in mind population explosion... We're talking about a lot more readers AND writers, so the potential of dissappering into the obscurity of the vast WWW is great, and getting the attention of a publisher, lessened. We need to change with it. I wrote a hub that gets into this aspect with much more depth: http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Effect-of-E … ok-Readers I apologize for the self plug, but to truly answer your question, I would need to cut and paste my hub, anyway lol... Oh, and by the way, manthy, books are already art! (but I know what you're saying... lol)

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