Can e-books replace paperbacks?

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Inishowen_Cailin
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Re: Can e-books replace paperbacks?

Post by Inishowen_Cailin »

I love my kindle. I wouldn't mind if they replaced paperback pop fiction as it would be better for the environment and they are cheaper. For everything else though it would be a tough sell. I would hate to see ebooks replacing books for young children....they need the tactile experience of reading and exploring books.
dina77
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Post by dina77 »

i think perhaps they eventually and not because we want the ebook to replace the book but because more and more people are switching to ereaders and if real book sales drop to a low enough level then it may cost too much to print new books. Scary thought and I hope that it never happens in my lifetime.
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Post by readerromance2003 »

I believe that eBooks can make it easier and a little more affordable for those who have limited access to books and reading material. However, I do not see them replacing paperback or hardcover altogether. I personally by a paperback, hardcover, and ebook version of my books so that I can read them right when they are released and again when I get the paperback version. Some people prefer one format over the other but I am one of those who does not care as long as I can read it and it looks like a page of the book.
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Post by CuriousJorgi »

I love a hard copy, and preferably a hard cover, for my books. I love physically turn the page to see what happens next. I love the small of books. I travel to visit friends and family a lot, and I even travel for work. I carry a least on physical book with me. I do have e-readers which I carry too when traveling for the pure convenience of carry multiple books with ebooks. I feel that for many new authors and books publishers are not sure of the success, ebooks will be the way to go. I do not feel that physical books will be replaced in my lifetime.
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Post by anomalocaris »

I believe it's inevitable.
You can't put a rope around the neck of an idea.
--Vol. Bobby Sands
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Post by PashaRu »

Papyrus and vellum replaced stone and clay. Paper replaced papyrus and vellum. The codex replaced the scroll. Books replaced the codex. Mechanical printing replaced writing by hand. So yes, eventually books as we know them will fade away. Look at how fast film photography was replaced by digital. It could happen within one generation.

In the end, the medium is not what's important, but the information contained therein.
[Insert quote here. Read. Raise an eyebrow. Be mildly amused. Rinse & repeat.]
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CuriousJorgi
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Post by CuriousJorgi »

PashaRu wrote: In the end, the medium is not what's important, but the information contained therein.
You make a very good point and I love your closing statement! :D
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Post by wendyj »

I think there will always be a place for paper back books. I love my e-reader but its not the same as holding a book. Plus, I don't want to take my ereader on the beach!
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NasreenRazak
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Post by NasreenRazak »

This is always an ongoing questions. I've got some mates judging me whenever I read on an e-reader, but personally, I really don't care/mind what method of reading you choose. Although e-books won't give that satisfactory feeling when you hold a book (smell, touch, sound) but either way, it's not the medium that matters, in the end, it's the content.
But I'd never imagined e-books actually replacing paperbacks, because being surrounded by shelves of books gives a more relaxing feel to than having a library of e-books on your e-reader. And as long as publishing companies are still producing paperbacks, I believe that books will remain a while longer, but will never be fully replaced.
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Post by authorheathertodd »

Definitely not!

I've been hearing rumors that nearly all the bookstores, including Barnes and Noble, are going to be completely shut down in the near future because of the whole ebook craze. I really hate that because that is taking away the pure joy that others feel when it comes to actually turning a page with your fingers instead of simply touching a screen that can die in the next few hours. Paperbacks and hardcovers don't need to be recharged. They are there on your bookshelf or in your hands, making their life endless.

(That kind of sounded too inspirational).
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Post by itzjojohere »

E-books can replace paperbacks, but at the same time it can't. You know what I mean?

Being able to read anywhere, anytime doesn't mean you can only do that with a device instead of a book. I love both ebooks and paperbacks so I do not wish for them to replace one another.
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Post by Romes123 »

Yes, ebooks are set to replace paperbacks. But remember there are many people that do not know what ereader looks like and many that are yet to hear about it.
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Post by casper »

I love my kindle but my paper books are more than just the words they contain. Sadly I can imagine a time in the future when they are replaced - but hopefully not in my lifetime.
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Post by Little House »

I think that it will take another generation or two, but I do believe that e-books will eventually replace paper books. Have you ever seen a two year old playing with his mother's phone or iPad? Many of the apps made for preschoolers are interactive e-books. These kids will grow up with both e-books and paper books, and I think that it will be easy for them to switch totally to e-books when they are older. They won't have the emotional ties to paper that we do.

On the other hand, I saw a study that showed that students learn better with paper books than with e-books. The developers/publishers will have to figure out why and how to fix it, or e-books will stall. But I suspect that this will be a minor glitch in the long run.
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Post by db3hr »

Ebooks should be like vinyl records! Since vinyl has become trendy again, people can go buy tangible physical records with digital download codes enclosed for the mp3 versions of the albums. Some publishers are messing around with the idea (and more than anything struggling to figure out how to price these packaged deals) but I really think it should be the norm. Everybody wins. You can have your physical library at home and your digital library on the go
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