a course in miracles books have become nothing short of a phenomenon in the world of publishing and reading. Like photography before it, books have gone digital and it is an indication that we’re heading into a future that we were always promised by the big screen and Hollywood.
It’s exciting to think that we’re at the very forefront of what we can do with technology and it’s already playing a major part in our lives. It’s easier than ever before to take high quality photos, preview them and now it’s easier than ever to read, buy books and keep as many books as you will ever need on one device.
In Christmas 2012, more e-readers such as the Amazon Kindle, Kobo Touch and Barnes and Noble’s Nook were expected to have sold more than ever before due to drops in price and the continuing rise of the phenomenon. Although figures are yet to be released for this period, in the previous quarter in the US alone, Amazon sold 2.5 million Kindles and that’s just one pre-Christmas quarter. They have essentially become low cost, yet thoughtful and powerful gift ideas as well as giving a personal touch.
But as with digital photography, there are a group of people who dislike the thought of digitising books and going digital, albeit a much larger one.
It’s hard to put your finger on exactly why books seem to bring these kind of feelings out in people. It’s possibly because there’s something personable about a book, you get wrapped up in it, it feels natural in the hand which many argue is the issue with digital e-reader devices. We have been handling and reading books for thousands of years in one form or another and suddenly in the blink of an eye they are being replaced by something that arguably has less charm, less soul.
On the positive side of e-books and e-readers, it is introducing a whole new generation of people onto reading as well as offering a convenient way for those who are already fans to read. Sometimes it can take a technological revolution to inspire a new generation to adopt something, especially as books were becoming a victim of the high street, smaller book sellers and dealers were shutting up shop and larger chains were also struggling. Although books are strangely immune to bankruptcy due to a ferocious following, they were being read and ultimately bought less than ever before until the advent of the Amazon Kindle which, although wasn’t the first e-reader available, was the first to truly attract attention to itself.
Books are also often found to be cheaper to purchase digitally and this is attractive especially in a time when leisure is falling further behind the necessities in life as recession continues to be a problem, and the convenience of purchasing a book just for it to appear on your device immediately is too hard to resist for some.
From a publishes perspective, not only is it a potential goldmine but a great way of selling the same content whilst saving on printing costs. If more digital books are being sold, less physical, paper-based ones are being consumed and this can also lead to an improved way in which we look after our planet.