The growing presence of e-readers has prompted many bookworms to replace their traditional paperback editions with electronically downloaded equivalents.
New and popular reads have become more accessible than ever before, simply with one click of a button. Subsequently, booksellers and librarians are expected to adapt their services to suit this expanding technology, amid growing speculation that print formatting may be on its way out.
From Jane Eyre to Harry Potter, the paperback has been a consistent literary staple for decades. However, with some deciding to bid farewell to its tradition without even a backward glance, some people are now heralding ‘the death of the paperback’.
But even with e-readers’ phenomenal success, do people truly believe the decline of the paperback could eventually turn it obsolete? Do people really foster a genuine preference for reading on either paper or an e-reader device?
Results taken from an Impact PR survey definitely give an affirmative answer to these questions, with the majority of participants expecting to progressively phase out hardbacks and look online for their literary fix. Despite this shift, 92 per cent of those surveyed also believed that there is still a place for libraries in the future.
Yet the writing appears clear on the wall here. Over the last few years, e-books have quickly subsumed print as the preferred vehicle to store literary favourites, especially among young people.
For all the great things that e-books can accomplish – convenience, portability and selection – there are still some fundamental assets that, in my opinion, e-readers will never possess.
There are a few qualities about paperback that I can’t seem to give up: the anticipation before ripping into a brand new book, the physical act of holding that book in your hands and turning the pages that, for me at least, can hardly compare to pixels on a screen.
Therefore I suggest that e-books are not simply a better format replacing an inferior one, but rather a medium that offers an entirely separate experience.
So here I play devil’s advocate and lay both arguments on the table:
Firstly, you could debate that there’s nothing like the comforting smell or weight of a well-read book in your hands. Paperbacks are a classic tradition, unrestricted by the problems faced by those dependent on digital sources. They possess a collectible quality, passed down through generations, and permit a sense of nostalgia and provenance. However, by glancing at this list of print benefits, you could contend that an affinity toward paperback comes from not so much the practicality of the object, as it does the emotional and sentimental value of the hard-copy itself.
Alternatively, online books are credited to cost less than a third of their hard copy counterparts, making them affordable and accessible for people on smaller budgets. When you purchase or download an e-book, your reward is instantaneous; meaning there is no need to trudge through the pouring rain to your nearest library anymore. Perfect for the travelling gypsies, e-books will allow you to bring a whole library with you wherever you go, saving a ton of space and also maintaining the “green” mentality. Lastly, they eliminate the dangers of straining your eyes to read the paperback’s text, where with an e-book you are able to change the font size and brightness to your specifications.
Have I sold you on a preference yet? Are you setting your quality fiction novel on the table next to your conveniently placed iPad? Well, how about this suggestion: Paperbacks do not necessarily need to disappear for e-books to flourish and e-books do not have to be the only choice. While I may take my e-reader with me on long train rides into work or on holiday, I can’t kick the habit of reading a physical hard-copy, and I shouldn’t have to.
There’s plenty of room in my life for both.
- our thanks to Sophie Buchan for the guest post!
