As sales decline and costs soar, publishers find it harder to pay authors and then print, distribute and promote their books. Publishing is becoming a risky business that is not making enough money. If publishers don't find a way to survive, what will happen to books?
They will die ... well, at least that is what blogger Jeff Jarvis asserts.
Three years ago, Jarvis wrote in his blog that the book is, "an outmoded means of communicating information ... but any medium that defines itself as a medium is in trouble."
And the trouble for books is spelled out in zeros and ones: binary digits.
Every medium is forced to change their mode of distribution, content (to be more Web-friendly) and the way they make money. And publishers have been taking notes, which is why on Thursday through Sunday at BookExpo America, technology (new media) was in the limelight.
Some questions publishers are (or should be) asking:
- Are books dead?
- Can books be saved?
- Are electronic readers the digital savior of books?
- What does the future hold for books?
Books Are Alive
So is Jarvis correct, are books dead or is there still hope for them?Cherish Borland, 24, an English tutor in Fort Collins, Colo. who has a bachelor's degree in English literature, believes there is definitely hope for books, especially classics because those books will never die for one reason -- they are all encompassing.
"People don't turn to books as much these days because of new media, which is essentially laziness," Borland said. "Instead of reading a book, they sit in front of the television or computer, and the machine does the 'work' for them."For Jack Lovelace, 61, a journalism and technical communication instructor at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo., the question of whether books will die depends on how death is defined. Lovelace believes books will always be around, but that print may eventually die out because technology is proving how rapidly things change.
"I'm confident that we'll continue to read in book form and continue to be interested in novels and non-fiction," Lovelace explained. "What I don't know is the form of how we will read the books."Jill Mein, 44, an avid book reader and resident in Loveland, Colo., said print books will always be highly relevant in her life, despite the critics asserting their deaths.
"I have no stock in any other medium, just books. So no, books are not dead for me," Mein said.Can Books Be Saved?
Since the Bronze Age (3500 to 1500 B.C.E.), the written word has existed via papyrus strips and clay tablets. This physical documentation of words is thousands of years old, so the attachment people have to a physical product is obviously not vanishing overnight.Does this mean books should be saved?
Mein said no because there is not any imminent danger threatening the book industry.
"I'm not buying that they are (dying), so they don't need to be saved," Mein said. "What is disturbing about this is to think that a book is such a commodity rather than what it is meant for, to meaningfully enrich our lives."
But according to New York Magazine, the book industry is in a crisis, caused largely by the five conglomerate publishers who threw a lot of money into producing many different types of books by diverse authors. The result was that not all the investments panned out, in fact, many flopped.
To recover losses, CEOs pushed for," More blockbuster books, fast. Which leads to cutthroat auctions and ballooning advances. You can't win big if you don't bet big," New York Magazine reported.
Then is this crisis simply derived from the conglomerates desire for more profits?
Borland believes the book industry should not be about "what the gurus in New York want" because books are supposed to be about what the consumers -- not the owners -- want.
Despite some blockbuster successes (Harry Potter and the "Twilight" series) the gurus did not gain what they wanted.
New York Magazine continued to report that CEOs demanded more and more revenue from books, even though there was typically a 5 percent yearly increase. But CEOs didn't want a mere 5 percent gain, they wanted "double digit" increases from their blockbusters.
If their idea of mass-appeal books can't save this industry, then what can?
Digital Saviors: Kindle and e-Readers
AFP reports that Borders bookstore had a 12 percent drop in January 2009, so it's no wonder publishers are scrambling to invest in the new media hype of e-books, like the Sony e-Reader and the Kindle by Amazon.
And e-Books might just be the ticket publishers need to stay relevant in a digital world because it seems that Kindle is catching fire, despite its total price of $424 on Amazon.
"I'd like to have a Kindle for my birthday ... I've never seen one or used one, but I want to see what it's like to read a book on a Kindle," Lovelace said.
He added that while he enjoys the physical book, he is "real curious and open minded" about Kindles.
As a bibliophile, Borland prefers printed books, but feels that Kindles, e-Readers and iPods could provide a great outlet for people who may be hesitant to sit down and read a whole book. Instead, they could listen or read on their portable electronic devices.
"Literature and the written word is everything and there is no way that can die unless we die as a society," Borland stated. "But I wouldn't read a book on those devices because computer screens are not interactive, like a book, for me. I would miss the smell and portability of a book."
Mein, who said that she rarely uses a computer, agreed with Borland about the lure of an actual printed book.
"I love the feel of paper. I love its smell and portability, and I love to just look at the cover," Mein said. "I love being anywhere I choose with my book, especially my comfortable chair with my coffee and my blanket -- a plastic screen would take all of that away."
The Ambiguous Future of Books
Whether e-books can save the industry is uncertain, but Lovelace finds that the digitization of books is a good thing because it keeps publishers in business. Although, he added, publishers need to conduct business differently by adapting and changing with the times.
And that is exactly what publishers are attempting by embracing new media. Mein explained that despite these attempts, she will never willingly be a part of the digital phenomenon because she doesn't like the ever-changing technological aspect of it all.
"Someone gets the idea we have to have these things and I totally disagree. There's got to be a wall where this endless production of new gadgets ends. Take cell phones, every week there's a new one out! When is it going to stop?" Mein asked.
Although Borland believes digital books may draw more readers, she says the fate of books will pretty much remain the same as they are now.
"The real issue is teaching elementary and middle school students the importance of reading literature -- not any specific books in particular, just classic literature because that is what we're made of," Borland explained.
Whether e-books "save" the industry or not, there are those people who will embrace electronic books and those who resist it.
"I'm capable of being nostalgic about print days, but realistically, when I think about books I've loved and enjoyed, if I read them electronically, it's hard to believe I would say it isn't the same. There's content and books and reading and pace -- I'm not afraid," Lovelace said.
"But," he added, "It's a tough world and I'm curious to see where things will go."
Listen here to Jill Mein talk about her relationship with books and where she thinks books are heading.
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