Blog by Toby Welch

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E-books Versus Hard Copy Books

                            File:EBook between paper books.jpg

I watch people on both sides of the debate argue over whether e-books are going to bulldoze over hard copy books and I shake my head. The world becomes more digital as each day passes, ensuring e-books will continue to be in demand. And as long as e-books continue to be one-dimensional with no physically gratifying sense for those who love the tactility of flipping through pages, physical books will not vanish. Both products have a strong and viable market although proponents on each side seem itchy to condemn the other. I refuse to pick sides, preferring to love both.

Looking into literature’s crystal ball, it’s not out of the realm of possibility to foresee digital copies of books being included with hard copy sales, similar to what the film industry does with DVDs and Blu-Rays.

One of North America’s leading digital visionaries, Mitch Joel, President of Twist Image and author of Six Pixels of Separation and CTRL ALT Delete, makes a great point, “What’s interesting (to me) is that as more and more people are saddened by the disappearance of the book in its physical form, it could well be that the digitization of the book is what will save reading and potentially give it a whole new life.”

No matter what book type you prefer, happy reading!