I came across a great infographic in Newsweek a few days ago. You can see it here. I’ll let you look it over, and then you can come back here for my few thoughts on it.
The first little tidbit that jumped out at me was that Kindle owners buy 3.3 times more books than those without e-readers. I know one of the concerns with moving to e-readers is will people stop reading. Just because people are buying more books doesn’t mean they are reading more, but it’s at the very least a good indication. And 3.3 times more books is a significant number.
I noticed that when people talk about print-books, they often mention the look and feel. I can’t help but wonder if anybody talked about the look and feel of an LP when we made the transition to CDs. I remember being mesmerized by Bill Cosby’s face as it went round and round on our old record player. However, he’s just as funny today on CD, and since I can take hours of him on my iPod, I’m willing to give up that hypnotic experience.
The Jane Austin comparison jumped out at me. Seven Jane Austin books will run you $12.99. The Kindle version is free. That doesn’t seem like a huge deal, but maybe it sounds more impressive when you consider that for the same price on the Kindle (Free), you can get the complete works of Jane Austin, Mark Twain, Victor Hugo, William Shakespeare, Alexander Dumas, and more. This should provide enough reading (and some really, really good reading), all for the low, low price of nothing.
But my favorite part of the infographic is right at the top. The poster poses a question, “Does on have to win?” I say no. Remember, we’re not trying to kill literature; we’re simply giving it another medium. The book may fade over time, but it won’t go away for a long time.
Long live the book. Long live the e-book. May they live in peace and happiness for many years.
