The Times article also chronicled the slower traffic at this year’s BookExpo America, the bookselling and publishing industry’s annual trade show in New York.
In spite of the trade show’s slowdown, however, publishers report that sales of their electronic books are growing exponentially. Simon & Schuster reported that sales of its electronic books will more than double this year, and the Penguin Group USA said it sold more electronic books from January to April of this year than in all of last year. Simon & Schuster also announced that it would convert 5,000 more titles to electronic format this year.
Yet most in the industry do not fear that the printed book will become obsolete. Jeffrey P. Bezos, founder and chief executive of Amazon, said, “Anything that lasts 500 years is not easily improved upon. Books are so good you can’t out-book the book.” He also said that Kindle purchasers buy more printed books as well.
The Times article also noted some of the advantages of the electronic reader, including the fact that electronic books never sell out. Additionally, some in the publishing industry are enjoying the electronic reader. According to the article, “Random House and Penguin, among others, have equipped their entire sales force with electronic-book readers, allowing them to avoid having to lug around as many preview editions of books. Editors at many of the larger publishing houses also use the devices to read manuscripts submitted by agents and authors.”
Publishing Industry Network also recently posted a story about the emergence of electronic books. It noted some additional advantages to the electronic format, including adjustable font sizes, embedded annotations, and searchable text features, such as being able to click on a character’s name and be reminded of who it is.
Yet the article also noted optimism in the publishing industry that electronic books will not diminish sales for printed books but simply provide another option to readers.
“When radio came along, people said no one would read newspapers. When television was invented, people said no one would listen to the radio. But those media continue to thrive in their own right, and we have much wider options,” said David Zeidberg, director of the Huntington Library in San Marino, California.
With the rising popularity of the Kindle, competition will likely crop up, and job opportunities in electronic publishing are expected to increase, especially in such fields as graphic design.
