Friday, July 22, 2011

Books: A Thing of the Past?

Happy Friday, everyone! Hope you've all had a great week. The weekend is finally here, which I'm sure you all are cheering for.

So I know today I said I was going to talk about Google+ but I couldn't resist posting this video. This is a question I get from a lot of people who don't know much about the publishing industry: are books a thing of the past? These consumers are worried that e-books will overtake print sales and they will be forced to read on a Nook, Kindle, etc when their true love is for the print book.

While e-book sales are rising rapidly, they've yet to outsell print books and experts predict that the sales will end up level with neither print or e-books taking the lead.

I think this short video from CNN puts things in perspective. So I thought I would share it with you. Enjoy!

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/living/2011/07/19/savidge.end.books.borders.cnn?iref=allsearch

So how about you: do you think e-book sales will outrun print sales or do you think they'll even out? Have you switched over to the ebook world yet, or are you still reading print, or perhaps both? I'd like to hear your thoughts in the comments.

On Monday, I promise to keep to my word and post about what's up with the new Google+.Also, don't forget to participate in our regular blog hops. Til then! ;-)

 
Blog Hop Question: name three authors you would love to sit down with for an hour to either talk about their books or get writing advice from.
My answer: J.K Rowling would be the first, hands down. Harry Potter is my all time favorite series and I would love to discuss both the books and her writing techniques with her. The second would be Charlainne Harris, author of the Southern Vampire Series and third, Suzanne Collin, author of The Hunger Games Triology. I would ask Rowling about her world building strategies. I'd ask Harris about her characterization, and I'd ask Collins about how she builds tension in her novels, while keeping them well paced.

This is the new link for the Crazy-for-Books blog hop:

 
Blog Hop Question: What's one genre you wish you could get into, but just can't?

My answer: Literary fiction. I can enjoy literary short stories and I even write them, but typically, I can't stand reading a full length literary fiction novel--there are only a few authors I can stomach. As an academic, I wish I could get behind this genre more, but I just don't find it enjoyable. Whoever said literary fiction had to mean boring and uneventful? Because I think that's become a requirement.

11 comments:

  1. I will physically cry if e-books replace books. I hate them + love paper copies!

    New follower, Happy Friday!

    Mazz @ Words on the shelf
    http://wordsontheshelf.blogspot.com/

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  2. Maryann--Thanks for following! I prefer paper books too, but I don't mind ebooks. I own a Nook and I don't mind reading on it, even though paper is my preference. I agree with the video. I think it will stay about 50/50 and I don't think there will ever be a time when print books are obsolete. Have you ever tried reading on an e-reader? It's not too different really. Have a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by! =)

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  3. JK Rowling and Suzanne Collins would be so awesome to meet!! Nice picks :) Here's my FF if you want to check it out!

    -Jessica (Peace Love Books)

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  4. New follower! Found on Follow Friday! :)JK Rowling is on a lot of people's lists, I see (including my own!)

    If you'd like to visit my own FF post, it is here: http://skyink.net/?p=2397

    As for the eBook thing, I think the video is probably accurate that digital sales will level up with the print sales. Even though I read digital books myself, I still MUCH prefer the printed copy, and I know many people do as well. I have a hunch that people like to use digital copies to test new authors or read books they're unsure about, while purchasing the print copies of books/authors they really love. That's just my thought though :)

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  5. Hi! Just hopping through! I am trying to decide if I like my Nook or not. I still like the feel of a book in my hands! LOL!

    I am new to follow friday but have had a great time getting out and seeing everyone's blogs.

    New Follower!

    ~Kristin

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  6. Jessica--Thanks for stopping by! Glad you like my choices. Have a great weekend!

    Jinny--Thanks for following! I'm not surprised that JK Rowling is on a lot of people's lists--who doesn't love Harry Potter! As for the ebook thing, I agree with you completely. I use my ereader to test new authors, while I always buy books by the authors I'm loyal to in paperback. Have a great weekend!

    Kristin--Thanks for following! It took me a little while to get used to my Nook too, but now I like it. Welcome to the hop! Hope to see you hopping through again! Have a great weekend!

    Pedantic--Thanks for following! Have a great weekend!

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  7. Hi, and Happy Belated FF from a new follower. Interesting choices. I love Charlaine Harris, and she's probably in my top 10... not top 3 sadly.

    http://shikiharu.blogspot.com

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  8. Hopping through. I have trouble with literary fiction too. It's usually too slow for me. I can get through it if I'm in the right mood and especially if I have other people to discuss the book with.
    My Hop

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  9. Daniel--Thanks for stopping by! I love Charlainne Harris. Have a great weekend!

    Alison--Thanks for stopping by! I totally agree with you about literary fiction. It's too slow moving for me and relies to heavily on internal conflict rather than external. Have a great weekend!

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  10. Kristin--Thanks for stopping by! Always love to hear from fellow Harry Potter fans. Hope you had a great weekend! =D

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