Will EBooks Replace Tradtional Books

For years, people have been talking about ebooks as the coming replacement of traditional paper and ink books. But while you've been able for years to find all kinds of electronic books online on all kinds of topics --from internet dating to caring for your pet monkey-- this style of publishing has generally been reserved for specific topics and small companies and individuals.

But all of that may be changing. While ebooks may never replace traditional books for some readers (yours truly included), some large companies like Amazon are pushing to bring electronic book publishing into the mainstream. They're doing this by marketing devices like Kindle, which allow readers to bring ebooks and periodicals along with them anywhere-- just like their favorite paperback.

What is Kindle

Just over a year ago, Amazon launched the Kindle ebook device, which downloads and displays books and periodicals from all kinds of sources. And while Kindle isn't the first e-reader on the market, it is the first one to be making a real splash with users. Why? Because it's wonderfully easy to download new material onto the unit, which connects to any WIFI network and allows you to download books at the touch of a button.

While the unit is expensive --$359 is a lot to spend on something that simply reads books-- it's been selling incredibly well, selling out completely for stretches of its release time, and creating a lot of buzz. And with a new Kindle, Kindle 2.0, out in February of 2009, the buzz just continues to grow. But is this device really going to transform the publishing industry?

Benefits of eBooks and electronic Devices

There are a lot of benefits to seeing more electronic book publishing and less traditional book publishing. One very big benefit of publishing electronically is that it's good for the environment. Printing traditional books kills trees, uses a heck of a lot of energy, and poisons the environment with ink and dyes. But even after taking into account the pollution caused by the manufacture of hand-held electronic book devices like Kindle, ebooks have a significantly smaller effect on the environment.

eBook devices also make it possible for small presses and individuals to reach a larger audience. While existing electronic books, which generally come in the form of PDF files, are easy to use on the computer, they're difficult to read and transport without having to print them. And, of course, printing an ebook negates the environmental benefits of electronic publication in the first place. eBooks are also cheaper to make and buy; a book only need be written and electronically published once, and further copies are free to produce (because they don't require, well, production). This makes ebook versions cheaper both for the publisher and the reader.

The Benefits of Traditional Books

Just because ebooks are high tech and come with some great advantages doesn't meant that traditional books are inferior in every way. Aside from the ascetic of them (if you love to read, you know that there's no feeling in the world quite like holding an ink-and-paper book in your hand), traditional books also lend a sort of authority to the publishing industry. When printing a batch of books costs as much as it does, you can be sure that each book has been thoroughly looked over for quality. With ebooks, however, anybody can publish a book at an almost-nothing cost, meaning there will be a lot more poor material out there.

Traditional books are also resistant to stealing and copyright infringement. With ebooks, a file that has been purchased once can be passed on again and again; often, an ebook created by one publisher can be found in other places on the web at no cost to the user. While files used on Kindle and the like have some protection against this kind of use, hackers and file uploaders can generally find a way around that protection.

Whether ebooks will replace traditional books in your life is probably dependant, on, well, you. And while I love the idea of a library I can carry with me, I'm not sure if I'll be first in line to buy a new Kindle. Sure, iPods and other MP3 players have effectively replaced CDs as the major medium for music. But I have little intention of throwing away my book collection in order to spend more hours sitting in front of a little glowing screen than I already do!

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