Seth Godin: The End of Books

Ebooks struggle to keep my attention, but I can pop an audiobook on when driving or working out and it's quite effective at keeping me engaged.

 

I have really tried to like ebooks, and thought the Kindle would be superb. Unfortunately, prices didn't really go down and it's a pain in the butt to hold a tablet for an extended period. I'll stick with paperbacks, thanks.

 

I make about 75 percent of my living, such as it is, by writing novels. About three and a half years ago, I noticed that ebooks had overtaken print as the majority of my sales. Nowadays, the proportions are about 9 to 1, ebook to trade paperback.

Much of that, certainly, is reflective of my publisher, which strongly pushes the digital. While my stuff is available in bookstores, the reach isn't vast, and aside from the indies in my home state, which are strong hand-sellers of my books, it's generally one book, spine out, somewhere in the stacks. Absent co-op placement and a national promotional campaign, bookstore sales were never going to provide me with a viable living. Ebook sales have.

Still, I like being able to meet readers where they are, print or electronic or audiobook. The advent of ebooks has made me a more voracious consumer of books than I already was. I still buy hardcovers and paperbacks from the indie booksellers I love, and I buy dozens more ebooks that I might never have seen otherwise. I have a buy-it-where-I-discovered-it approach, and that's what I try to encourage in folks who are cognizant of the issues involved.

 

My local library has essentially become a Blockbuster. It only has half of Hemingway's output but every Disney direct to video film ever made. The part that isn't a video store is essentially an internet cafe.

 

My library has large racks of DVDs to rent ... but it also has a really good selection of newer books, which have come out in the past year, surrounding the entrance and front counter.

If there's a new book I really want to read — and I prefer "book" form, after spending 8-plus hours using a computer at work — I'm much more likely to check it out from the library than to plunk down $20 or more at whatever bookstore is still open.

Personally, I think hard-copy books will outlast the printed version of the newspaper, because some titles are worth reading again and again over the years, and it might be tough/expensive to transfer ebooks to the latest device as electronic gadget makers force you to upgrade equipment every couple of years.

 

What will authors sign if there are no books and where will they sign these non-existent books if there are no bookstores?