The Future of Reading - for Writers and Readers

With all the changes we’ve seen recently we may well ask what will the reading of the future be like?

Who knows? I sure don’t. But, I’m an experimenter. I got one of those first clunky EReaders a few years back before Amazon and Barnes & Noble and Apple’s iPads  and wide spread PDFs.  Now I have a Kindle HDX 8.9.  Who knew?

Books are great, don’t get me wrong. I still love paper books and I don’t care if there are claims of a ‘war on paper books’.  Personally I think they’ll be around forever in one form or another even if they become ‘collectibles’.

I mean I suspect a lot of writers are publishing their books not only to Ebook format but to print on demand as well. Let’s face it, you can’t put your Ebooks on the shelf. And, for many writers it’s an inspiration to see those books on the shelf. I know I enjoy glancing across my study and seeing the line of books I’ve written and had published traditionally or self, marching across the book shelf in orderly fashion.

There are lots of readers who feel the same way and not just the ‘old fogies’ from years gone by who won’t let go of the ‘old way’.  There are simply many people who enjoy holding that book in their hands and turning the pages, maybe with feet up in front of a fire or just curled up in a chair our out on the beach.

On the other hand think about how much of the reading you do you now do online or on a tablet or even on your phone. Business, articles, magazines and yes, more and more fiction.  E-reading has joined the mainstream.

Heck, think of the convenience of Ebooks. If you travel you can pack up literally dozens of books for your pleasure or business in one small reader you can tuck in your carry-on.  On top of that Ebooks are generally less expensive than paper books (though with some super popular authors you could debate that). Don’t forget the ‘instant gratification’ of the download. You don’t have to order the book and wait for it, it simply appears on your reader after purchase.

There’s also the fact that Ebooks now have all sorts of bells and whistles. You can adjust the size of text. The reader is lit softly so you can read easily in low light. Many, like the Kindle, can also download a music library so you can listen to your favorite music (probably with headphones) while you read your favorite author.

Come on, really, how can the even most die-hard paper book proponent deny the convenience and say no to e-readers?

Not only all that, but I can see the potential where all of this could lead to people reading more and that would be a great thing. How do I get that? Well, think about it. If you run around with your tablet or smart phone your reading material is always in your pocket or purse, plus access to much more. Bored? Read a bit. At a doctor’s appointment and he’s running late – read. Bored on a subway or bus? Read. And there are lots of promotional low cost and free books and articles, even magazines to supplement your favorites you would willingly pay premium for to keep your reading queue full up.

And if you’re a writer, what a boon. You can carry your phone or tablet, read at will and even surf the web for research or fun. You can make notes to yourself on the run and email them to yourself about future projects or writing ideas. Then you can go back to your reading.

So yep, there’s a revolution going on, but I see no reason why the ‘what has been’ won’t blend with ‘what is to come’, sort of like an oil slick swirling on top of water.

And yes, there are things to be better worked out such as with my Kindle – they really need to provide a better way of organizing the books we buy. Right now it’s sort of in on big virtual heap and you have to scroll through to find a particular book. You can do minimal organizing, but it really needs to be in such a way as to allow the consumer to separate fiction from non-fiction, biography from business – and even sub categories like type of fiction; western, romance, SciFi, whatever. My books are organized by category on my shelf. I want the ability to do the same with Ebooks.  C’mon Geeks let’s get this sorted out.

So, tell me how you feel about the book revolution – how you’re utilizing it, or not. Do you take a reader traveling or are you still toting paper books? Or do you use your phone, tablet, whatever just for games and communication? And check out the links below if you’re interested in where we’ve been and where we’re going.

Here’s What The Future of Reading LooksLike 

Reading In The Age of Amazon 

From Papyrus to Pixels 

Dancing in the Digital World - EBooks Are Changing Us All.

I’ve encountered some interesting statistics regarding Ebooks, Ereaders and the folks who use/read them in an article via USA Today, and thought I’d pass along a bit of it to you with, of course, my own comments.

First we readers aren’t hitting the bookstores as often as we used to. It’s true. In a world where the digital is available instantly there’s less actual need to prowl the stacks. And of course there seem to be less actual bookstores. Which came first I’m not sure, but Borders went defunct well before I got my hands on an Ereader (mine is admittedly Amazon’s KindleFire HD Tablet) so I’m not even going to enter into that argument. It’s not an argument anyway since progress is plodding forward (or is that flashing?) and the changes it’ll cause it’ll cause. There’s not really much hope in derailing it if that’s your desire.

Here are some of the statistics I saw and they’re only growing. About 40% of all adults now own an Ereader or a tablet which is doubling fast. Plainly they can download books. But now the smart phones can even do it so the percentage is growning and I don't believe the article even took those phone into account. Readers are even more popular among the higher educated and the higher income households. As many as 60% of college graduates say they own one and 62% of those households with income of at least $75,000.

And that’s not all. The best of all this is those who own reading devices say they’ve upped their reading since getting it.

WhoHoo!  Three cheers! 

People who just read in their spare time before are now racing through book after book on the bus, the train, the plane, at the airport, as a passenger in a car, at a doctor’s or dentist’s office. So many more books of many types are being consumed.

Then there’s vacation. For those who carried armloads or carry-ons filled with books, there’s now the reading device that can be loaded up before vacation or if you’re near a wireless connection, in transit. Books, magazines, newspapers, whatever you need. And to top it off most can download music, games and more as well. I know I'll be taking mine with on my next trip.

Do I still buy hard copy books? Yes I do. But admittedly fewer. Those I really cherish and want to keep on my bookshelf I buy. Those I think will be a quick read for fun are now downloaded. My ‘carousel’ is crammed and I’m constantly reading. That’s not a big change since I read a lot before, but it sure has made it easier in many respects – and that doesn’t take into account the fact that most digital editions are less expensive than their hard copy cousins.

Interestingly apparently those who are reading more because of their new readers are enjoying a lot more of science fiction and fantasy (23% cited those genres). Then there’s mystery and crime 16% increase, romance at 14%increase and non-fiction at 14% increase. This is saying good things for our future with reading taking such a leap. 

Again of interest is why people say they read books. Somewhere above 60% they just want to be entertained, but about 70-ish% say they want to learn something.

 

Another thing that’s changing is the way people learn about books they want to read. There’s Amazon of course, the elephant in the room, but many others are visiting places like Goodreads.com or seeing opinions on Facebook, Twitter or other social media. Then there are the free books offered, often for a short time as promotion and the sites with many members who watch those books and get the word out. If it looks good people will download it and if they like it, look for other books by the same author. Great for authors!

All that aside, the favorite place for book opinions still lies with friends and family, people who’s judgment the reader trusts.

 

So here we are folks, the digital age is here to stay – presuming no natural disaster humbles us all. But, presuming the best and that natural or unnatural disaster will hold off indefinitely, I’ll be downloading a whole lot more in the future. How about you?

Ebooks And The Reader And Writer

Hey, I’ll bet you already knew or guessed that Ebooks are changing reading habits all over the place. It’s sort of a tidal wave and I spotted an article on USA Today  printed just this month that confirms it with statistics. (We all love statistics, right?)  

Numbers, percentages?

All that’s great, but what it all boils down to is the simple fact that more people are reading (wow, Is that great or what?!), more people are writing, more people own EReading devices and the ways in which they discover their reading materials are changing as well. Fewer people prowling the aisles in bookstores (probably not so good for the bookstores and we sure want to keep them). More people learning about books at places such as Goodreads.com, Amazon.com, local libraries who ‘lend’ digital editions and other locations (good for Ecommerce).

Looks like, from the ‘statistics’, that 40% of adults now own an Ereader or tablet of some sort and the numbers are only growing (having already more than doubled in less than the last two years).

Surprising? Not really. I mean how great is it that you can carry virtually your entire library on a small, not too heavy, device? That you can read in the dentist’s office, on the bus or train or plane and practically everywhere else without needing to tote along a cumbersome stash of books or magazines? You have choices right at your fingertips; fiction, non-fiction, short stories, educational, magazines, whatever you like. Additionally with many of the newer readers such as the one I got recently the Amazon Kindle HD   you can even plug in the earphones and listen to your own personally selected music while you read. And, when I want, I can email myself (an address Kindle provides) PDFs that I might want to be reading ‘on the road’.

It’s all right there in your hand (you just have to remember to keep it charged!)

There was a time when I went on trips with books and magazines crammed into my carry on luggage – now I tuck in my Kindle. I’ll be going to Hawaii for a lovely cruise next year and already I’m downloading the music I want on the device and will make sure to have the books and magazines downloaded before I go (in case  have no access to wireless in places).

And yes, I still love physical books. I have a physical library in my home. I still buy hardcover editions of some books – but I’m not the least bit disturbed when I can find a book I want only in Ebook edition.

When I have leisure time I love to hold one in my hand and turn the pages the good old fashioned way. It seems to me that there is plenty of room for both. It just seems to me that ultimately the physical book will be more relegated to real leisure time at and much more will be on my EReader so I can easily take it with me. Hey, I have to admit, the cost differential is definitely an influence as well.

And another thing that is key for me is the ease with which I can get a book I’m looking for. If someone tells me about a book and I want to read it, a quick search online, a purchase and a quick download and I’m reading. No need to call or run all over town looking for it. Accessibility – it’s opening up the world. And as a result people, including me (who was already an avid reader) are reading more.

And it looks like that ‘more’ includes a good uptick in reading of science fiction or fantasy (yay! I write in those genres and I'm discovering new authors like M Pax who writes science fiction and Luke Romyn who writes fun paranormal adventure) as well as mystery, crime and romance in the top tier.

So from my viewpoint, it’s all good. How about you? Have you jumped into the digital reading revolution?

Let me know what you think, whether you have an Ereader of some type, where you think it’s all going, I’d love to hear.