I’m sitting in a doctor’s office and I look around at its plain appearance. That’s when something peculiar caught my eye. On my left side, an older gentleman was engrossed in reading a plain old white print book. While on my right I noticed lady completely captivated by the newest version of Amazon’s kindle in her hand. And out of nowhere it hits me; this is a major turning point in the history of reading. This is what it all has come too and I found myself caught in the middle of the old and new. It’s said that we don’t notice the moments in which our lives change, but here I am, on the verge of discovering the truth about the time old argument of the paperback versus the eBook. Which is truly better? As we dive deeper into this technological era, we have seen a dramatic decrease in plain old print books. So the question remains, is the print book in decline? The truth of the matter is the print book is in fact, in decline due to the rising popularity of its rival, the eBook. The paperback is now facing what seems to be a reality check. The rise has the eBook has brought to our attention the many drawbacks and limitations of the paperback, which in turn, has only added to the preference to the eBook itself. It is time for both diehard devoted book lovers and eBook fanatics must face the reality remains that print books are most definitely in decline.
In a world where you can access a number of different stories at the types of your fingers, the rules involving reading have now changed. Now, I am not saying that we should buy every last copy of our favorite paperback because they are going to just disappear completely. I am arguing that whether you accept it or not, print books are in decline. Nothing lasts forever, and the paperback is no exception to this rule.
What is it about the eBook that has many readers ready to jump ship? We all know that the experience a paperback provides is not one that can be replaced. There will always be those who prefer to curl up on the couch, with a warm drink and a nice heavy book in their hand. Yet, circumstances have changed in our ever-changing world. There are a number of different reason as to why the eBook is on the rise. Besides the obvious reasons of being overall cheaper than most paperbacks, eBooks are generally more accessible than paperbacks. What does this mean? You can access eBooks anywhere, anytime and anyplace. It is literally just the click of a few buttons, and then you you’re instantly drawn into the story of your choice. . If you had to choose between carrying one book, as opposed to five to ten or even fifteen on a single device, the choice would seem rather obvious. eBooks are ideal for those of us who live fast pace lives and do not have the time or space to carry print books and paperbacks.
The argument over whether or not the paperback book is on deaths row is well overdue for some analysis, and now with the rise of the eBook, it seems like the perfect opportunity to do so. Yes there are a number of advantages of having an eBook such as it being cost friendly, you have variety in the type you can buy, it makes books more accessible and is “easier on the eye”; but not even these advancements can fully exterminate the paperback. We may never fully be rid of paperbacks, they do have after all, the ultimate staying power. However, this does not deny that they are most definitely in decline and will continue to lose popularity. We are past the time where purchasing a hardcover book at a local convenient store is part of the norm. So, to the faithful paperback followers and eBook enthusiasts, be prepared to fully embrace the change that is too come because whether we would like to admit it or not, paperbacks are making a slow exit out of this technological era.
