The writing is on the wall-things are changing and we can’t stop it. Add to that the fact that you can now rent a Hollywood blockbuster movie down at the RedBox for only $1, and you have an environment in which our entertainment options are more plentiful and cheaper than ever before.Įveryone’s concern is that nobody is going to be willing to pay a decent price for a book anymore, and where does that leave the current business model of publishers and booksellers? The concern escalated massively in 2009 when big-box retailers like Walmart and Target began the book price wars, announcing they’d be featuring bestselling titles at less than half the cover price. Publishers and booksellers have been concerned that the typical $9.99 price for an eBook is eroding consumers’ willingness to pay $25 for a new hardcover, or even $18 or $13 for a new trade paperback. There are other factors eroding the perceived value of books besides the Internet “free culture,” and this is where it starts to affect the value of fiction as well. Information that’s quickly changing, such as technology, is less likely to remain available in book form.
The books we read to enjoy and savor, or to ponder in a more leisurely way, will probably be around in printed form longer, and people will be willing to pay for them. The permanence and the physicality of a book-you can hold it in your hand and keep it, as opposed to having it disappear when you click away with your mouse.īut slowly, printed books will become less common, starting with topics that are purely for informational purposes.
The love of being surrounded by overflowing bookshelves, the simple pleasure of pulling a book off your shelf and flipping through it. For a long time to come, I think people will find value in books. Printed books aren’t going to disappear overnight, obviously, even with the advent of eReaders on top of what’s already available on the Internet.
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Anyone can go online and download parenting tips and instructions on how to bake a soufflé, keep your house organized or knit a scarf. There are some topics, such as parenting and many “how to” subjects in crafts, cooking, and home improvement to name a few, in which it’s already very difficult to sell a book. Initially this will apply to non-fiction books, and that dynamic is already firmly in place. In a culture where so much is available for so little, it means people are going to be less and less willing to pay for books. We live in the “Information Age” but who knew that would mean information itself would depreciate? Information is losing its monetary value because it’s available to anyone at the click of a mouse. One thing that concerns me about our current Internet culture is that it’s conditioning people to expect a lot more for free. Today my speculations are more about the market and the changing perceived value of a book. Yesterday I speculated on one aspect of the future of books, the idea of how technology will (or won’t) affect the presentation of a book.
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