The Death of Books

I never thought I'd see this day: I'm abandoning physical books for an e-reader.

Before I explain why, I have to talk a bit about my previous internal digital battle: to mp3 or not? When the original iPod came out, I was dead set against it. I had my collection of hundreds of cds with their beautiful booklets full of art, photos, and lyrics. And the low sound quality of mp3s just wouldn't suffice. I can only describe the sounds on a nice pair of headphones as "harsh."

So, for a while I happily toted my portable cd player and a small holder of cds in my backpack. Then, I decided to upgrade to a portable unit that could play mp3 cds. Just as an option, of course. No way would I turn my back on cds!

Eventually, I decided to put some of my favorite albums on a mp3 cd just to have more variety available on my travels. It was during the process of ripping and burning (why must mp3 parlance have to be so violent?) that I realized that you can use different bit rates, and with decent settings, mp3s actually sounds as good as cds. (256 kbps vbr is my current setting of choice.)

That solved the sound problem, but no way in hell was I giving up my cd fetish. The look, the feel, the smell. How could I give it up? Funny thing is, after I started ripping all the cds I bought, they stayed on the shelf after the initial rip.

With much of my mp3 resistance melted away, the iPod and the gigs of music it could carry was inevitable. The new way was here. I shed a tear for my beloved cds and moved on.

Fast forward to now. There was no way in hell I was giving up my beloved books. The look, the feel, the smell. (Heard this one before?) And as a writer, there was an even stronger fetish: I want one of these with my name on the shelves one day. Why would I participate in the group murder that e-Readers represent?

While a piece of plastic will never truly replace a book, e-Readers have come a long way. They may not be as good as a real book, but they are an acceptable way to read (I grudgingly admit after playing around with Nooks and Kindles and iPads with a somewhat open mind.) And the real deal maker for me is the end of bookshelves.

I can hear the collective gasp from my fellow readers and writers. We need our bookshelves! We want to turn every room of our homes into libraries! I understand completely. My office is crammed with books, as well as board games. The living room is full of cds and dvds. There is a great comfort in hoarding the things we love, building a warm nest around ourselves.

But take a step back. I know it's hard to do. But what do you really care about? It's those beautiful words, and whether they're on a piece of paper you can fondle or a digital screen shouldn't really matter. Get rid of the confines of space, and it's possible to have even more of those words literally at your finger tips.

The elephant in the room is the effect the e-reader will have on bookstores and writers. The former is a cause for sadness, but I see the latter as an opportunity.

For bookstores, when every book is bought digitally, only the big boys that control the digital world will survive. All those great indie bookstores will slowly fade away. While that's unfortunate, I have to sheepishly admit that I buy almost all my books from Amazon anyway, so when all those cool bookstores go out of business, it's not like I'll have more blood on my hands.

For writers, however, I think a great opportunity is coming. Look at what mp3s did to the music industry. There are more opportunities for musicians now than ever before. Self publishing of music is possible, and cool indie online music stores have cropped up. I see something similar coming for writers. I have purchased pdfs directly from writer's sites, and when the reading public has less of an aversion to the digital screen, options will increase. All those indie minds out there will band together and find a way to create cool virtual indie bookstores.

You may wholeheartedly disagree with my assessment, but regardless of what any of us feel, we can't stop change. Demand will dictate supply, and those that adapt can have an exciting place in this brave new world.