E-Readers should eventually get more popular, cheaper, and convenient. They are infinitely betterish for the environment (when I think of the amount of trees I’ve killed for hours and hours of entertainment, I feel almost sick. Almost.) and do save a lot of space and energy. I also disagree about the “clicking through” comment. When I’m reading a silly or boring book, I often skim through by flipping pages every couple of seconds, not bothering to savor the writing (usually because it’s bad, hence the skipping). I see no difference between that and clicking through. If anything, it’s probably more uncomfortable to do it with an e-reader. It depends on the book and on the person behind the book.

I can actually say a lot more about your specific post but it’ll equate to a post longer than yours (I know, I know). So I’ll just leave what I already have and tip my hat in your direction.

I do not own a reader, as such, and have no plan to buy one and spend almost the same amount of money for an e-book as for a REAL book.
I did however just buy a netbook Samsung NC10) on which i can read downloaded free e-books when I travel (and there are a lot available) and go on-line and play games and work on stuff …and all sorts of stuff. I like a multi-purpose toy.

So I travel with my Sony Reader tucked in my carry-on. Since review quite a selection of books, and many ARCs aren’t available in electronic format, I do still have to carry some “real books”.

Bottom line–I don’t think traditional books will be going away in the near future. Electronic book readers are simply a convenience/luxury that a few may have (quite similar, perhaps to desktop PCs versus laptops).

I think it’s inevitable that books will eventually go down the digital path, although that won’t happen until someone invents a gizmo that is able to perfectly replicate every tangible attribute of a book.

Until then, what’s most likely to happen is that the publishing industry will diverge into digital and paper realms. Well-written, cleanly-edited and gorgeously-presented works of literature (plus the odd bit of non-fiction) will continue to be printed in paper form. Publishers will scale back on how many they print each year and prices will rise accordingly.

Meanwhile, pretty much every other type of book, including newspapers and magazines, will end up in the digital realm. Many books will be serialized and/or purchasable in chapter-sized chunks. Most publishers will give away the first chapter for free. We’ll end up with a lot of crap to wade through, but publishers/authors will also be more open to taking risks and experimenting with the medium. We’ll end up with just as many Mark Z. Danielewskis as Dan Browns.

Both forms will co-exist quite happily for a long, long time; paper for our most cherished works, digital for our more leisurely, experimental reading.

Maybe.

I personally believe that change is occuring in every industry and is therefore undeniable, but there is a reason for why publishing has lasted as long as it has: the standards for “traditional” publishing are high, as well they should be.

The quote that had me most shocked was this: “[readers] can get their literature the old-fashioned way: carefully selected and edited, and presented in a bespoke, art-directed paper package.”

I am all for new media and self-publishing for strong writers who just haven’t been able to get that break. If their content is good and their writing is strong, then chances are they deserve to be published. However, with self-publishing, it seems that anyone and everyone is now writing a book, just so that they can say that they wrote a book. For me, this lessens the appeal and, quite possibly, the reputation of the industry.

Like you, I *want* my books to be well-structured, written, and edited, despite the fact that it’s “old-fashioned.” I want to be intellectually stimulated. I just want to read good, original, grammatically correct books.

Will traditinoal books ever really “go out of style”? Will self-publishing trump traditional publishing houses? I highly doubt it, but the thought still makes you pause.

A fantastic post; thanks!