Week Fifteen Prompt: The Future of the Book

How have reading and books changed since you were a child, for you specifically?

Since I was a child, books have changed significantly, especially with the advent of digital content such as eBooks and eAudiobooks. I have always loved reading books, seeing book cover art in person, and holding and reading print books. However, as technology became more popular in my lifetime and most people, including myself, now carry a smartphone with them everywhere they go, eBooks have become much more appealing to me. I love being able to carry multiple books with me in a little device that fits in my pocket.

The only bad thing about eBooks is that I have become one of those people who reads eight books at once and takes a long time to finish them. There are so many books out there and I just want to read them all! I still buy print books for myself, I purchase print books at the library where I work, and I visit my local library regularly to check out print books, but having eBooks and eAudiobooks at my fingertips truly broadens my overall access to books and I will forever be happy about that.

Describe what you see in the future for reading, books, and publishing – say 20 years from now. Will we read more or less? Will our reading become more interactive? What will happen to traditional publishing?

I see eBooks and eAudiobooks gaining even more popularity in the future. However, that being said, I do not see a decline in the popularity of traditional print books. The idea of an end to print publishing has loomed over us for 15-20 years now, yet the publishing industry remains strong and print books are still quite popular.

There are some aspects of print books that simply cannot be replicated in eBook format. For example, avid readers of print books will declare their love of holding a physical book, feeling the pages, and listening to the sound of the pages as they’re being turned. Many readers will also speak of the joy of physically seeing how many pages they have read and how many pages remain to be read in a book. Plus, for people who collect books or want to showcase them in home libraries, print books reign supreme.

For me, I enjoy seeing book cover art and illustrations in person. As a fan of graphic novels, there is just no comparison between print books and eBooks. Illustrations and graphic art are much more beautiful and easier to enjoy in print format. Graphic novels are more than just books—they are works of art which should be seen in person and not on a screen.

As more people begin to read eBooks, I can only imagine that we will read more than ever before. In addition, the interactive elements of this format will be more widely explored and perhaps even improved upon over time. The ability to search words and phrases and easily look up definitions of words are two great features of current eBooks. I cannot imagine what other types of interactive elements will appear in future eBooks, but I can only imagine they will increase the efficiency and enjoyment of reading books in this format.