Coming from the person who currently has 35 novels in her dorm (yes, I counted) I don’t like e-books. I believe that books should be printed and bound and sit on my shelf. It seems downright tragic to me to think that they might not exist one day.
The implications of this movement are close to my heart and my mental well-being. However, besides the blatant wrongness of e-readers, there are some fundamental issues.
This movement means big changes for publishing companies. Pricing is a game changer. Will e-books bring in more money because they are cost efficient? Or will publishers lose their purpose without the need for actual publishing?
I haven’t decided which influence I want to touch on. There is the conflict over which is more eco-friendly. The novel obviously creates more paper waste. However, making an e-reader produces a significantly higher amount of carbon emissions.
There is also the argument over which will make people read more. The e-books are cheaper, but will the initial price of an e-reader dissuade certain readers? Will digital copies make is more or less convenient to share novels between friends?
Here is a brief comparison of the two from 2010,
