Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Viability of E-Books and the Survivability of Print

  • Published:
Publishing Research Quarterly Aims and scope

Abstract

In the first years of the new millennium, the popularization of e-books and widely available digital content built a strong case for the possibility of analog eradication. Within the past few decades, most popular analog forms of entertainment have been replaced by more compact and efficient methods of consumption. Therefore, as e-readers gained momentum in publishing, the industry prepared for the reality that print books could become increasingly irrelevant. However, over a decade later, we have seen something shocking in the context of an increasingly digital society: print books are thriving in a digitized world. In this paper, I will discuss the complex relationship between publishing and the digital sphere and explore the prevalence of print.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. “AAP December 2019 Statshot Report: Publishing Industry Up 1.8% For CY2019.” AAP, https://publishers.org/news/aap-december-2019-statshot-report-publishing-industry-up-1-8-for-cy2019/ Accessed from 16 Mar 2020.

  2. Perrin, A.: One-in-five americans now listen to audiobooks. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/09/25/one-in-five-americans-now-listen-to-audiobooks/. Accessed from 30 May 2020.

  3. Pham A, David S.: Electronic reading devices are transforming the concept of a book. https://www.latimes.com/news/la-fiw-0718-reading-20100718-story.html. Accessed from 18 Jul 2010.

  4. Young S. The book is dead: long live the book. Strawberry Hills, NSW: ReadHowYouWant; 2016.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Kozlowski, M.: The evolution of the sony e-Reader—in Pictures. https://goodereader.com/blog/electronic-readers/the-evolution-of-the-sony-e-reader-in-pictures. Accessed from 15 Jun 2014.

  6. Stone B, Motoko R.: Turning page, e-books start to take hold. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/24/technology/24kindle.html?auth=login-email. Accessed from 23 Dec 2008.

  7. Bradley, T.: Sony wireless e-book reader proves kindle was on target. PCWorld. https://www.pcworld.com/article/170780/sony_ebook_daily_edition_proves_kindle_right_on_target.html. Accessed from 25 Aug 2009.

  8. Brad, S.: Best buy and verizon jump into e-reader fray. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/technology/internet/23ebooks.html?auth=login-email Accessed from 23 Sep 2009.

  9. Ganapati, P.: Why e-books are stuck in a black-and-white world. https://www.wired.com/2009/06/blackandwhite-ebooks/. Accessed from 4 Jun 2017.

  10. Soares, J. 2010 Book and E-book sales data for the United States, February 16, 2011. 2010 Book and E-Book Sales Data for the United States, 2010.

  11. Loss Leader Pricing—Definition, Rationale and Practical Examples. Corporate Finance Institute, https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/strategy/loss-leader-pricing/ Accessed From 6 Jul 2020.

  12. Auletta, K.: Paper Trail. The New Yorker, https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/06/25/paper-trail-2. Accessed from 18 Jun 2012.

  13. Grady, C.: The 2010s were supposed to bring the ebook revolution. It Never Quite Came. Vox. https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/12/23/20991659/ebook-amazon-kindle-ereader-department-of-justice-publishing-lawsuit-apple-ipad Accessed from 23 Dec 2019.

  14. Lee JD. Post U.S. v. apple: how should most-favored nation clauses be treated now. Cardozo Arts Entertain Law J. 2015;33(1):237–60.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Vara, V.: Did apple fix e-book prices for the greater good?” The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/apple-claiming-virtue-e-book-price-fixing-case. Accessed from 16 Dec 2014.

  16. Hughes, M.: Study shows we're spending an insane amount of time online. https://thenextweb.com/tech/2019/01/31/study-shows-were-spending-an-insane-amount-of-time-online/. Accessed from 31 Jan 2019.

  17. Kemp, S.: Digital trends 2019: every single stat you need to know about the internet. The Next Web, https://thenextweb.com/contributors/2019/01/30/digital-trends-2019-every-single-stat-you-need-to-know-about-the-internet/. Accessed from 30 Jan 2019.

  18. Xin M, et al. Online activities, prevalence of Internet addiction and risk factors related to family and school among adolescents in China. Addict Behav Rep. 2018;7:14–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.abrep.2017.10.003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Zhang Y, Kudva S. E-books versus print books: readers’ choices and preferences across contexts. J Am Soc Inform Sci Technol. 2014. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.23076.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Handley, L.: Physical books still outsell e-books—and here's why. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/19/physical-books-still-outsell-e-books-and-heres-why.html. Accessed from 19 Sep 2019.

  21. Fruhlinger, J.: Are e-books finally over? the publishing industry unexpectedly tilts back to print. Observer. https://observer.com/2018/11/ebook-sales-decline-independent-bookstores/. Accessed from 3 Nov 2018.

  22. Crisp, J.: One year later, the results of tor books UK going DRM-free. Tor.com. https://www.tor.com/2013/04/29/tor-books-uk-drm-free-one-year-later/. Accessed from 15 Dec 2014.

  23. De Groot, J.: What is digital rights management?” Digital Guardian, https://digitalguardian.com/blog/what-digital-rights-management. Accessed from 15 Oct 2018.

  24. Biglione, K.: Analyzing the business case for DRM (Kirk Biglione). Pressbooks, https://book.pressbooks.com/chapter/drm-kirk-biglione. Accessed from 10 Jan 2012.

  25. Pogue, D.: Should e-books be protected?” The New York Times. https://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/17/should-e-books-be-copy-protected/. Accessed from 17 Dec 2009.

  26. Pogue, D.: The e-book piracy debate, Revisited, https://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/09/the-e-book-piracy-debate-revisited/?src=rechp. Accessed from 9 May 2013.

  27. Librarians Weigh kindle Ebook Lending Against Reader Privacy. American Libraries Magazine. American Library Association, https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/e-content/librarians-weigh-kindle-ebook-lending-against-reader-privacy/. Accessed from 19 Oct 2011.

  28. Admin. Privacy, http://www.ala.org/advocacy/privacy. Accessed from 18 Jun 2020.

  29. Price, G.: New and old: serious reader privacy concerns both inside and outside the library.” LJ infoDOCKET, https://www.infodocket.com/2014/10/07/new-and-old-serious-reader-privacy-concerns-both-inside-and-outside-the-library/. Accessed from 7 Oct 2014.

  30. Hoffelder, N.: Adobe is spying on users, collecting data on their EBook libraries. The Digital Reader, https://the-digital-reader.com/2014/10/06/adobe-spying-users-collecting-data-ebook-libraries/. Accessed from 6 Oct 2014.

  31. Caldwell-Stone, D.: A digital dilemma: Ebooks and users' rights. American Libraries, 2012, 20–23. http://www.jstor.org/stable/26197638 Accessed from 7 Nov 2020.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 401 East 76th Street, #4RE, New York, NY, 10021, USA

    Perri Smith

Authors
  1. Perri Smith
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Perri Smith.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Smith, P. The Viability of E-Books and the Survivability of Print. Pub Res Q 37, 264–277 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12109-021-09800-1

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12109-021-09800-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation