Amazon Sold More e-Books at Christmas!

Nancy Feresten, Editor-in-Chief of National Geographic Children’s Books, reported that Amazon sold more e-books than regular books during Christmas, 2009. On February 20th, she shared the following information at the annual conference of Houston’s Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators:

The most popular ways to read e-books are:
Desktop
Laptop
e-Reader
Netbook
Mobile phone or PDA

What is a book?
A book is a story or cache of information comprised of written words and /or pictures, with a clear and intentional organization.

Advantages of digital books include:
They can be any length.
They take little space.
They can be linked to other information.
They are multimedia.
They are searchable.

Disadvantages are:
They require electricity.
Devices are expensive.
The format is rigid.
The technology is immature.
The business model is unclear.

Advantages of print books include:
They are portable.
They are durable.
They are collectible.
They are inexpensive.
They can be shared.
They are familiar.
They can be recycled.

Disadvantages of print books are:
They have a limited format.
They take up space.
They have a fixed print size.
They are environmentally unsound.

Feresten predicts a future where students will carry e-readers that will include beautiful illustrations, links, and audio capabilities so that readers can click on unfamiliar words to have them pronounced and defined. Teachers will be able to individualize texts to accommodate student needs. Families will go to libraries to see print-on-demand versions of books that can be downloaded to their e-readers.

Nancy Feresten believes it will be up to writers to create the future by using new technology to tell stories in the best possible way.

As a librarian and a writer, I’ll always enjoy pulling my grandchildren onto my lap to share print copies of picture books, but I also love my daughter’s Kindle. And who wouldn’t want to see those heavy textbooks give way to e-readers? One thing is for sure--it’s an exciting time to be a reader!