eBooks Outsell Print Books at Amazon

[Hooch Tan]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2385592,00.asp' target='_blank'>http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,281...,2385592,00.asp</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"In July 2010, Amazon announced that sales of electronic books for its Kindle e-book reader surpassed sales of hardcover books on the site. Six months later, sales of Kindle books surpassed that of paperbacks. Now, customers are downloading Kindle books more than hardcovers and paperbacks combined."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/dht/auto/1306253112.usr20447.jpg" style="border: 0px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>The writing was on the wall.&nbsp; As technology improved and eReaders such as the Kindle offered at least an adequate reading experience, the draw of eBooks would mean that they would eventually outsell paper books.&nbsp; The ease of purchasing, the ability to carry libraries of books with you and the plethora of devices you can read your eBooks on certainly has its advantages.&nbsp; Of course, there is the classic argument that there is nothing quite like read a paper-bound book, and that is something I can appreciate.&nbsp; But in this digital age, it looks like the paper format will eventually become a niche market.&nbsp; Unfortunately, I see that means that paperbacks and especially hardcovers will likely increase in price as publishers print smaller numbers.</p>

[Jon Childs]

I thought I was going to be among the "nothing will replace a paper book" crowd, but I can't believe how fast I got over that feeling. I have a Color Nook not a Kindle, but the same thing applies. Being able to get something instantly either from B&N or the library, not having to have a separate light for night reading, never losing your place, being able to download to multiple devices (i.e. never forgetting your book), and the ability to do a little light web surfing and email reading has pretty much made me forget about paper books.