E-books ‘kindle’ debate over paper vs plastic

The ceaseless "electronification" of books has prompted a heated principle versus practice debate. One side points to a sentimental attachment to books, the feeling of flipping the pages or of borrowing old copies of classic works from relatives. The other side has its sights focused on technology's potential—all of a sudden, buying a book is easier, many of the classics are free and writers walk away with a larger chunk of the profits. This sort of issue, with such a vast array of pros and cons, has left many readers puzzled.

Local book lover Paul Constant worked at Elliot Bay Book Company before becoming the book editor for The Stranger. Upon catching wind of Kindles, Sony Readers and the like, he reacted the way many readers, publishers and sellers do—by panicking.

"It took me awhile to shake that feeling and to think of it as a possibility," said Constant.

Now, being the owner of both a Sony Reader and an iPad, Constant is warming up to the world of electronic reading. E-readers can already do a lot of things that plain pages and print simply aren't capable of. Constant's Sony Reader, for example, will look up a word for you in the Oxford English Dictionary if you tap it with your finger. Newer devices might eventually feature more audio, video, color and hyperlinks.

On the other hand, the companies that manufacture e-readers are privy to the fears of skeptics. So they make the devices look as much like books as possible, giving them spines and bookish fonts, with black and white text and touch screens that are meant to simulate page turning.

But the perks don't stop at convenience or aesthetics. Even though a common knee-jerk reaction to e-books is "Oh no! The book industry will crumble!" there are actually some noteworthy up-sides. For example, authors are receiving a larger percentage of profits than ever before. With electronic "publishing," there aren't as many middlemen who demand a slice of the financial pie. One such example of success lies in Austin, Minn., where indie writer Amanda Hocking has made millions by selling her paranormal romance and urban fantasy novels for around three dollars a copy.

Another e-book perk: many of the classics are free. Because they're in the public domain and no longer have to go through a traditional publisher, there's really no money that anyone can rightfully squeeze out of consumers. According to Constant, easy accessibility to the classics has resulted in an increase in their popularity. The very same thing happened during the emergence of paperback novels in the early 20th century.

But even with all that this new technology has to offer, the fact remains that reading a Kindle just isn't the same as reading a book.

"I'm not ever going to stop reading physical books," Constant said, "and I don't think they're going away."

Just like how the VCR was supposed to kill television and the Internet was supposed to ruin music, the emergence of electronic reading doesn't necessarily mean the end of books as we know it. Like Constant, many people have "a nostalgic attachment to the form."

Peter Aaron, owner of Elliot Bay Book Company, feels the same way.

"I don't expect the book to ever go away," said Aaron.

Recently, Elliot Bay Book Company has been giving customers the option of setting up an account on their website and ordering e-books through their online store. However, Aaron claims that most people still prefer to buy books the old fashioned way. As e-readers grow in popularity, he expects that the kind of experience Elliot Bay Book Company has to offer will become more and more valuable to customers. Stores like Barnes and Noble and Borders have dedicated a lot of store space to the sale of electronic reading devices, and that's where Aaron believes their future lies. But Elliot Bay Book Company still values books as they are, and if customer purchasing patterns are any indication of where the store is headed, then many Seattle readers share this sentiment… but not all of them.

The convenience of e-readers can be quite alluring, and the Seattle Public Library is picking up on the trend. If you log onto spl.org, there is a "Browse Digital Books and Media" section. You can search for whichever title you want, and if it's available, you can check it out for a predetermined number of days. Just like checking out any book at the library, you are able to access your e-book for free. Once a book's check out period has ended, the title will be automatically removed from your list. That way, you'll never have to worry about overdue books or late fees. Immediate renewing isn't technically allowed, but if a book all of the sudden disappears before you're done reading it, then you can check it out again as long as someone else hasn't put a hold on it.

Convenience is the key advantage e-books have over their printed and bound counterparts, and the next step is textbooks. "Kno" is a new device that's sold in both single and double panel versions and is meant to act as an extremely versatile textbook. It's very possible that more devices like Kno are currently in the works.

"That's the next big e-book frontier," Constant said.

However, piracy seems to accompany all forms of Internet purchasing these days. If given the opportunity, would students find ways to download their textbooks for free?

Until then, buy an e-reader if you like conveniently downloading free copies of the classics. Or, just go to Barnes and Noble, find a sweet hiding spot, and whiz through Heart of Darkness in the store.

Cameron may be reached at cdrews@su-spectator.com