| Online publishing is going from strength to strength | | | | using up tons of ink and paper in the process, |
| and people who have always wanted to see their | | | | especially if it's a long one. It also doesn't make for |
| name in print can now do it without the hassle of | | | | very easy reading if you have to flip through a large |
| having to get a publisher interested first. | | | | sheaf of paper. |
| But lots of entrepreneurs are bypassing the idea of | | | | True book lovers will also state that there is nothing |
| publishing a book in hard copy form and instead they | | | | quite like a proper book to pick up and read. Even |
| are releasing it as an e-book. | | | | though they get more dog eared than e-books - |
| The advantages of this for both the entrepreneur | | | | which most of the time will simply sit on their |
| and the customer are obvious. Firstly because there | | | | purchaser's computer, looking as good as the day |
| are no hard copies there is nothing to mail out, no | | | | they bought them - there is something about a |
| costs involved in getting the books printed, and a | | | | proper hardback book that is simply not there in any |
| system can be set up whereupon the e-book is | | | | other format. |
| delivered automatically as soon as valid payment is | | | | The truth is that unless the e-book starts to make |
| received. | | | | significant inroads into the fiction market (not to |
| The biggest draw for the customer is instant | | | | mention more areas of non-fiction that are of |
| delivery. They can literally read the sales page, make | | | | interest to a wider audience) there is no real danger |
| their payment and be reading the e-book in just a | | | | that the hardback will disappear altogether. The |
| few short minutes from the time they decided to | | | | majority of the e-books published online that make |
| buy it. This benefit is virtually guaranteed to bring in | | | | sales into the thousands are about making money |
| more impulse sales because all the barriers that | | | | online, so it has its limitations. |
| prevent people from buying it are taken away. | | | | So while e-books do rival hardbacks in certain specific |
| But while the e-book definitely has its audience and is | | | | sectors of the market, it seems that hardbacks still |
| selling hundreds of thousands of copies all over the | | | | hold the majority vote in most other areas. There is |
| world, will it ever completely take over from the | | | | also the problem of giving a book as a present. The |
| trusty hardback? | | | | idea of giving someone an e-book as a gift simply |
| While it may grow to rival it, the two book formats | | | | doesn't made the grade, even if you were to burn it |
| are so different that they appeal to different types | | | | onto a disk and present it more attractively. |
| of people. While the e-book can be downloaded onto | | | | Whatever your own opinion of e-books might be, it |
| portable e-book readers, if you want a copy of them | | | | looks like hardbacks will be here to stay for some |
| you need to print them out on your own printer - | | | | time yet. |