Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Week 16 Prompt



Both of our readings this week talk about the culture of reading and the future of the book. So I have two questions for you as readers, pulling on your own experiences and all of the readings we have done over the semester: First, how have reading and books changed since you were a child, for you specifically? Second, talk a little about what you see in the future for reading, books, or publishing - say 20 years from now. Will we read more or less, will our reading become more interactive? What will happen to traditional publishing? This is  a very free-form question, feel free to wildly extrapolate or calmly state facts, as suits your mood!


Back in my day we had to walk twenty miles uphill both ways.  This isn’t really true, but I feel really old when I think about all the advances in technology over the years.  As a child, I didn’t grow up with e-readers and smartphones with reading apps.  If I wanted a new book my mom would drive me to the library or we would buy one at the grocery store.  I remember getting books each month from mail order book clubs.  The books were always in a series, so my mom would subscribe until I received each volume.

When the first generation of Nook and Kindle were released while I was an undergrad, I was very stubborn and I refused to give in to holding a tablet instead of feeling the physical weight of a book.  As technology advancers, I expect these devices to make reading more interactive.  In the future, I think we will continue to see brick and mortar books stores fail because eBooks will continue to grow.  As this happens, publishing companies will be forced to change how they market and they will utilize online strategies.   I think self-published books will continue to rise and flood the market since companies like Amazon make it easy for people to sell their work.  Publishers may be forced to drop the prices of books to compete with cheap self-published books.   As a result, readers will have to be more selective of their reading material since self-published books often contain many mistakes. 

11 comments:

  1. I love your initial statement! It made me laugh. My grandpa used to add that not only was it twenty miles uphill both ways, but in 2 feet of snow with no shoes. It is definitely easy to think that way with all of the new technologies available.

    I see where you are coming from about the brick and mortar book stores. They seem to be closing rapidly. There aren't many of them anymore. That is partially due to ebooks, but I think it is also due to the rise in buying things online. Amazon is my go to when purchasing books, ebook or paper. While brick and mortar bookstores may end up obsolete, though, I don't think paper books ever will.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think it's sad that all the book stores seem to be closing. I enjoy the atmosphere, drinking coffee, and people watching. I also like Amazon, but bookstores are so fun! I feel like a kid in a candy store when I'm in one. There is something about holding a book and looking at all the covers that I love.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Kim,

    I remember that as a child the elementary school would give out these Weekly Reader book order forms a couple of times a year. I would go through the catalog picking out books I wanted my parents to buy me. Then I would impatiently wait a few weeks until the books came in.

    Now-a-days I get catalogs from Edward R. Hamilton bookseller and I love going though the pages. Then I go online and see what other books are available from there.

    There is just something special about searching for good books.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Don't feel old, I didn't grow up with the technology either but I love all the options that this technology has given us and will continue to do so in the near and far future. We use to buy books from private and big bookstores. There is only one private bookstore left in my hometown and it is treated like a historical building/landmark because small privately owned bookstores are closing. Whenever I go back, I always go there to pick something up (I can always find something in a bookstore to buy).

    ReplyDelete
  5. What company did you order the mail order books from? I'm curious if they still do that because that sounds like a great idea! I think you are definitely right about how things will change concerning the emerging self published books and ebooks phenomenon. I hope that people still continue reading even with all the changes to books and publishers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't remember because I was so young. It was fun and I remember I would be so excited I would run out to the mailbox to check for my books.

      Delete
  6. I remember in elementary and middle school doing AR (Advanced Reading) where we could read books for points and prizes. Even though I wasn't that interested in logging the books I read for these points, I would have been able to earn a fair amount of points and prizes for the number of books I read on the bus ride home. I'm excited to see the impact that technological advances will have on the publishing industry and the next generation of readers. I hope it is a positive one as eBooks have had a fairly positive influence on those wanting to read. I know I've enjoyed being able to store my iPad and Nook in my carry-on when I go traveling.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't remember having AR as a kid. I don't think it was a thing back in my day lol.

      Delete
  7. Kim, I am saddened that there are not many bookstores around today. But I do think publishers are going to have to strategize on ways to market there material against Amazon and their ability to self-market books. The consumer (and librarians who order books) will need to be selective in the books they purchase.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I think your observation about publishing is interesting. I wonder if the traditional "book deal" will become obsolete due to the ability of self-published books to succeed so well now. I think there will always be an advantage for those titles that are expertly marketed, but when I did my New Adult genre annotation, I learned that a lot of those most popular authors start out as self published! I agree with you that this trend will definitely increase as the upcoming generation will even more computer savvy than the generation that preceded them.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wonderful final response! Full points!

    ReplyDelete