Which is Better-A Hard Copy
or an e-Book?

chillibreeze writer — Shiven Thapa

For centuries, print has enabled education, entertainment and business, surviving other forms of media like telegraph, radio and television. However, since the Gutenberg Project pioneered eBooks in 1971, print media has never been the same.

Since the inception of the first eBook, publishers and authors have been excited as well as anxious about their future. However, the digital revolution is here to stay, but the way this technology is used will determine its inventive potential. Those nostalgic about the touch of paper must awaken to this reality and seek opportunity as avid collectors, where garbage print is out and quality is in.

Encouragingly so, they may also feel better about not lugging dead tress halfway across the globe. Print-on-demand does address this concern, to an extent. Having said that, let’s also re-think about the use of technological gadgets. Are our prevalent computers, phones, i-pads and kindles bio-degradable? The statistics are ambiguous and thus, the debate rages on. Besides environmental concerns, sweat-shop labor issues continue to be a worry.

Technically, the dilemma with hardcopy fiction has been that it’s non-interactive and the author can either drone or drive the reader. Traditionally, it’s been imperative for such stories to flow in a non-pulp fictionesque manner with standard introduction, body and climax.

In hardcopy, the author is the pilot and the reader can do little other than squirm with delight or unease. The physical book is an all or nothing proposition. Also, with so many forms of publications in print without any precision in quality content, environmental consequences are obvious.

In eBooks, though quality content may at times be elusive, environmental impact is however less imposing due to its digital format. Nevertheless, many eBooks today are merely digitized versions of the original and perceived as no-value added, except portability, search and access. By the end of 2010, the number of electronic pages published is expected to surpass the number of printed pages.

With the possibility of including illustrations, audio and video files, eBook fictions can be an interactive wonderland. The technology is at hand and now it’s up to publishers and authors to find newer ways to connect with their readers. So the question is not whether hardcopy fiction will die, but how print will survive. As long as readers remain uninvolved in the creative process of publications, the future of print looks bleak. However, not all readers seek this level of interactivity and are more suited to quality content with a narrative guide. The success of eBooks will remain mixed as the battle between digital rights management and open-access content rages on. As more content delivery platforms emerge, publishers, authors and readers are unsure about copyright issues, particularly on the internet.

From an overall business perspective, both hardcopy and eBook publishers will also have to move to customized publishing instead of the generic model prevalent today. The focus now must be away from a market-centric model to a customer-centric model where marketers are engaged in personal conversations with consumers rather than screaming messages at them.

Either way, reading is here to stay and so is quality content. It’s just a matter of choosing the right publishing platform and engaging the readers. On the whole, the publishing industry is now closing a long chapter and opening a new yet uncertain one, where creativity and collaborative variance will rule.

Editor's note: Most articles submitted to Chillibreeze go through a selection process. Only 30 percent of submitted articles are accepted for publication on the Chillibreeze.com featured article list. All accepted articles are edited and proofread for glaring errors of punctuation and grammar. Sentence structure is changed in certain cases and sometimes, entire sections are rewritten. If you notice any errors that have slipped through the cracks, do let us know! (Email us at info at chillibreeze dot com).

Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in July, 2010. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time.

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—About our writer:

Shiven Thapa is the founder of a creative services company based in India as well as a professional writer, editor and avid traveler. He began his career as a promotional volunteer at the Sydney Olympic games 2000.

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