Books are doomed

According to the latest research from market watcher iSuppli – sales of physical books are being consistently decimated by the ferocious demand we have for e-books.

Taking US sales into account – the analyst predicted that book revenue for publishers will decrease at a CAGR of three per cent up until 2014.

Between now and 2014, e-book sales will rocket by 40 per cent and physical books will decline five per cent.

Being someone who received a Kindle for Christmas I have to say the e-book reader is a wonderful thing – you only ever have it to carry, can download all the new titles to take away with you on holiday and also take your whole library out with you wherever you go. Plus it hardly takes up any room.

However that said – I have a core of about 350 books at home that I just cannot get rid of – I have to revisit them time and again and their worn covers are testament to that. I just couldn’t bear the thought of reading them electronically.

There are also some authors that I just have to buy in physical book form as well – just so I can add to my collection.

I have friends that wince at the thought of an e-reader, and others that are cautiously scoping them out to see if they would like them.

It will be a sad day if the physical book disappears from our lives completely, I think.

So are you a book fiend or an e-reader enthusiast?