Turning over a new leaf

By Joanne Pontée, Marketing Manager, PDMS

Curling up on the sofa or lounging on a sun bed with a dog eared paperback copy of your favourite novel could soon be a thing of the past; well that’s what the analysts are predicting. Instead, we will all be reading eBooks, digital versions of books displayed on portable readers or devices from which we will be able to access not one book, but hundreds or even thousands of titles. eBooks aren’t new, they have been around for some time but they have failed to take off in the same way as other forms of digital media, such as music and movies. However, industry experts believe that 2006 may well be the breakthrough year for ebooks.

Some commentators believe that with ebooks it’s a classic case of ‘technology for technology’s sake’, why do we need to replace paper? A format that has served us well for hundreds, if not thousands, of years and still works fine today. The answer is that we don’t have to, but by harnessing the power of new technologies a whole new world of possibilities can be opened up for the reader and of course the publishing industry too. Just look at how technological developments have improved the music listener’s experience with the progression from vinyl records to audio cassettes to CD’s and now to music downloads (MP3’s). eBooks do have some distinct advantages over their paper counterparts, not least portability in numbers. You can access hundreds of books from a single device that is smaller and weighs considerably less than your single copy of ‘War and Peace’. You can have an entire personal library at your fingertips, giving you the power to read what you like, when and wherever you want to. eBooks are also durable, no more jumping into the swimming pool to rescue sodden pages, scattered by the wind, from a battered old book, much to the amusement of fellow holidaymakers! No matter how many times you read them they will never fall apart losing those vital few pages key to the whole plot. That said, dropping your eBook reader in the swimming pool or bath may be a little more traumatic and expensive than it would be with the equivalent paper copy!

But where eBooks really come to the fore is the opportunities they can provide for enhancing the reading experience. With eBooks, the reading experience can, if you so desire, be much more interactive with features such as: hyperlinks, keyword searches, even accessing related audio and video content and forums, such as book clubs. True, this may dismay many people who cherish the very intimacy of reading, of being totally absorbed in a book with no outside distractions. Others, and this will probably apply mostly to today’s younger Internet generation, will openly embrace this concept of enhanced reading via eBooks and the rich interaction it can provide. After all, many kids today probably spend just as much, if not more time, staring at a computer screen as they ever do the pages of a book.

eBooks also have the potential to dramatically change the publishing world in other respects. They give authors a platform by which they can quickly and easily publish their works, bypassing the traditional publishing deal. The time to market is much quicker. They are also much more cost effective, with no paper, printing and distribution costs. eBook titles are currently around 20-25% cheaper to purchase than their equivalent paper version.

So then, why haven’t ebooks taken off in the same way that digital music has? The reason isn’t because the majority of people aren’t willing to embrace new technologies over paper; it’s just that to date paper has been the best way to read. With paper there is no glare, it’s easy to move the book to the required focal length and overall it’s simply more comfortable. With PC’s the screen is usually static and when reading from the screen you are often stuck in a single position for a long time. Problems with contrast and resolution on a screen also have a negative impact which is why many people prefer to hit the print button than read reams of text on screen. The introduction of PDA’s and pocket PC’s partly addressed some of these problems but not all. In many instances the screens are too small and difficult to read from whilst the devices themselves have been bulky, very expensive and power hungry, consequently not lending themselves to long reading sessions. But it’s not only the reading devices that are an issue, it’s also the data format because whatever you want to read has to be published in a form that your device can display. To date most ebooks have been published in PDF or HTML format and have been designed for searching and then printing and so don’t really allow for interactive content. When all these factors are combined it’s not difficult to see why eBooks haven’t yet lived up to the hype.

So why are analysts now predicting that 2006 could be the year in which the ebook revolution finally happens? The answer lies partially in a new ‘digital ink’ technology used for displaying letters on a screen and the launch this year of new and significantly improved reading devices. A small company called EInk has created a method for arranging tiny black and white capsules into words and images with an electronic charge. Apparently the text looks as clear as ink on a printed page since each capsule is the size and pigment of a grain of laser-jet toner. The first major player to implement this technology is Sony who are launching an eBook reader the same size, weight and feel of a paperback book (the imaginatively titled ‘Sony Reader’). Unlike the liquid-crystal display (LCD) screens used in PDA’s there is no back light to strain the readers eyes and characters are sharp and clear even in direct sunlight. Also, in contrast to a computer’s display it doesn’t redraw itself dozens of times a second and so this lack of flicker is much easier on the eye and it’s also efficient to use. Because no power is used unless the reader changes the page, it is estimated that devices with the technology could go as long as 20 books between battery charges.

Other companies such as iRex (a spin-off from Royal Philips Electronics) are also launching devices and there are even unsubstantiated rumours that Apple may be looking closely at this market too. In fact, it looks as though Sony is seeking to replicate the enormous impact that Apple have had on the music industry with the iPod by creating an iTunes for eBooks. Sony Connect will initially provide around 10,000 titles for the Sony reader with files in Sony’s own proprietary (will there be a standard?) BBeB format, however, the eBook reader device can also be connected to a PC to download content from other sources.

Google is in the process of scanning millions of books from five of the world’s largest libraries and plans to make the content searchable online. Viewed by some as a contentious move as many of the books are still under copyright, a legal case is pending. But, just as Napster helped push the music industry into the digital age, it appears Google may have done the same in the publishing industry with publishing houses such as HarperColins and Random House announcing plans to make tens of thousands of publications available digitally.

With eBook specific content, technologies and reading devices all making significant progress, it is likely that paper books will at some time in the not to distant future, go the same way as all those dusty old 45’s and LP’s. Amazon Chief Jeff Bezos believes that he will sell no paper books at all within 10 years time. If you think it’s all a bit too far fetched, just look around at the number of people you know with iPods and other MP3 players. In a week where pop history was made by a number one record in the UK singles chart, achieved purely on download sales, just how long will it really be before the number one best selling book is an eBook and what are the odds on it having the words ‘Harry’ and ‘Potter’ in the title?