Podcast Transcript: All About E-Books
This podcast aims to give the everyday person in general – but educators in particular - an overview of the budding e-book industry, as well as the current pros and cons that should be taken into account before anyone should seriously consider making the switch from paper books to e-formats:
I’ve always been a big reader: When I was younger, my allowance was always going towards a new Nancy Drew, American Girl, or Baby-Sitters Club book…and while my tastes have changed over the years, where my money goes really hasn’t changed all that much; part of my paycheck usually goes towards a new book every month. Needless to say, books take up a HUGE amount of space in my husband and my apartment. To get an idea of how many books I ‘do’ have in my collection, Eric – my husband - has jokingly suggested – on more than one occasion – that we start issuing library cards to my friends when they walk through the door (at least I think he was joking!)
Anyway, for the past year or so, I’ve been a frequent reader of a popular book review site, and have found several excellent new authors and stories to read based on their recommendations. However, the reviewers – who also have their fingers on the pulse of the book publishing world – will often post their opinions about the budding ‘e-book’ industry. Until recently, I usually just skimmed over those articles; e-books – which is short for ‘electronic books’ – just didn’t appeal to me: First and foremost, I always thought I wouldn’t want to give up holding a hard copy of a book as I read. Second, I had tried to read e-books on the computer in the past, and found that after awhile, my eyes were straining to read the text. Finally, I really had no interest in shelling out hundreds of dollars for an e-reading device (as well as even more money to purchase copies of books that I already have in paperback form!) Still, I eventually caught the bug – the e-bug - and finally, for my twenty-third birthday last February, my husband surprised me with a gorgeous red Sony PRS-505 e-reader. To be perfectly honest, I don’t think I’ve picked up a paperback copy of a book – outside of a textbook, of course! – since.
So, enough about me “coming out with it and talking freely and openly about my love affair…” with my Sony e-reader. Why should my story – or any of this information – cause you to sit up and pay attention? Because this is where the publishing industry’s going! As mentioned earlier, e-books are simply texts that are available for consumption on an electronic device, such as a computer, palm pilot, iPhone, or specialized e-reader. If you really think about it, the jump from paper books to e-books isn’t all that hard to imagine. Just take a second and reflect: How many times did you check your email, browse a webpage, or read an article from a news source or blog today? If your answer is anything like mine – and the millions out there who have Blackberries in one pocket, iPods in the other, a headset in their ear, and a computer in front of them – then it only makes sense for publishers to try and tap into this potential market. And it’s working…
Just bear with me and listen to a couple of statistics: We might currently be in a recession, but the e-book industry is BOOMING: According to the International Digital Publishing Forum – which sets standards for the digital publishing industry – revenues have doubled from 4th Quarter 2007 to 2008: 8.2 million to 16.8 million! Conversely, print media is truly feeling the effects of the recession: For example, according to Fox Business News (which, if your cable company doesn’t offer this channel, host Neil Cavuto says you should “Demand It!”) the Detroit News and Free Press cited high costs as the reason they cut their home delivery services to just Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. However, at the same time, they’re launching a HUGE pilot campaign that extensively promotes electronic delivery of their papers to the state-of-the-art Plastic Logic E-Reader.
So, yeah, the book industry isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, but it’s still a good idea to have some basic knowledge about e-books and e-reading devices, and whether it’s a good idea for you to invest in one…yet…
In theory, the possible uses for e-books are endless for teachers: One is sheer logistics: Imagine storing an entire library on a computer hard drive or an e-reader (I know my walls and sagging shelves are rejoicing!) This means teachers will be able to utilize more room in their already crammed classroom.
Another use helps engage reluctant or hard-to-please readers: If a teacher doesn’t have anything in her own ‘library’ that might interest a reluctant reader, e-books can be purchased instantly online from companies like Amazon, Fictionwise, and Sony. And yes, while prices for e-books are ‘still’ comparatively high, if you register with one of these websites, you have access to discounts (for example, the 2009 Newbery winner The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman goes for $13.75 to club members at Fictionwise, as opposed to the $18 listing price for the hardcover edition.) Of course, these paying companies aren’t the only deals in town: Project Gutenburg offers thousands of legal and free e-books in a variety of different formats (though their content is limited to texts whose copyrights have expired.)
Yet another feature that is a definite benefit for students are the audio capabilities of some of the e-readers out there. Having the option of turning ‘any’ text into an audio-book (as opposed to teachers being confined to the smaller audio-book market in the past) opens up a world of choices for beginning readers, as well as those who struggle with comprehension and decoding.
Finally, in the long run, e-books could potentially be real money-savers: As long as the devices used to download e-books are authorized in that person’s name, e-books can be read on multiple machines at once. This means that schools will be able to save money since there won’t be a need to purchase as many copies of trade books.
Now, while this technology does have several perks, drawbacks are real and need to be addressed. The biggest one: Legal issues. Remember a time when you finished a book and it was so fantastic that you absolutely ‘had’ to recommend and lend it to a friend? It’s such a simple act that I’m sure many of us didn’t even think twice about it. However, sharing e-books with others is considered to be illegal, just like sharing music or videos online! When you purchase and/or download an e-book, you agree that you will only use the copy on a device that is authorized for you to use. If your e-book just so ‘happens’ to find its way onto an unauthorized device, that’s considered to be ‘piracy’ and you ‘can’ be prosecuted by the authorities if you’re caught.
That leads to another BIG and controversial problem with the e-book industry: Publishers, who feared that their work would be stolen and circulated online, began to encrypt their files with what is known as Digital Rights Management, or DRM for short: DRM gives publishers the power to control what can or cannot be done with their products. DRM isn’t new (it took many different forms in VHS tapes, DVDs, and - until recently – iTunes music) but it ‘does’ present a big hurdle in making e-books accessible to the public. Look at it this way: Liken DRM to a key that opens up a lockbox. Only the key holder – or in our case, the authorized device - has access to the contents inside the lockbox (or the ebooks.) However, if something happens to the key (or the hard drive of the computer or e-reader) then there’s trouble because only one key (or device) had access to the contents inside. However, keys can be remade. When a hard drive is gone, it’s gone for good…which means purchases are gone for good. And while this might provide a VERY valuable lesson in ‘backing up’ copies of documents, it can be a very costly one (take it from someone with experience!)
In addition, probably the most pressing issue that I believe has kept the e-book industry from taking off if the fact that there is no industry-set standard for e-books or readers yet. This means that people can purchase e-books in a variety of different formats that are not compatible with other devices (for example, ebooks purchased via the Kindle can ‘only’ be read on a Kindle.) And while a few formats and devices are emerging as the likely future standards – like Microsoft Reader and Adobe Reader for computers, Kindle and Sony for e-readers – the fact of the matter is that one format and device is going to win out…which means that the person who gambled and chose the losing format is going to be in the same boat as the poor souls who chose Betamax over VHS, laser disc over DVD, and – more recently – HDVD over Blue-Ray. E-readers just aren’t cheap (the new Kindle 2 costs $360 on Amazon!) and this expensive gamble is one that teachers – and their limited budgets – just can’t afford to make.
Finally, teachers need to decide for themselves whether or not they want to make the jump from paper to e-format. Yes, ebooks are projected to significantly reduce book costs in the future, and they’re much better for the environment. Still, ebooks and their e-readers haven’t been able to duplicate the sensation of holding and connecting with books, which is something I personally feel that young readers absolutely need to experience in order to become better readers. So while I myself absolutely love my own ereader, until ereaders can duplicate that physical sensation, I can imagine ebooks supplementing paper texts, but they certainly won’t be replacing them in my classroom, at least for now.
So, is your head spinning yet? I know mine was when I first started to digest all of this, so, here’s a simple recap: E-books are electronic texts that can be read on a computer or hand-held device. They’ve got great potential – they offer instant gratification for readers, as well as functions that can help beginning and struggling readers. However, it’s a newer technology, which means it’s expensive and has no set format yet. So unless you’re a big reader, I think it’s wise for most to hold off for a few more generations until the prices drop, the standard is set, and the kinks with DRM are worked out so that e-books become more accessible for everyone. That being said, I’d recommend keeping an eye on the e-publishing world: E-Reading is here to stay, and it will only become more prevalent in our increasingly wired world!
Christine Fusciardi · 2008-2009
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