Amazon - the death of books?

[Lisa Cuddy]

On the subject of academic texts, I love being able to add labelled post-its on the pages and highlight the relevant bits I want to come back to later*. You can bookmark bits in Kindle books and you can highlight important bits but it's not as quick and easy to do. It's nowhere near as convenient.

*I don't tend to borrow books or lend them out. It's OK. I buy them second hand when I can too.

[Lex]

Books will be as common as CD's in a few years. A niche retro market, but not a regular purchase made by the majority of people.

I wish I had had a kindle when I was traveling, i gave away a ridiculous amount of books simply because I couldn't fit them in my case.

[vikingTON]

Books will be as common as CD's in a few years. A niche retro market, but not a regular purchase made by the majority of people.

I wish I had had a kindle when I was traveling, i gave away a ridiculous amount of books simply because I couldn't fit them in my case.

Who the f**k is operating a retro market in CDs?

[a1974h]

I buy loads of books from amazon I wouldn't otherwise buy. Because I hate shopping, and your almost guaranteed to find it online.

So in that respect amazon isn't the death of books.

As for kindles I get motion sickness when looking at a screen for too long and it's for more comfortable for me to read a book.

But I do also think that amazon are tax dodging corporate bully's. Great company though, they just probably need their wings clipped as in how much tax avoidance they participate in and their growth plans to swallow up competition.

Remember that publicity stunt at Christmas when an amazon were film testing drones for delivery.

That could never be economically viably possible.

It was a complete publicity stunt. The worrying thing is. Is why was it given headlines on every main news channel. It was product placement at its best.

[Hedgecutter]

On the subject of academic texts, I love being able to add labelled post-its on the pages and highlight the relevant bits I want to come back to later*. You can bookmark bits in Kindle books and you can highlight important bits but it's not as quick and easy to do. It's nowhere near as convenient.

I totally agree with this. I'd buy a novel in electronic form but never, ever a textbook.

[Pars fan]

After reading this thread. My opinion still stands. Doing it wrong.

[jock001]

Kindles and the like came a bit late for me when I was at university but I can see why they would appeal to students, people who otherwise would need to carry lots of books around them or have to go and get things out the library a lot but in normal everyday life I don't see the point of them. A book isn't like music, you don't need to carry your entire collection around with you in case you fancy reading a paragraph from a certain book on the train. How many books do you read on holiday? Two at a stretch?

I honestly think it's bizarre that anyone would buy a £100 device to read books off when you can just buy a paperback for less than a £10. Significantly less if you go to a 2nd hand book shop. And you know what? It doesn't need any batteries or charging, it's smaller and easier to carry in most cases, the print quality is much easier to read than even the best screen, it won't break and it can get wet with little consequence.

Once you've read it you can do what you like with it, sell it, bin it, hand it into a charity shop, or put it in your library.

The book will survive, just like the newspaper will survive. It's the best, cheapest, easiest form to read from.

How much would you pay for a big memory stick that played MP3's just as well as your i-pod and came with the ability to legally copy all your mates books and read them whenever and wherever you wanted?

Also, would you pay a premium for the ability to have library books delivered to wherever you are in seconds?

As for paper being the cheapest format, that just ain't true which is why you normally pay far more for the paper version.

[DJP]

I support the print industry and still buy books. Despite 24/7 social media coverage at the weekend, especially on a Sunday, I do like to buy the morning papers and have a good read of them as well.

[Lisa Cuddy]

Despite 24/7 social media coverage at the weekend, especially on a Sunday, I do like to buy the morning papers and have a good read of them as well.

This is why books will always be around. There are times where it's just the feeling of holding a book, newspaper or magazine that's needed. And Kindle's don't smell like new books either.

I've bought a few albums in MP3 format but if I want to complete a collection from certain artists or have a look through the artwork that comes with it, I'll buy the CD. Same with books, I buy Chris Brookmyre's work in print because I know I'll want to keep it plus I won't have gaps in my collection on the shelf. My only disappointment is I can't carry all my print books with me everywhere - it's not even always feasible to carry one with me, whereas if I had the Kindle version I could even read it on my phone. I just wish there was a similar idea to the Amazon Autorip where I could buy the hard copy and get the downloadable version with it. Or I could scan my book barcodes and download them that way. I'd never leave bookshops with a lighter bank account again though.

[DAFC]

Amazon can only afford to undercut others because they don't pay taxes and exploit workers.

Sure it's good if you buy stuff and save money but it's killing small businesses unfairly and cheating the VAT system and that money could be spent on improving the lives of everyone if it was spent in local book shops.

Amazon, which had sales in the UK of £3.35bn in 2011, only reported a "tax expense" of £1.8m.

Looking at the profit margins at Amazon.com in the US, said to be approximately 3.5 per cent, if this also applied to UK sales then Amazon would owe the treasury £100,000,000

Best thing is we paid for these fuckers to come here and exploit people. Even built roads and factories for them.

[vikingTON]

In what ways are workers being "exploited"?

[Uncle Psychosis]

It's not shite. It's my opinion and I say you're doing it wrong. All these things like Kindles and I pads are pish for reading, in my opinion. If you were reading your child a bedtime story (for example) sitting bedside, where's the 'magic' of a storytale if the parent is sitting with a kindle? It is sad.

Books dying out is a terrible thing in my opinion.

Technology is marvellous and all but people these days can barely read or write. Also what is looking at a screen all the time doing to peoples eyes?

Its just not my thing.

Anyone who reads a book on a screen is doing it wrong.

This is a bit like arguing "Desktops are more powerful than laptops, so anyone who uses a laptop is doing it wrong".

Proper books are brilliant, in some situations. E-books are brilliant, in different situations.

I just went on holiday for a fortnight. I read so quickly, and so often, that I read about seven or eight books in those two weeks. Taking eight books in your suitcase (and another two or three for my wife) isn't even close to being realistic. However I can carry thousands of books in my pocket if I take a kindle. Similarly, literally this morning I took about two dozen books to donate to the charity shop because I'd read them and wasn't going to do so again---I needed the space on my shelf for "keeper" books. If you're a prolific reader then kindles are fantastic because they allow you to store lots and lots of books in a tiny little device.

I still buy plenty of dead tree books (probably about two or three for every kindle book I buy). Proper books are brilliant, for all the reasons you say. They're a better tactile experience, they're more enjoyable to read, they last forever, etc etc etc. My son has proper books and I will keep buying them for him as he grows up. However, kindles and the like are fantastically useful. Denying that is just stupid.

[monkfish]

Amazon can only afford to undercut others because they don't pay taxes and exploit workers.

Sure it's good if you buy stuff and save money but it's killing small businesses unfairly and cheating the VAT system and that money could be spent on improving the lives of everyone if it was spent in local book shops.

Best thing is we paid for these fuckers to come here and exploit people. Even built roads and factories for them.

It's not cheating the VAT / tax system, it's exploiting loopholes that the Government are well aware of and don't do anything about. The majority of big businesses will seek to maximise their returns within the rules. It's supposed to be the Government's job to ensure the rules are fair and enforced.