Books go digital (well maybe not the racy ones)

If you're one of those people who still goes to bookstores to buy books and likes curling up by the yule log with a trashy romance novel you can then burn after reading, you might be becoming a little bit uncool. Sorry, bookworms, but the digital age is upon us. And thanks to the popularity of the Sony Reader, Amazon Kindle and even the iPhone, more and more people are reading books digitally.

Publishers such as Random House, HarperCollins and Houghton Mifflin have started to make their books available digitally, with HarperCollins even digitizing thousands of its books on a website where readers can browse inside the book, and in some cases, read the whole thing. Ebook sales increased 58% from last year, said Tina Jordan, a spokeswoman for the American Assn. of Publishers.

"It's been building up gradually for a long time, but the combination of the Kindle and the iPhone has put a hypodermic needle into the body of publishing," said Mike Shatzkin, founder of Idea Logical Co., a publishing industry consultancy.

For the first time, publishers are starting to see digital books as a viable business, said David Langevin, vice president and director of electronic markets at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Of course, with any new technology, there are a few bumps on the road. David Carnoy, a CNet editor, submitted his book, "Knife Music," to be included in the App store. According to CNet, Apple rejected it, saying it contained "objectionable content." The content in question involved a four-letter word being used as a verb. Because this is a family-friendly blog, you'll have to check out the CNet story if you want more details.

Ah, Apple. You're shooting yourself in the foot. According to Shatzkin, romance publishers are one of the fastest-selling categories of e-books. Women and men bored at work can go to sites such as  eharlequin.com and tear through books such as "The Virgin's Prince" about an Australian millionaire who, to his shock and awe, marries a virgin.

So, Apple, what's it going to be? Can tempestuous and hotheaded Mia Forrester and millionaire Bryn Dwyer roll around on the beach on the digital pages of books in the App store? Or is that objectionable content? Apple will have to decide whether romance readers will be able to live happily ever after.

-- Alana Semuels

Photo: Paperbacks might be bound for the dustbin as publishers digitize more books. Credit: Alana Semuels / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Amanda]

I am saddened by this. I know we are digitizing, but I need books. I like the way they look on my shelf and I like having a tangible documentation of the concepts and stories my brain houses after I finish one. I feel like we as a society are shooting ourselves in the foot by forgetting the value and history of the printed word. Isn't anything safe? I'm also only 24, so this has nothing to do with my age. I still use emoticons. :(

[steve]

This is a little disappointing. I guess it makes sense; as the world and markets change it's inevitable that most industries change with it, including the book industry. Personally, I find it surprising that it took this long for the 'e-book' category to become an actual part of the publishing business (nearly ten years). On the other hand, much of the "stake-through-the-heart" news we're hearing now about paperbacks could be the effect of a new-comer's novelty, which as many of us know is a cherished part of the entertainment and news community . Myself: I'm 18, so this isn't the ranting of some elderly luddite dismayed with the world.
I imagine we'll have to sit this thing through over the coming decade and observe consumer trends. Most of amazon's kindle buyers remain "heavy" book readers, so it'll be interesting to see what the exact effects will be on printed material. Personally, I still have some optimism in the old paper page.

[Amanda Close]

I think everyone is missing the point here. The fact that books are going digital is old news. What about the fact that one of the 3 main distributors of digital literature [Apple] feels it is within their right to censor certain books? Should a company be able to select what the pulic should and should not read? This concerns me more than the fact that I might have to one day replace my maghany bookcase with a digital one...