
Free eBook Publishing Guide – Part 2 – Features of the eBook market
The Current State of the Market
In my first article, I outlined the massive advantages to eBook publishing, particularly for the author! Now you have become excited by that, it is time to inject a little realism! Ever since the emergence of personal digital assistants (or ‘PDAs’) and the growth of the Internet, market enthusiasts have been predicting the ultimate demise of the printed book.
This is, of course, nonsense! Traditional books do not require a power supply or batteries and can be read even when badly damaged (so called “graceful degradation”). Printed pages have better contrast and fonts are serifed, to aid the eye in scanning the text. Readers do not need technical skills or expensive and fragile devices to access them. Traditional printed books are here to stay!
Over time – and as technology improves – some of these differences will be eroded.