Frankly Speaking: Are You Bitextual?
They will all continue to bring down the cost of book production and allow even more books to be printed on-demand. Over time, almost every backlist title will go on-demand. And the majority of the books ordered online will be printed on-demand.
At the same time, e-books are finally gaining traction. Remember when Stephen King's "Riding the Bullet" (published as an e-book) began a new era in book publishing? No one can predict the book-buying public's preference. This must drive publishers crazy. I may want an e-book when traveling, but then would still like to own the printed version in my library. Yes, Virginia, people will still have libraries of books they can open without a machine.
Frank Romano is Professor Emeritus at RIT School of Media Sciences.