The key question, he says, is: What percentage of readers will switch over to the device? “… 2 percent, 5 percent? Most bookstores cannot afford to give up a large percentage of their audience.”
Alibris’ Elliot agrees that the impact of e-books must be assessed over time. “I may be a Luddite, but I don’t see the Sony Reader or Kindle having a large impact in the near term,” he says. “E-books will, over time, grow and expand—over what period of time and with what pricing models being the key question. In the meantime, if they generate some consumer interest in reading overall, it can’t hurt.”
SPECIAL REPORT: The Transforming Booksellers’ Landscape
The key question, he says, is: What percentage of readers will switch over to the device? “… 2 percent, 5 percent? Most bookstores cannot afford to give up a large percentage of their audience.”
Alibris’ Elliot agrees that the impact of e-books must be assessed over time. “I may be a Luddite, but I don’t see the Sony Reader or Kindle having a large impact in the near term,” he says. “E-books will, over time, grow and expand—over what period of time and with what pricing models being the key question. In the meantime, if they generate some consumer interest in reading overall, it can’t hurt.”