Issues in Vendor/Library Relations -- The Author and the eBook

Abstract

The article presents a discussion of electronic books, comparing them to traditional books. The benefits and drawbacks of electronic books and book readers are analyzed, and the relationships between authors, readers, booksellers and libraries are discussed. Potential technological disasters and their likely impact on literature published exclusively in electronic formats are addressed, and the appeal of physical books for bibliophiles is described. Although electronic books are said to be valuable in many ways, and in some sense an inevitable aspect of progress, it is predicted that traditional books will maintain at least a niche market position indefinitely.