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Young see threat to bookshops
16.06.08 Alison Flood
Only half of young people aged 18-24 years old think people will still be using bookshops in 20 years' time. That was one of the statistics revealed at The Bookseller's Reading The Future conference on Thursday, which presented new consumer research into the reading and buying habits of 1,000 adults across the country.
Delegates heard from William Higham of agency Next Big Thing, which conducted the research. Higham reported that 56% of 18-24s think people will still be using bookshops in 20 years' time. Looking deeper into 18-24 year olds' reading habits, he found that 28% were favourable towards the idea of e-readers, compared to 9% of 65+ year olds, and 40% liked the idea of downloadable chapters of books, compared to 7% of 65+ year olds.
Speaking at a panel session after the research was presented, Transworld publisher Bill Scott-Kerr said the statistics about younger readers all pointed "to where we as publishers are going in the future". He added: "We all know the book is a great piece of technology - you can't drop e-books in the bath. But we as an industry are in a lot of trouble; we don't know where we are going."
"Should we follow the iTunes model of providing content and making money out of the hardware, like Amazon with the Kindle, or the Google model which is all about content? Looking at the level of indifference of 18-24 year olds has got to give us all cause for concern. They will be wanting to take a role in the devolution of content, and we must provide them with an environment to do it in."
The Book People c.e.o. Seni Glaister was more positive about the future of the book. "Content is king - always. As an industry I hope we don't spend too much time worrying about technology and let's protect our copyright, make sure downloads are available - but as content providers we shouldn't worry too much about technology."
Reading the Future is available to buy for £195 (£229 inc VAT), from Thursday 19th June 2008. To order your copy of Reading the Future contact Sally Greetham on +44 20 7420 6028 email: sally.greetham@bookseller.co.uk
Comments on this article
By Barbara
You have to worry a bit when you have to pay that much to read about the future of reading. Why is industry research so expensive? I guess reading such information is an unnecessary luxury; either that, or not of general interest so priced for a very tiny niche. No wonder the industry is in trouble.17 Jun 08 16:02
By Jim
Content is definately king, especially since, as this technology develops, the money to be made on them will get less and less as they become fairly inexpensive to make. I think how this content is going to change will be key in the future of publishing. Electronic media will provide avenues for readers that aren't available in conventional paper. Trailers, artwork, interviews, serialization of novels, etc. The technology is going to drive younger readers to want a more interactive experience, and the publishing industry is going to find themselves outside looking in if they don't start dealing with that fact. In my humble opinion at least.20 Jun 08 13:53
By Ciara
Technology comes and goes, but a great story is forever. I don't think the industry should worry so much about format - it should work on finding and supporting great new authors. New voices and fabulous storytelling will keep people reading long after the computer has gone the way of the dodo. Who knows? Maybe someday we'll be able to download books directly into our brains Matrix style. Concentrate on authors and the industry won't have anything to worry about. (And that's the opinion of a 25-year-old. Young people still love books!)24 Jun 08 21:03
By Marianne Stephens
As both an ebook and print book author, I see accepting the trend technology is pushing depends on the reader's age. I spoke at a high school career day about writing and publishing, and that generation of future book buyers is definitely interested in having ebook readers as part of their lives. Technology won't be held back especially when readers realize they can "house" 50 books on an ebook reader that is a little smaller than a hardback book and weighs less.01 Jul 08 18:06
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