On the topic of e-readers and literature these days (from the bookseller)

So yeah, I work at a bookstore that is concentrating on selling e-readers, besides the usual I normally do. I got to try it out a while back. It's a neat little gadget, pretty easy to use especially if you already own a smartphone of sorts (in this case, iPhone). I'm a sucker for awesome gadgets, and e-readers do charm me for that alone.

There is a purpose for these little e-readers, they're for those who travel a lot and don't wanna carry a whole bunch of hardcover bestsellers. But I am concerned that it will be replacing the standard published book. If it does, I feel then that I have no choice but to go to e-readers, when having one right now is an optional choice.

Lemme clarify this: it's like the way we all rent DVDs. You almost have no choice but to rent online. In my town, there are no Blockbusters and Hollywood Videos. If I searched, there's a chance even Movie Gallery and other smaller stores like that aren't around, either. Yes, I've seen RedBox, but the variety is limited.

This Slate.com article points out how these days, one can Wiki practically anything and learn all there is to, let's say, major depression. For some, that is enough. But even as someone as pro-Wikipedia as myself, that is not enough. I can Wiki all about Talking Heads until my eyes bleed, but nothing beats reading entire books on them. Think of some of the best Wiki pages you've ever seen. Even then, those contain a "greatest hits" of information, if you will.

I've had customers tell me that they do own e-readers, but still buy hard copies. While that does comfort me some, not everyone is gonna be like that. There are gonna be folks who will embrace the technology and think nothing more of it. And there will still be folks who don't give two damns about books anyway, but that's not the focus.

But this article here also gives me some hope. To say the "literary snob is dead" would be appropriate. The writer points out that literature as we know it is dying, and it should. But also, it assures me who believes that e-books will not replace hard copies entirely. Like MP3s to CDs, it is just another option.

The article also talked about the situation going on at the New York Times Book Review, where Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Weiner criticized the section for thumbing their noses at writers like them while praising Jonathan Franzen and his new novel Freedom. I agree with the situation, especially with chick lit. It's just as legit as any other form of writing. It deserves the same attention. So yes, down with the literary snob!

I keep finding articles that tell me different statistics, the percentage of those who have one and those who don't. Also, that Salon article mentioned something that I'm getting damn sick of: social networks. Having read The Shallows, the writer talked about how e-readers will be able to connect readers to Facebook on books, making it easier to socialize. Uhm, hi. Forgot about book clubs? Message boards? We already have something like that, you silly geese. It also doesn't help that I think social networking sites are (slightly) necessary devils. I'm all for connecting people with their reading, but this might be the wrong way to go about it.

On a lighter note, a fun reason why Kindles are not the best thing.

I'm excited about the future, but honestly I'm also as fearful. Anything is possible, but all I hope is that it is for the good. May we have the choice of either the e-reader or a hard copy.

Amen to that.