library science

project
name- aradhya singh

class- 12-c

topic- E books vs Print books

subject teacher- Mr. Brij Kishore Pandey

 TABLE ON CONTENT
 Introduction
 Recent History
 Print Books
 E-Books
 Publishing Industry
 Personal Finance
 The bottom line

Henry Ross | Federal Government |

September 9, 2023

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 INTRODUCTION
 Introduction to E books
e-book, digital file containing a body of text
and images suitable for distributing
electronically and displaying on-screen in a
manner similar to a printed book. E-books
can be created by converting a printer’s
source files to formats optimized for easy
downloading and on-screen reading, or they
can be drawn from a database or a set of
text files that were not created solely for
print.
Kindle
The industry for buying and selling e-books
first emerged as a mainstream business in
the late 1990s, when companies like Peanut
Press began selling book content for reading
on personal digital assistants (PDAs),
handheld devices that were the
predecessors of today’s smartphones and
tablet computers. However, in the aftermath
of the dot-com crash of 2000–2002, e-books
did not find wide acceptance by
the publishing industry, and investment in
e-reading devices and e-book technologies
subsided. The industry’s resurgence may
have begun when the Sony
Corporation released an e-reading device in
2006 and [Link] released
the Kindle in 2007, after which sales of e-
books in the United States grew rapidly.
The source of the catalog
or metadata (which is data about the data)
for a file may be entirely distinct from the
source of the file itself. In other words,
customers might find, read about, and buy
e-books on a retailer’s Web site, but, when
they purchase the e-books, they will
download the files directly from the
publisher’s or distributor’s servers, which
may be on the other side of the world. (The
same applies to e-books in a public or
institutional library). This distinction is
hidden from the customer, but for
businesses it is very significant. It allows for
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e-book files to be stored and managed in
only one place (or very few places), even
though customers may find them listed for
sale or loan in any number of places.
Without this distinction, all e-book
distribution would occur within
closed, proprietary systems, where e-book
buyers or library patrons would have to get
their books directly from a small number of
owners of e-book files.
iPadThe iPad was released in 2010.
Closed, proprietary systems exist where a
particular company (or consortium of
companies) holds the e-book files and
controls all the places a customer or library
patron can access them. These systems are
kept closed by a proprietary form of digital
rights management (DRM): a file-encryption
and access-control system that locks e-
books both to a customer’s identity and to
specific software controlled by the

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company. Examples are Amazon Kindle and
Apple iBooks.

 Introduction to print books

 Print Culture examines the role of the
book in the modern world. It considers
the book’s deeply intertwined
relationships with other media through
ownership structures, copyright and
adaptation, the constantly shifting roles
of authors, publishers and readers in the
digital ecosystem and the merging of
print and digital technologies in
contemporary understandings of the
book object.
 Divided into three parts, the book first
introduces students to various theories
and methods for understanding print
culture, demonstrating how the study of
the book has grown out of longstanding
academic disciplines. The second part
surveys key sectors of the contemporary
book world – from independent
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 Rose writes as an historian and his
definition was in fact supplied for the
discipline called ‘book history’. The two
broad directions from which most
students of print culture approach the
discipline are literary studies and media,
communication and cultural studies.
Supersessionist views of media formats
such as those propounded by Marshall
McLuhan, a founding figure of media
studies, created an impression of print as
an eclipsed medium, an antiquated
curtain-raiser for the headline act of
broadcasting and digital media. Pre-
eminently, print culture studies is
concerned with rescuing the book
medium from invisibility on the grounds
of its very familiarity. In keeping with its
wide-angle view of book culture, the
discipline is just as interested in the
commercial specifics of how the
contemporary book industry actually
functions on a day-to-day basis. The
disciplines from which these theoretical
frameworks, medium theory; book
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 history; political economy; and cultural
policy, derive are, respectively, media
studies, cultural history, economics and
politics.

RECENT HISTORY OF PRINT BOOKS

AND E BOOKS
According to the Association of American
Publishers, e-book sales in the U.S. were
down 1.5% during the first quarter of 2024
compared to the first three months of 2023,
for a total of $255.6 million in revenue. They
currently make up 12% of total consumer
book sales.2 Their share of the market has
been inching up over time, but hardcover
and paperback books still rule the market,

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with approximately $3.3 billion and $3.1
billion in sales in 2023, respectively.1
The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic was a boon to
print publishing. Sales rose 8.2% year over
year to a total of 751 million copies,
according to Printing Impressions, a
publishing industry journal. More leisure
time and a need to educate children at
home were cited as reasons for the book-
buying spree.3
2022 brought about several unique trends.
First, paperback and hardback revenue both
decreased, with hardback coming in 13.6%
lower than the year before. E-books also
declined, falling 6.5%. It's interesting to
note that digital audio revenue grew 71.7%
from 2021 to 2022.4 The advent of collected
and distributed writings (of which a book
would be an example) is not synonymous
with the advent of printing. Advanced
Information and knowledge has been
documented in primitive forms such as clay
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tablets, papyrus scrolls and manuscripts
(works written by hand) since the kings of
Ancient Mesopotamia and the pharaohs of
Ancient Egypt. The earliest known written
documents that most similarly align with
modern books are known as codexes. The
codex was developed by the Romans to
replace scrolls and is formed by binding a
stack of hand-written sheets on one side.
They allowed for isolated access to
independent pages. this level of access was
not possible with scrolls as they are by
definition, a continuous stream from
beginning to end. From as early as the
Library of Alexandria to the monasteries of
Europe during the Middle Ages, written
documents were copied, decorated, and
rebound by hand in working rooms called
scriptoria. These illuminated manuscripts
are beautiful handwritten works that took
years for monks to complete.
The History of Printing begins in the mid-
fifteenth century as technology progressed,
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and books were able to be printed on a
page using one of two methods: block
book printing which used a single wooden
block for each page or typographical book
printing which used individual metal
castings. Books, pamphlets, or broadsides
that were printed before 1501 are known as
incunables.

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 PUBLISHING INDUSTRY
E-books may omit some of the traditional
costs of publishing, but it imposes other
costs. Added technology costs involve
formatting the e-book so that various
electronic devices and browsers can
properly download and store the book.
Whether it's printed or downloaded, a
percentage of the e-book price must be paid
to online sellers such as Amazon and Barnes
& Noble. This can be anywhere from 30% to
70% of the sale price.
Smaller publishers and independent authors
have more leeway with pricing, but they still
have many of the same costs. They must
give a percentage of their e-book sales to
the online distributor, and unless they are
graphic designers, they must hire an
illustrator to create their cover art.
Most independent authors have to hire
someone to convert their books into e-book
format. Plus, they still have the marketing
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and promotional costs that are required to
get their books noticed. However, e-books
are overall lower in cost to produce, and
that is typically reflected in their lower
prices compared to print editions.

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 PRINT BOOKS,E BOOKS AND PERSONAL
FINANCE
With the overview of the industry behind us,
let's talk about the finances of owning
books. There's a handful of personal finance
considerations to make about which to buy.
Upfront Cost
Purchasing an e-reader may involve a
higher initial investment than buying a
single printed book. However, the economic
advantage lies in the long-term savings as
e-books may be priced lower than their
physical counterparts (as they may cost less
to produce). The upfront cost of an e-reader
can be considered a one-time expense, and
PCMag often recommends e-readers that
cost less than $100.9
Subscription Costs
Subscription services like Kindle Unlimited
or Audible offer a cost-effective way to
access a vast library of e-books. From an
economic standpoint, these services can
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significantly reduce the per-book cost for
avid readers, making it a financially smart
move as opposed to buying individual
books. However, you will not retain
ownership during this subscription period,
and you won't keep books like you
otherwise would a print book. Also, there
are no subscription costs for print books
that you can check out of a public library
with a free library card.
Book Resale Value
The resale value of physical books adds an
economic dimension to owning a print
collection. Used bookstores, online
platforms, and book swaps provide avenues
for recovering some of the initial investment
in printed books. E-books, unfortunately,
lack a resale market, making them less
financially flexible in this regard.
Storage Costs
Physical books incur storage costs in terms
of space requirements and furniture like
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bookshelves. And consider how much it may
cost to move those physical books if you
need to relocate homes. The economic
advantage of e-books is that they eliminate
the need for physical storage or moving
expenses, meaning readers can amass a
vast collection without incurring additional
costs.
Environmental Cost
From an economic perspective, the
environmental impact of printed books,
including production and disposal costs,
contributes to their overall expense. E-
books, unfortunately, may not be as
sustainable as you might think. The
continual need for electricity and the use of
fossil fuels to generate it mean that e-books
still contribute to environmental costs, just
in a different way than printed books do.
Production and Distribution Costs
The cost of producing and distributing
physical books encompasses expenses
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related to paper, printing, transportation,
and warehousing. E-books sidestep these
costs, offering a potentially more
economically efficient model for publishers
and authors. Though the costs may vary
based on each book and genre, the total
cost to self-publish a book are unofficially
estimated to be several thousand dollars.10
Accessibility
The economic advantage of e-books in
terms of accessibility is evident for readers
with visual impairments. Digital formats
allow for features like adjustable text size
and screen-reading technology, enhancing
the reading experience for a broader
audience.
Change in Preference
Changes in reading habits have implications
for e-books and printed book owners. Think
of someone who's preference may shift from
one genre to another very quickly. If this
sounds like you, the greater flexibility that
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electronic media offers may make more
financial sense.
Which Is More Cost-Effective in the Long
Run: Buying E-books or Printed Books?
The long-term cost-effectiveness of buying
e-books versus printed books depends on
factors such as individual reading habits,
the frequency of book purchases, and the
availability of discounts. While e-books often
have a higher upfront cost with the
purchase of an e-reader, the generally lower
prices of digital copies may result in greater
savings over time, especially for avid
readers who buy books regularly. What Is
the Impact of E-books on Local Bookstores
From an Economic Standpoint?
The rise of e-books has had a notable
impact on local bookstores, with potential
economic challenges such as decreased foot
traffic and competition from online retailers.
However, many small independent

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bookstores are partnering with affiliate
partners to allow patrons to buy e-books.

THE BOTTOM LINE

E-books offer a potentially cost-effective solution
for avid readers. The absence of physical
production costs, reduced storage needs, and
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frequent digital promotions may make a digital
library more cost effective. On the other hand,
printed books may have resale value, no
subscription cost, and greater sentimental
appeal to old-fashioned readers. There are
many factors to consider when choosing
between e-books and printed books from a
financial perspective. The proliferation and
increasing popularity of e-books are changing
the publishing industry, although the nature and
extent of those changes vary a great deal from
company to company and genre to genre.
Before e-books, all publishing companies had in
common the fact that they produced and sold
individual copies of printed books—whether they
published schoolbooks, romance novels,
scholarly monographs, or technical manuals.
Distribution networks, royalties, and pricing
were fairly stable, relative to the constant
change and experimentation witnessed since
2007. As content is produced and distributed,
printed books are less common, which in turn
fragments the industry and
makes collective action, cooperation, and the
development of standard business models less
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likely. Publishers are no longer defined by the
physical nature of their products but rather by
the work of finding, refining, and promoting
packages of information.
The ways in which information is then delivered
and sold are increasingly varied, as are pricing
models. For instance, consumers expect e-books
to cost less than print books; authors expect e-
book royalties to be higher than those for print
books; and publishers must build new business
models to account for these expectations, while
simultaneously running a print-based business
according to established models. These
competing interests create tension in the
industry, sometimes characterized by heated
negotiation and aggressive moves to set new
standards and benchmarks for pricing and
royalties. Further changes to the industry
emerge when companies that have technical
skills and infrastructure but have not
traditionally acted as publishers—for instance,
online retailers, technology companies,
telephone service providers, and large
educational institutions—perform the traditional
curation, promotion, and distribution roles of
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publishers, as easy e-book production lowers
their barriers to entry. Those lower barriers also
make self-publishing easier, especially for public
figures with an established following, such as
prominent speakers, bloggers, and well-known
businesspeople.

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