A Contradict View towards evolution of E-Books

I still remember the days where we complain of backaches due to the heavy bags which we have to carry to school. School bags are often damaged due to excessive weight from those thick and old textbooks carried inside it.

Today, most students especially in tertiary education goes to university empty handed. The reason behind this is due to the emergence of e-books and digital forms of their textbooks which can be accessed through their PCs, Ipads, Tablets and even smart phones.

E-books in the eyes of Westerner

 

Credits: Lowyat

Looking at the Western countries, e-books are well-accepted and that change the way the whole publication industry works. The traditional hardcover publication is decreasing year by year as most readers turned to e-books. According to the report by the Association of American Publishers, "the net sales revenue from e-books exceeded that of hardcover books in the first quarter of the year" (cited in Indvik 2012).

Acceptance of E-books

E-books is accepted well due to several reasons.

The rapid introduction of new technologies in those countries has contributed to e-book's popularity. As mentioned by Streitfeld (2012), "electronic books have been around for more than a decade, but took off only when Amazon introduced the first Kindle e-reader in 2007".

Credits: Pocket-lint

The e-reader has eased the user's convenience in locating and reading those e-books. Today, the e-reader also provides many functions such as downloading songs, movies and videos. Users are also offered a variety of e-readers device to choose from such as  Sony e-reader and Apple's Ipad. As many choices of e-reader device dominates the market, it seems to have become a trend that everyone have to follow so as to become up-to-date in society.

Also, there are more choices of books available through e-books compared to the hard copy due to the absence of publishers. As many authors are often rejected by the publishers to publish their book, they now can publish their own piece of inspiration online and make available to all readers. It works by "digitally format their own manuscript, set a price and sell it to readers through a variety of online retailers and devices" (Donahue 2011). Therefore, readers can access more publications online while authors can easily get their manuscript published and reach its users easily. 

E-books in Malaysia

On the other hand, here in Malaysia; the opposite effect occurs. E-book have a slow increase in sales revenue here compared to the Western countries. This shows that the Asian people has yet to accept e-books compare to the traditional print materials. They still hold a very strong bond to their traditional hardcopy books.

Today, we do have our own e-books retailer offering electronic books online but it does not seem to lead to the e-book being popular here. According to Yeoh (2012), Malaysia do "has independent e-book stores such as  “e-sentral”, “ebuuk” by Maxis and also from MPH Online website". 

Reader's preference towards reading materials

In Malaysia, readers still prefer to buy hard copy materials and carry them around compare to the electronic books. One of the reasons is that readers could not feel the special feelings which they have with electronic books. According to Julius (cited in Ng 2012), "printed books allow a 'more personal experience' over digital ones". Readers still prefer to flip and touch the pages of printed materials when reading those books. This is because the reading habits is formed since young and it is hard to change overnight. Compared to the Westerner, Asians are more loyal and resistance to change especially in accepting new technologies.

Moreover, Ipads and Tablets are relatively expensive to Malaysian in terms of purchasing power compared to Western countries. This lead to only those who are in the middle to high income people can afford to own one. Even if they can afford to purchase one, they are unlikely to purchase e-books compared to downloading music and movies. This is because we do not have strong reading habits such as those Westerners do.

I personally prefer the hard copy printed materials because it's easier to read. Reading through those electronic devices makes my eyes tired easily especially when reading those journal articles. I also love to flip the pages of printed materials as I have the personal feeling of knowing which page I am in.

Local newspaper goes virtual

 

Credits: PR Web

However, as more electronic version of printed publications become available, we need to switch our reading habits too. In Malaysia, virtual full version of local newspaper is now available through the publications 's own apps for a fee which is cheaper than purchasing the physical printed newspaper.

For instance, Star publication had offered a 'Bundle Package' where for a fee of RM30 a month, users can obtain the printed newspaper, E-newspaper and the E-flavours magazine; a food magazine under The Star publication.

Credits: The Star

With this e-paper, users can read all editions of Star newspaper which differs according to location such as Metro Perak.


Fred not, printed publication of newspaper will still be continue for your enjoyment. Having this virtual publication will not change the traditional way of the locals receiving their printed copies. According to Mr.Ho Kay Tat; the Group managing director, "We have no intention to take over the delivery from vendors for as long as there are vendors willing to do it" (cited in StarBizWeek 2012). This means that you still can purchase your daily dose of Star publications from your local vendors whom you might be their loyal customer for years. 


E-paper versus printed paper.


You choose.






Reference :

Donahue, D 2011, Self-Published Authors Finds E-Success, USA Today, viewed 3 November 2012, < http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/books/news/story/2011-12-14/self-published-authors-ebooks/51851058/1>.

Indvik, L 2012, Ebooks Sales Surpass Hardcover For the First Time in U.S., Mashable Business, viewed 3 November 2012, < http://mashable.com/2012/06/17/ebook-hardcover-sales/>.

Ng, J 2012, Asia sees slow e-book uptake, ZD Net, viewed 3 November 2012, <http://www.zdnet.com/asia-sees-slow-e-book-uptake-2062300384/>. 

StarBizWeek 2012, The Star innovates with e-Paper and iSnap, Star Online, viewed 3 November 2012, <http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/4/21/business/11139736&sec=business>.
 
Streitfeld, D 2012, Cut in E-Book Pricing by Amazon is Set to Shake Rivals, New York Times, viewed 3 November 2012, <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/12/business/media/amazon-to-cut-e-book-prices-shaking-rivals.html?pagewanted=all>.

Yeoh, O 2012, The E-Book Evolution, Onn Yeoh, viewed 3 November 2012, <http://oonyeoh.squarespace.com/sun-column/2012/7/4/the-e-book-evolution.html>.

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