It can be amazing and sometimes a little saddening to observe how technology changes lifestyle and human habits. The email has been lambasted for killing the art of letter writing and Amazon, the online giant is also blamed for changing the way people read books! Amazon’s Kindle is undoubtedly the most popular device used for reading e-books worldwide and millions of titles are available. However, the veterans of traditional publishing industry slam Amazon saying it has cast a negative influence on readers, leading them to a certain way to buy and read books.
It is not hard to see what the publishers are grudging about! The Kindle has become a convenient platform to read books in a way that mimics reading paper made books. It contains no distraction- no email or pop-ups-just the text is what the readers get. The low prices on popular titles also help lure millions of people to use Kindle. The downside is that Amazon has become so big that there is almost no place for competition to exist. It has disrupted the ecosystem in traditional publishing industry big time.
As it turns out, Amazon does not want the book reading to be eradicated but it wants to keep the business to itself- on its own terms. If the Amazon customers close their accounts they lose the purchased e-books and same happens to publishing houses selling through Amazon. They have no way than giving high large discounts to the entity!
While the debate regarding Amazon’s role behind killing book culture rages on, the success of Kindle indicates device book will continue to exist in some form or other. With electronic book publishing and purchasing possible by making a few clicks, Amazon has effectively got publishing houses stepping out of ivory towers. Literature was never so much of a mass pastime before!
