Going Paper-more As Opposed To Paper-less!

I received super exciting news at the first of the year. The boutique publisher of my novel, Curse Me Not, has taken my e-book to print!

Truthfully, I never expected It to happen. My publisher focuses on e-book sales, but apparently the world turned on its ear sometime during the latter part of 2015. National print book sales took a huge upswing, while e-book sales leveled off. Thus, my publisher wanted to take advantage of the “miracle.”

Two good articles about this unexpected reversal in The Great Print vs E-Book War of the 2010s are found on Geekwire and in the New York Times. The trend is so pronounced it’s super-revitalized independent book stores across the country and left major book publishers scrambling for print warehouse space.

Apparently, the reason for the reversal could be any combination of the following:

• Readers are finding their comprehension and retention of what they read is better with print.

• No matter how sophisticated an e-reader’s tools are, they’re not always as intuitive and easy as flipping through paper pages.

• Many of us humans just like the feel of paper and the smell of ink on occasion.

• High e-book prices are making buyers reconsider. Which would you choose: a $13 e-book or a $13 paperback?

Now, as an author, I have to admit there’s something extremely special about holding my now printed book in my hands. I’ve cuddled Curse Me Not when no one was looking. I’ve held it out so my cats Buck and Bozo can sniff it (and thereby share in my joy). I’ve even read it, eagerly flipping through page by page, being sure to dog-ear the occasional corner to give it that classic oft-read look.

Of course, soon after all that I got stuck in a waiting room, and it was my e-reader I happened to have with me – thank God!

I suppose the moral of the story is, some of us like both print and e-readers. So as to who I would root for in The Great Print vs E-Book War, I say, why can’t we all just get along?