Introduction
As technology has evolved, so too has the nature of the book. For centuries, the printed volume reigned, but it is increasingly facing challenges from other formats. Industry data indicate that audiobooks and e-books constitute a growing segment of book purchases, forcing authors, retailers and publishers to rethink how they package content. However, it might be the unreported data that show where books are headed: A growing number of smartphone apps are hitting the market, delivering unique content, serialized publications and immersive multimedia experiences, and their readership is often not captured in sales figures. Libraries and independent booksellers are working to stay ahead of potential market shifts, reinventing themselves as community destinations that provide educational and social activities as well as books. In contrast, the Big Five publishing houses — Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Hachette and Penguin Random House — have largely tried to maintain the status quo, leaving innovation to individual authors, technology companies and even game developers.
The competition between traditional books and e-books for readers' attention can generate strong feelings. Scottish bookstore owner Shaun Bythell expressed his by destroying an Amazon Kindle e-reader with a shotgun and mounting it on a plaque in his shop in 2017. (Getty Images/Jeff J. Mitchell)
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