Is Oprah's endorsement of the Amazon Kindle the kiss of death to books as we know them?

October 25, 12:54 AMBook ExaminerMichelle Kerns

Previous Next

5 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Book Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

 

When Oprah gives a thumbs-up to something--whether it's a food, a diet, a cause, or a book--it doesn't require a degree in business to figure out what will happen next: her millions of devoted fans will line up in droves to eat (or not eat, as the case may be) donate money to, read, or buy, her new interest.

 

And that is exactly what is expected to happen now that Oprah has officially endorsed Amazon's e- book reader, the Kindle, saying:

It's absolutely my new favorite, favorite thing in the world.

The Kindle is undeniably cool: not only does it sport an easy-to-read, remarkably printed-page-like screen, it offers owners practically instant access to over 190,000 books, blogs, newspapers, and magazines at highly competitive rates (many are as low as $9.99).

Let's say you're at work and a friend tells you about a great book they've just finished. You can whip out your trusty Kindle, and, through a free wireless connection provided by Amazon, purchase and download the book in less time than it takes to decide where you'll go for lunch.

At $395, the Kindle is a tad bit pricey (especially for bottom-feeding book reviewers; oh, the irony!); however, Oprah counters:

...it's not frivolous because it will pay for itself. The books are much cheaper, and you're saving paper.

 

So, with a Kindle you'll be saving the trees and looking incredibly hip.

But what about print books? As I wrote in an earlier post about e-book readers, the whole digital novel thing is fantastic if it gets more people to read. However, for bibliophiles like me, it's the look, the feel, the smell, the memories wrapped up within the covers of a physical book that play as big a role in my book obsession as the actual words do. There is an electric frisson of excitement a book-lover gets when they walk into a well-stocked bookstore, and no amount of instantly downloaded tomes can replace that.

And it seems--up until now--that most bookish types agree with me: despite aggressive campaigning, the sales of Kindle books have scarcely made a dent in overall lit sales. However, Oprah's high-powered endorsement will most likely accomplish what the combined efforts of Amazon's best and brightest could not do, and set Kindle sales on fire. Oprah is, arguably, one of the most influential women on the face of the earth--if she says buy, they will buy.

Will the sound of millions of Kindle keys clicking be the death dirge for print books? Will they soon be relegated to the status of Beta, audio cassettes, and VHS tapes?

I don't really think so...yet. In the future--who knows? Book publishing can be a touchy business and sales have not exactly been stellar lately, what with the reading public acting like a fickle woman, reading promiscuously when a new Potter book comes out, then turning the cold shoulder when the fancy takes her. If decreased sales continue, many publishers will be forced to decrease the number of new manuscripts they accept, only opting for sure-fire crowd pleasers that will be certain to bring home the bacon. That means a large number of creative aspiring writers will be denied their moment in print--and that would be a tragedy. But what if widespread use of e-book readers decreased the cost of publishing to the point that those writers wouldn't be turned away....? So don't judge the Oprah-Kindled craze too harshly--it just might turn out to be the savior of the book world.

Take a look at Oprah's latest Book Club choice HERE.

Read about the first class of college students worldwide to go completely digital.

Photo sources: mediabistro.com; news.cnet.com; michaelhyatt.com