What does the future hold?

Yesterday I went to an antique mall with a friend to search for items that I could use in my next photographic project. After some time and several passes through the store I had to resign myself to leaving empty handed. On the way back to the car we saw a sign outside of the local library for a book sale, so with money still to spend and time on our hands we decided to go and see what they had for sale.

Once inside I made a bee line for the children's book section. Ever since I have been published I spend a lot more time looking at other authors work and especially their illustrations. I managed to find several books that I had never heard of and some wonderful illustrations that I had never seen. This got me thinking about the future of books in general. With the Kindle, the e-reader, and all those books being created as e-books only now a days will there be able to be such a thing as a book sale in the future? And those books that are created as only e-books will they be lost to cyber space over time? What about a book signing? How will you sign a Kindle? My publisher has even recently sent me information on how to do a virtual book tour. I might be being old fashioned but this technology seems to be taking the human element out of the equation.

I, like many others, love curling up in the couch on a rainy afternoon, like today, with a good book and I personally like the feel of turning the pages and even the smell of a hard cover book and the way it feels in my hands but I suppose that the future generations will have to make that decision for them selves. Whether they want to hold a book or an electronic device in their hands. Whether they want to go to a book store or down load their reading choices.

Not to sound like a hypocrite but both of my books are available as e-books as well as hard copies but that is just part of doing business in the book world today you must have your work available to all channels. I would like to think that like in Fahrenheit 451 there will always be some people that will value a cherish books the same way that I do and some day if books become rare and collectible things I am proud to know that there are copies of my books some where out there in the world today.

What do you think the future of the hard copy book is? I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter.