When is the last time you read a paperback or hardcover book?

a. Just recently
b. Never, I hate reading
c. What is a paperback or hardcover book?

If you responded with c, I want to first inform you that books are those things with pages and second, you may be one of many who have ditched actual tangible books and have hopped on the eBook and e-reader bandwagon. Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble Nook, and the Sony E-Reader are just a few of the electronic book readers changing the landscape of how we read. And for the first time, Amazon’s sales of their electronic books for their Kindle have overtaken those of printed versions. For every 100 printed books, Amazon sells 105 electronic ones. It would be unrealistic to think that this could never happen, but now that it has, it is interesting to know how popular eBooks and e-readers have become. E-readers possess qualities like easier portability, ease of use, and they have the ability to purchase books instantly from the device, among other features. They are also a more eco-friendly version to reading as well as more functional.

So what does this mean for printed books? Only time will tell. But in the mean time, marketers can step up their skills and create something unique to keep printed books in the minds of consumers.