Books aren't going to disappear soon

It seems that each new release of the latest, greatest tech gadget is quickly followed by people talking about the death of the paper-bound book. So with the release of the iPad last week, we're now seeing stories about how the conventional book business has got to be over.

Dire predictions aside, books are still around, despite the various new ways for people to express themselves. Fortunately, not everyone has jumped on the "end of the book" bandwagon.

Shel Holtz is a social media advocate, a podcaster and also an author and book lover. Today, in "iPad apps won’t replace the narrative art form known as a “book”" he presents a wonderful argument to support his thesis that the book, far from being at death's door, will continue to enjoy an esteemed place in our culture.

It's a great piece and I recommend you head over to his blog to read the whole thing.

Here's a short excerpt:

The notion that reading will wither with the onslaught of new technologies isn’t exactly a new one. The same fears were voiced when television gained popularity. But those unaware of history are doomed to repeat it, so we’re hearing the same old predictions today that were articulated 50 years ago. It didn’t happen then and it won’t happen now. The media landscape is expanding. There are more choices, not replacements, for expression.

What the doomsayers fail to recognize is that writing is, in fact, a form of artistic expression. Photography didn’t kill painting. Movies didn’t kill live theater. Artists continue to find an outlet in these art forms and their work continues to find audiences that love it.

Authors and books are no different.

Here's the link to his post.