Ebook Boundaries: The Risk of Transfiguration a Digital Book into a Non-Book

Ebook Boundaries: The Risk of Transfiguration a Digital Book into a Non-Book

The study tests the hypothesis that e-books reduce the characteristics of “books” as a means of communication, thus becoming “non-books". Two hypotheses were tested: about the prerequisites for the failure of a commercial (paid) e-book and about the prerequisites for the termination of the existence of an e-book in the sense of “book” as a scientific category. The symptoms of the failure of commercial e-books are as follows: the lack of growth in the e-book market, the transformation of books from a commodity into a service, availability for free, as well as resistance from parents and readers. The key reasons for the mentioned resistance are compromised knowledge and training, as well as violation of the rights of readers. In addition, the study establishes the reason for the failure of an e-book in the sense of a “book” as a category, which lies in the possibility of manipulating both its form and content. The conclusion is that the investment policy should be aimed at printed book publishing, while design innovations should be focused on physical books and implemented in paper and printed publications.