How e-books affect traditional bookshops

Reading electronic or soft copies of materials which include books of varying categories, papers, articles or essays are becoming a sweeping trend in the present age. Before the latter part of the1990’s, desk top computer systems, laptops, and mobile phones were not very common in many homes and even some work places in Nigeria. As […]

Reading electronic or soft copies of materials which include books of varying categories, papers, articles or essays are becoming a sweeping trend in the present age. Before the latter part of the1990’s, desk top computer systems, laptops, and mobile phones were not very common in many homes and even some work places in Nigeria. As the years crawled by, surfing the internet with phones became possible, thus people now use tablets and other sophisticated gadgets to access information and read electronic books or materials on the internet, thereby creating a gradual and systematic shift from the patronage of hard copies which had thrived for many decades.
There are obvious reasons why some individuals have taken to or prefer reading electronic materials and why others do not. According to a reader who spoke with bookshelf, “the negative effect of reading on a computer screen which affects ones sight” dissuades him, while to another, the fact that she sees books around makes it easier for her to go for them rather than electronic copies which are not accessible to her. But, among the most common reasons why many people prefer electronic books or materials is their accessibility. Phones, laptops and tablets have made research easy for students in tertiary institutions and even some in secondary schools.
Mrs. Ramat Muhammed, the regional invoicing officer of University Press plc, Jabi, Abuja, told book shelf that because the internet gives people quick access to information, they opt for it instead of going to the book stores which invariably affects the sales in publishing companies.
“The book market is dynamic. Sometimes we get high demands from Primary and Secondary Schools, but for tertiary institutions it is quite low. The only danger with the Primary and Secondary school market for us is piracy,” she said.
She intimated that some of the authors who do not seek the services of the press in terms of marketing prefer to display their books online for people to purchase. “For us, we only offer a list of titles online.”
The methods some publishing companies explore to market their books illustrate the rate at which hard copy readership in tertiary institutions has dwindled. As a result of this downslide in recent times, the University Press which is an affiliate of the Oxford University Press created a team of managers set aside for operation ‘tertiary institutions.’ “They move from state to state to market books meant for tertiary institutions, especially during book fares, because the students rarely go to book shops,” Mrs. Muhammed said.
However, it is a fact that students in tertiary institutions study more privately or in student group tutorials, while receiving guidance through classroom lectures where they are referred to a number of books to study by lecturers. In this instance, some school libraries actually lack some of those books, while others have electronic libraries. Where there are no electronic libraries, students flock to internet cafés within and outside their schools to source for information. Thus, research purpose is a major reason for the invasion of electronic readership.   
Mr. Raji Kehinde, the store manager in University Press, explained that the electronic medium plays a relevant role in research, thus many people, and especially students in tertiary institutions prefer to study online in order to quickly gather varieties of information which they easily compare, then discard or retain. “It helps them when writing their thesis and in assignments. Students print from the computer and bind.” he said and added that “even secondary school students write their assignments nowadays with the help of online materials.”
A student told bookshelf that her understanding is always different and better when she reads directly from a hard copy as against soft copies. “Electronic materials make less impact when I read them,” she said.
At a bookshop in Utako, Abuja, Prince Edison, a sales man, said the reality of downloading many free books and others at a lower price makes many readers opt for electronic copies. “But a computer can crash and one can lose everything. I had a customer who said he lost all his books when his computer crashed and has been buying hard copies since then,” he said.
According to Paul Jonah, another sales man at a bookshop; “What may cost N3000 here, a customer may just search for it on the internet and get to read it for free at times.”
Another side to the advent of electronic books is the audio book CDs where some readers prefer to relax and listen without straining their eyes. Thus, the choice of what to read and the mode for such reading; be it electronic or hard copy is simply a matter of accessibility, necessity and choice to many.