John W. Doull's secondhand bookstore on Barrington Street has this alarmist sign in the front window.
Paranoia about the disappearance of printed books is a little tired. Digital devices are gaining popularity but the printed book is a survivor. It isn't going anywhere.
Far more interesting is the prediction that e-readers will soon be free, and e-books are going to have ads inside them (or commercial-free for a premium).
Ad-supported e-books means less risk for the publisher up front, and could/should even mean free (since people hate ads in the products they already paid for).
The debate is whether the advertising "ruins the integrity of the text".
Does product placement ruin the integrity of a film? If a character drinks a Coke or a Corona, is the story compromised?
The comics we read as children had ads in them:
Book sponsorship doesn't seem nearly as problematic as the number of people who read literature on a committed basis. The fact that Snooki is a bestselling author is a much scarier harbinger.
