Why? Because the paperback market seems to me to be driven by cost, convenience and content. If the same content is available in ebook form for a substantially lower cost, as it could be before long, some readers will shift for that reason alone. But convenience is also a factor. And I think we can all see ways in which ebook readers could become robust and high definition enough to compete with the book or even exceed it, while removing storage and weight issues, etc.

Will this happen tomorrow? No. Will it happen at all? I don’t see why not. And when it does, the effects on the book business will be pervasive and profound. Ingram, distributors, warehouse operations, and bookstores will all be hit hard. We’ll all have the opportunity to build something amazing in the process, but not if we don’t think about the possibilities beforehand.