Will e-readers save publishing? Probably not

With several e-readers either launched or about to be, MediaWeek has asked the apt question about whether these gadgets will save the publishing industry.

Predicting an iPhone-like breakout is perilous (and probably as likely as predicting the iPhone’s huge success five years ago). Thus, few inside the publishing world realistically see e-readers as a lifeline; most view it as a promising alternative distribution channel—and one for which they might actually get paid. Most also recognize that e-readers present numerous challenges. “There is an optimism among publishers,” says Roger Fidler, program director for digital publishing at Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri. “But nobody is seriously saying this is going to save the industry.”

Interestingly, the average Kindle user now is around 40, and Fidler believes one of the spurs to adoption of these devices, particularly by a younger demographic, will be colleges and business; for instance, if colleges require students to use e-readers or businesses encourage e-reader use to save paper burden.