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will get less quality content or, at the extreme end, no longer get any content at all.Licensed digital content and e-books have become very popular. What are the advantages and disadvantages when compared with print books?There are a few aspects of e-books that I like. I can read the content on different kinds of gadgets. I travel often, so carrying physical books around isn’t convenient. I can enlarge the font size and read without having to put glasses on. E-books are great for the entertainment genre but not suitable for academic books that contain figures and tables.Personally I think e-books are charmless. You also don’t own the text while you own a printed book and can even resell it. I’d say if you really like a book, buy the print version.Will digital content replace printed books?I think physical books and the brick-and-mortar bookshops will last. But the platforms on which content appears will evolve according to technology. In the capitalist world, everyone likes to sell more; so do publishers. We want to sell both versions. Consumers these days want everything. I am one of those. For example, I plan to buy a print book from Amazon.com, but as soon as I click the buy button, it offers me the audio and digital versions. So I end up buying more than one version of that title.Is digital content more environmentally friendly than printed books?E-books don’t require paper. But users of touch screens are paying costs that we might not see or realize. So many resources, energy and electricity are put into making a device for digital content. Everyone argues about paper and trees. But electronic gadgets consume more resources than printing. Paper-making and printing processes used to produce toxic waste but it has become more environmentally friendly with the present technology.What are the pros and cons of print-on-demand (POD) books?The machine is pricey but it reduces publishers’ shipping costs with fewer worries about overstock. It helps reduce the carbon footprint. Shipping [print runs] is expensive and takes a long time. When shipping books or any goods from Thailand to the US, actual shipping time is five to six weeks, but loading, customs clearance and getting books into the system can add up to two months or longer. And if books miss the delivery deadline, the publishers getTrasvin Jittidecharak.blamed and lose credibility. I advocate using POD in Southeast Asia because shipping costs are expensive and mail and packages are often lost by our post offices.What’s the breakdown of chain versus independent bookshops?In Thailand, independent stores have more variety. Each has its owner’s characteristics and selections tailored to the owner’s interests. Sometimes you don’t want to go to a bookshop that is predictable. You want a surprise. But chain bookstores have their purpose. They disseminate on a bigger scale and publishers prefer them to independent bookshops because they can calculate print runs and that lowers the cost. As a reader, I like both. Having both in a community fulfils readers’ needs. I think each town should have at least three bookshops, one chain and two independent ones. That would be perfect.Elite+ 39