One nice thing about print books is they have covers. From a reader's perspective, it can lead to small, serendipitous encounters with people you see on public transit or reading in coffee shops. You see them reading a book you've read before and really liked. You might say something to that person like, "Isn't that a great book?" Or you might be the recipient of such a question.
Another person might have a book you've been thinking about reading. It might spark your interest to see someone (or someones) reading that book. From an author's perspective, it's free advertising. People see someone with your book, they ask about it, the reader gives their opinion (you hope it's a good one :)).
Anyway, covers seem to play a part in spreading word of mouth about a book. But ebooks don't have covers. So how much do people talk to each other about the ebooks they're reading? Frankly, this worries me. (Maybe they blog, Facebook or tweet about it instead? Plus there's online book review sites like GoodReads, Shelfari and Library Thing. Maybe people are posting their opinions to these places. A hopeful thought ... and not quite as casual and easy as simply seeing someone with a book and having a conversation about it.)
This concerns me from both perspectives. As an author, I'd like my books to be visible. As a reader, I like to know what other people are reading.
And then there's the whole author signing thing. What happens to book signings when ebooks become the norm? Not to mention book launches, a subject I've blogged about before.
Oh, brave new world that has such a lack of book covers (and pages to sign) in it.
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