KISS'd by Sigler. Pusher twice over. UNdead Advisor to the King Of UNdead for Sigler.

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There are two kinds of people that buy hardcovers: collectors, and people that simply have to have the story right when it comes out (also libraries, but they are not "people" per se). I'm going after the collectors market, trying to make a book that is so damn sweet you just HAVE to have it.

I think the whole print market is gradually going away (and that doesn't mean books will "disappear," but it does mean they will be less frequent -- just look at the music market and CD sales in comparison to the growth of MP3 sales. Digital is the main consumption format of the future). 

There's just something about the 'feel' of a hardcover book that adds to the reading experience.  

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And Friend of MuchAdo!

It's all about the collection.  For collectors, the hard covers make the book last longer.  Nobody and I mean nobody reads my collectables.

[flickr-photo:id=3763066856,size=m] and friend of GirlCo's official mascot

I like that they look better on the book shelf IMHO

I like that they last alot longer than any softcover edition.

I guess I should answer the actual question. I think books will slowly dissaappear.  although I prefer my real books over my sony reader. 

I have gotten other books that are hardcover editions from England, spain and germany. was this statement about other countries dropping hardcovers something that happened in the last 6 months?

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 I haven't. I've read my favorite books dozens of times and they're still plenty readable. Of course they're not "good as new." Entropy acts on everything physical. Yet another reason that digital media will likely supplant print media.

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 They're the first edition. My guess is that even if hardcovers do go away for the most part, publishers will still print collector's editions for that very reason. Many already do this and release them for exorbitant sums with some sort of bells and whistles. Terry Goodkind did signed and numbered leatherbound editions that had a cover price of ~ $200.00. Yet one more reason that our FDO rocks.

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  You've created a core of rabid junkies who are willing to purchase your material even though they might not do so otherwise. There was a question on the boards recently about how to ensure you saw the maximum amount of money from a book sale. Normal authors don't get that type of inquiry. The time and effort you've put into the social media sphere has really paid off in that regard. If you didn't have that loyal fan base, there's no way in hell you could have sold off more than half the print run of THE ROOKIE before it even hit Amazon.

  Every junkie has their own reason for supporting you. For me, the fact that you're the foremost pioneer in the Podiobook field is probably the primary reason. If you didn't podcast your work right along with selling your novels, I wouldn't be buying them or helping you out as much as I do. I believe in the cause so I give both my money and my time.

  I concur on the library front. Hardcovers are the best way to go there. Books which go through hundreds of different people's hands and get abused need to have maximum protection. 

  Ditto with the migration towards digital media. Not sure if it will be the Kindle, iPhone, eReader or some other format, but digital doesn't degrade at all. You can make an infinite number of copies at essentially no cost so the profitability is phenomenol as well. Books will never die out completely. They smell yummy and some folks will always like them, but digital will become the dominant medium in the next 10-15 years IMHO.

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 I've never had an issue with it and I've moved plenty myself. Different folks have different experiences and form different opinions. Such is life.

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I don't pay a higher price for things like that.  I just like collecting first editions from my favorite author.   Not to say I've never payed above cover price for a 1st edition but never have I paid $200 (or $100 or $75 either). 

[flickr-photo:id=3763066856,size=m] and friend of GirlCo's official mascot

They're also much more fragile overall, lower quality paper that yellows easier, etc. 

Also I can't stand having the spine creased and wrinkled. 

"Print is dead."

The time will come when physical books will go the way of the 8-track tape. Paper in general will hopefully go away eventually. Given the alternatives, it just doesn't make sense to keep destroying trees to make paper, when those trees are what keeps our little planet liveable by producing oxygen.

I know it sounds silly, but when you really think about it, it makes sense.

Okay, it makes sense to me. Bear in mind that I'm a little insane in the membrane too :)

**UNdead/GirlCo - We'll eat your brains and look good doing it.**

There;s nothing like feeling a book with a bit of weight behind it! Unfortunately i think they will start dying out in the future

Captain Picard: Mister Crusher SHUT UP! Doctor, get this child off my bridge.

Mal: Well lady, I must say......you're my kinda stupid  UFS