In the wake of the prominant headlines about legal action cracking down on price fixing by ebook retailers and content wholesalers, dealers in printed books may wonder if their products will be able to compete in what might be an even more competitive marketplace than that of recent years. The answer is yes, for a number of reasons.
1) Customers may have doubts about the availability of ebooks. They may wonder if the retailers they prefer to deal with will be able to stay in business after the legal arguments are adjudicated. Rather than spend time searching for an ebook that may not be available, many will buy hardcover or paperback volumes.
2) Publishers may be leery of dealing with ebook distributors. They may wonder about their partner's reputation, and even if the distributor has a clean bill of ethical health, the publisher may fear being tainted as someone who deals in a field in which there has been scandal.
3) Physical books have a number of advantages over ebooks. Their batteries do not die, and they are not dependent on a merchant's continued support for any particular piece of hardware in order to remain readable.
The market for printed books is likely to remain viable for some years to come. Current retailers or curious entrepreneurs need only browse the lists of on line wholesale book distributors to realize that the product is there, and market research will likely reveal an opportunity that will repay their investment quite handsomely.
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