[Square] When Will the E-book Tipping Point Come?

Published 19 Mar.2020 12:13(KST)

Kim Kwang-hyun, President of the Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development (Photo by Changjinwon)

"Isn't the pleasure of flipping through a book still there?" When Amazon released the e-book reader called 'Kindle' in 2007, the general reaction among acquaintances was like this. I thought so too. Apart from not hurting the eyes even after long reading and having a long battery life, it didn't seem to have any special appeal. I also didn't like the fact that the screen was black and white. So I forgot about e-books. I lived immersed in the 'iPhone and iPad craze' and forgot about them.

About 13 years later, things have changed. I now read more e-books than paper books. I even purchased and use an e-book reader. Among my acquaintances, quite a few also read e-books. Some say they mainly read e-books and only read paper books for titles not available as e-books. What has changed over time?

I haven't been reading e-books for very long. While packing for an overseas trip, I suddenly thought of e-books. If I downloaded e-books onto a tablet and took it with me, I wouldn't have to pack physical books in my suitcase. With this idea, I downloaded one book a day, a total of six books. Thanks to that, my bag became lighter, and I could comfortably read during the trip.

However, there was one problem. My eyes hurt. After reading on the tablet for a long time, my eyes became strained. So I finally splurged. I bought a dedicated e-book reader for a hefty 200,000 won. Now I always carry it around and take it out to read whenever I have a moment. Of course, the dedicated reader doesn't have as many functions as a tablet. The response speed is slow, it doesn't give the feeling of flipping pages, and it lacks a text-to-speech function. Moreover, the screen is black and white.

But it has less light reflection, so my eyes don't hurt even after long reading sessions, and I can read even in places with sunlight. I switch between the dedicated reader and the tablet. In the car, where reading is difficult, I plug in earphones to the tablet, open an e-book, and use the text-to-speech function. I listen at triple speed for light books and double speed for serious ones. Sometimes, I read on the tablet while commuting between Seoul and Daejeon, then continue reading on the dedicated reader after arriving home.

I also subscribed to a monthly e-book service costing about 10,000 won. As a subscription member, I can download and read as many books as the e-book provider offers for free. It's not easy to find books that suit my taste, but I download and read about five or six books per month for free. I mainly buy new releases as e-books and only order paper books when e-books are unavailable. Since getting into e-books, my desk has become much cleaner. When a book bazaar is held at work, I sometimes bring out about ten paper books. These are books I've underlined and scribbled in, but they always sell out.

The point at which a major change becomes full-scale is called the 'tipping point.' When will the e-book tipping point come? From a purely reader's perspective, for me, the tipping point has already passed. E-books come first, and paper books are secondary. Of course, few people think like me. Many still prefer paper books.

But I believe the tipping point will definitely come; it's just a matter of time. Compared to mobile shopping or mobile banking, it may take longer, but I think that time is not far off. From the perspective of the book industry, the e-book tipping point might be when major players turn profitable.

I also hope that reaching the e-book tipping point will help spread a reading culture widely. I encourage my staff to follow the 'one book a week' principle. That is, to read at least one book per week. I also emphasize a culture of learning, reading, and discussion. It's not just my organization. With the advent of the e-book era, I hope that South Korea, a strong IT nation, will also become a 'reading powerhouse.'