Straight From the Horse's Mouth (So to Speak)

I just got off the phone with a girlfriend, who had just read one of my books and called to talk about it.  But she was also pissed that she had been forced to wait for the print copy to come out, while "everyone else got to read the book first" when it was initially released in e-book.  She refuses to buy an e-reader, and has many reasons why not.  Her biggest why not is because she loves the physical aspect of a "real" book -- turning the page, smelling the paper, etc.  Hey, as long as she buys my books, I don't care, but her attitude is similar to several other friends'.

I often have other authors ask me if I believe the print book will ever become obsolete.  In my opinion, I think print books will never completely disappear, but I think the pie graph will definitely shift from minority e-books vs majority print to majority e-books.  Why the shift?  Not because of pricing or availability, but mainly because the older generation is less likely to adapt to the newer generation of technology.  And as the years progress, what we are accustomed to today will be upgraded or replaced by something newer and/or better.

The only thing that bugs me, though, is her referring to e-books as being "not real books".  I wonder if there's any hope that someday she'll change her mind?