At the International Conference of the ongoing Nigeria International Book Fair in Lagos, Dr. Victoria Okojie, gives assurance that the physical book is far from dying, writes CHUX OHAI
On Tuesday, just as the leader of the Boko Haram and the face of terrorism in Nigeria, Abubakar Shekau, boastfully declared in a new video that he would sell off everyone of the schoolgirls abducted from Chibok, Borno State, stakeholders in the book industry were busy discussing the future of the physical book in Africa.
The occasion was the International Conference of the 2014 Nigeria International Book Fair, which took place at the University of Lagos, Akoka, with the theme, The emergence of e-book and survival of the physical book in Africa.
In his welcome address to the gathering, the chairman of the event, Alhaji Akin Olajide, hinted that the traditional book chain in Nigeria faced a serious challenge in the emergence of the e-book.
Briefly outlining some of the problems affecting the book sector, he urged publishers to position themselves to withstand the anticipated competition from e-books in the future.
The keynote address – which was delivered by the pioneer Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, Librarians Registration Council of Nigeria, Dr. Victoria Okojie – examined the impact of the arrival of the e-book and trends in its adoption in the continent, as well as some of the initiatives and key issues in the use of e-books.
In comparing the emergence of the e-book to the birth of a new baby, Okojie raised a few questions. She asked, “Will the emergence of the e-book spell doom for the physical book? Will the physical book survive the onslaught of the e-book in the foreseeable future? With the arrival of the digital revolution, do we still need old fashioned bookshops and libraries? Do we actually prefer e-books to physical books? Have we finally arrived at the betterment of our society? What will be the fate of Africa in this new dispensation?”
She said that while the dominance of the physical book had been threatened by advances in technology, the proliferation of digital content and the availability of multi-functional devices like tablets and mobile phones, the bone of contention today is the delivery mode of the book.
Also, Okojie noted that in spite of the obvious limitations of the e-book, it was still very attractive to many people and the hype around its existence had not reduced. Attributing this to the speed in its acquisition and other factors, she said, “There is no constraint in time and distance. You don’t have to go to a bookshop. Right there on your laptop computer, you can acquire an e-book.
“With e-books, you don’t have preservation problems. They are environmentally friendly. They are easily available and allows for multiple access. Many users can use them simultaneously. It is easy to search for items on the e-book, save and print same. Also there are value-added features like dictionaries and encyclopaedia and so on.
“The price of the e-book is an advantage to users. Some e-books are free and many are cheaper than the print version. If you like to read in the night, then the e-book is very good because there are in-built reading lights in the e-devices. So there is no need worrying about power failures.”
Although she conceded that it was cheaper and more convenient to purchase an e-book online than the print version, the keynote speaker pointed out that they had a lot of disadvantages, too.
“Many devices are incompatible with the format of an e-book. Publishers often prescribe the number of times that an e-book can be read before it is withdrawn from the library and this poses a problem for students and other users.
“It is not easy on the eyes when you are reading an e-book. It is very easy to pirate and damage is a major disadvantage. A major disadvantage for the e-book is that traditionally many people just love reading the good old physical book. The e-book has very limited subject coverage.”
In her assessment of the African e-book scene, Okojie said the industry contributed between two and three per cent to the global e-book market. She blamed this on apathy on the part of policy makers, inadequate infrastructure, piracy, in sufficient data on the emergence of e-books in Africa and lack of dedicated budgets for e-books.
In spite of these limitations, she added, current trends in the adoption of e-books in Africa showed that the acceptance and use of e-books is growing as infrastructures improve.
But Okojie believes that with the acceptance and use of physical books on the continent, there is a strong indication that the physical book will survive the emergence of the e-book.
Giving reasons why she thinks the physical book will survive, despite the numerous advantages of the e-book, she said, “The pride of owning a physical book, the inexplicable feeling of satisfaction of manipulating a tangible product, the appeal of the appearance, the smell of a new book and the emotional value, which the e-book may never have, are things we have all experienced and endeared the physical book to us. With the physical book, there is no need for a reading device. It is very readable and easy on the eyes. When you buy a physical book you actually own it. In the e-environment, you do not own the book.
“People are used to going to the bookshop and they enjoy doing so. It is difficult to take that away from the physical book. Information in physical book is in more diverse subject areas than the e-book and there is no fear of power failure.
“Statistics show that the sale of physical books accounted for 87 per cent of all books sold in 2012. So I think that for us, the emphasis should be on the content rather than the format of the book. Will the physical book survive then? I think the answer is yes.”
Commenting on the way forward for the book industry, the keynote speaker noted that there was a need to establish a committee of stakeholders to discuss the problems of the book trade sector and to develop a road map for it.
“We should establish more platforms so that we can create awareness and resolve issues relating to how we can work with both formats. Also we need to advocate a better environment for the book sector,” she said.
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