Bilbary
With e-book sales on the rise, Bilbary.com is offering e-rentals. Wiki Commons

E-Books have provided a more convenient reading experience and assured that literature is readily accessible. Yet there's one realm of the e-publishing industry that has been largely avoided; the rental market. There has been rising tension between libraries and the e-book world and it seems as though collaboration between the two is unlikely. Yet a new site has emerged that is making it possible for book lovers to check books out digitally. www.Bilbary.com is an innovative paid-for library that allows readers to download a book for a fixed period of time. Once the rental has expired, the e-book will automatically delete (like a self-destructing message from a Mission Impossible film).

Developed by author and prose enthusiast, Tim Coates (who is the former director of book retailers Sherratt & Hughes, Waterstone's and WHSmith), the site allows paid members to easily rent a book for their phone, computer, or I-Pad. There is a vast collection of titles to choose from, about 350,000 to be exact! The site is quickly expanding and working on agreements with major publishers and libraries.

A new study by Pew reveals that more and moe readers are turning to e-books:

  • A fifth of American adults have read an e-book in the past year and the number of e-book readers grew after a major increase in ownership of e-book reading devices and tablet computers during the holiday gift-giving season.
  • The average reader of e-books says she has read 24 books (the mean number) in the past 12 months, compared with an average of 15 books by a non-e-book consumer.
  • 30% of those who read e-content say they now spend more time reading, and owners of tablets and e-book readers particularly stand out as reading more now.
  • The prevalence of e-book reading is markedly growing, but printed books still dominate the world of book readers.
  • E-book reading happens across an array of devices, including smartphones.
  • In a head-to-head competition, people prefer e-books to printed books when they want speedy access and portability, but print wins out when people are reading to children and sharing books with others.

A huge reason for the rise in e-books, is women's love of erotic/romantic literature. Women who want to read such works prefer to do so in private and without having to display a ridiculously smutty cover. According to a new study, such e-books have shown a growth in the genre by 30-50% With the changes in the publishing world more prevalent than ever, it's clear that e-libraries are going to be indispensable.

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