In November 2013, the Association of American Publishers showed that sales of adult e-books had grown 4.8% over 12 months, while hardcover book sales had risen 11.5%. Why does our love of the book – the ultimate analog object – persist? Despite the advantages of e-books – portability, searchability, low cost – we continue to spend our hard earned dollars on books that we can hold, feel and share.

During my talk, I’ll explore what makes books so enduring, how they may continue to evolve in both format and narrative structure as the digital revolution continues to accelerate, and how paper booksellers, authors, designers and publishers are finding success in the face of intense competition from companies like Amazon and Apple.