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Kindle owners eager to read the much anticipated memoirs of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy will have a long wait.  The publisher of the beloved senator’s memoirs, entitled “True Compass,” issued a statement saying the book’s electronic release was being delayed “indefinitely.”  The head of the publishing house Twelve, Jonathan Karp, explained that the photos and illustrations in the book can’t be reproduced on an e-reader and said it is purely a business decision.

“It (the delay) does not reflect any larger corporate policy,” said Karp, whose imprint is part of the Hachette Book Group. “We publish each book individually and we felt that this particular hardcover edition of `True Compass’ deserves to be the first and pre-eminent format for the book.”

Since the Kindle can indeed display photos and illustrations, it’s believed Twelve’s true reason for refusing to release an e-book version of “True Compass” lies in a general fear among publishers that e-book sales take away from more lucrative hard cover sales.  The hardcover version has a retail price of $35 - a Kindle version would be sold for around $9.99.  Despite the explosion in sales of ebooks many traditional publishers still look at them with disdain (evidenced in Karp’s response to the question of whether he was worried about e-book sales: “You don’t expect a first-run movie to be available on cable the first weekend.”) and fear.  Hachette CEO David Young, whose company owns the Twelve imprint, said he is worried about the low cost of e-books and also about the increasing amount of free ebooks available and said he believes all publishers feel the same.

Even though sales of ebook readers like the Kindle are brisk, and ebooks continue to grow in popularity, many best selling authors like J.K. Rowling absolutely refuse to consider publishing their books in electronic form.  Some insist that doing so leaves their copyright open to being infringed or allows readers to edit their work.  Others simply don’t like the medium and believe traditional (known as “dead tree books” or DTBs among ebook fans) books are the only way to go.

It’s no secret the publishing industry is struggling.  Traditional book sales are down and bookstores are feeling the pinch from the online vendors like book giant Amazon. Ebooks are proving themselves to be the wave of the future and it’s up to publishers to either catch it and ride it to new heights or be left behind to drown.  I own a Kindle and I very much want to read Senator Kennedy’s book, but I most likely won’t be buying the traditional version.  Many of my fellow ebook lovers feel the same.  It’s time publishers realize e-books are not second class citizens.  Ereaders and ebooks simply aren’t going away.

Read [Yahoo! News]