Book lovers who half reluctantly, half excitedly made the switch to the Kindle or other e-reader devices - eager for the ease of use and other convenience features but half guilty about giving up the “printed” page - were horrified to learn what the price might be: ads. So said an editorial in the Wall Street Journal last month.

Publishers, seeing profits drop as more and more consumers choose to read cheaper books on electronics devices, are beginning to take steps in this direction, believing advertisements may be necessary to save book publishing. (via MediaBuyerPlanner).

Now demographics are trending in this direction.

Kids would read more frequently if they were provided with an e-reader and could read books on the digital device, according to a study released by Scholastic. About 25% of children in the survey said they had already read a book on a digital device, while 57% said they are interested in doing so, and 83% of their parents said they would allow and/or encourage their children to read books on an e-reader, reports The New York Times. 6% of parents say they own an e-reader and another 16% said they plan to purchase one in the next year.

The study surveyed more than 2,000 children, ages 6-17, and their parents.

Male, Rich and Educated

Another study, by Nielsen, found that Kindle’s reader base is wealthier than readers of the iPad: 44% of Kindle owners make more than $80,000 a year, compared to 39% of iPad owners and 37% of iPhone owners. Kindle also skews male (52%), though not as strongly as the iPad. They also tend to have more education: 27% of Kindle owners have Master’s degrees or doctorates.

What Will It Look Like?

With such demographics it will be a matter of time before free samples of digital books will certainly include ads, as the Journal outlined. The issue of hardcover vs. paperback books will give way to ad-supported or ad-free books. Publishers will begin to evaluate books based not on how many are actually sold, but on how many are read - meaning an unread book will become less profitable to a publisher. And writers and agents will have to negotiate whole new arrangements with publishers.

Such possibilities are being considered as the publishing world is being transformed. Just this year, the iPad launched and has sold over three million units, Apple has launched its own proprietary bookstore, iBooks, Barnes & Noble reduced the price of its Nook readers to a relatively affordable $199, and Amazon hacked the price of its Kindle 2 to $189 and plans an even cheaper version, priced at $139.

Ads proliferate on TV, in magazines, before films in the cinema. Why have books been different? Not because they are sacred, the Journal authors argued in their editorial, but rather - until now - because there is no guarantee of when or whether a book will sell or be read. “…[P]hysical books can’t compete with other print media for advertisers,” they write. “Digital books can.”