The obituary for the printed book has been written many times since the advent of electronic books – titles that can be read on a dedicated device such as a Kindle, a tablet such as an iPad, a laptop, or even a phone.

Former small business minister Nick Sherry wasn't alone when he said in 2011 that by 2016 bookshops would be all but wiped out because e-book sales would reach a tipping point.

"I think in five years, other than a few specialty bookshops in capital cities, you will not see a bookstore. They will cease to exist," Sherry said.

Yet Australians are still buying printed books – and local booksellers have recorded increased printed book sales during the past two years, according to Nielsen BookScan. Figures have dipped since five years ago, but the 2014 sales of A$937 million were up on the A$918 million from 2013.​​​

​With e-books, fiction sells better than non-fiction, but even in that category less than one-half of sales are in e-book form. Works by popular authors such as US crime writer Michael Connelly, American Jodi Picoult or Australian women's fiction author Kate Morton can generate one-quarter to one-third of their sales in e-book form, according to Allen & Unwin, which publishes those authors.

Non-fiction sells even less in e-book form, though books that have a strong narrative, such as a popular biography, may sell at a similar level to fiction.

It's a long way from the obliteration of print as we know it, and raises the question of why with all that e-books have to offer, they have not proven more popular.​

John D'Ambra​, an associate professor in the school of information systems, technology and management at UNSW Business School, has been researching what readers like about e-books.

According to D'Ambra, the main reason people read e-books is for convenience, not necessarily because they find the reading experience more enjoyable or more practical.

Read the full story on the Business Think website.