GVoice even asked Barnes & Noble their idea of the future of the digital word: "Barnes & Noble continues to focus on offering the best reading and media experience in the market – we keep doing what we’re doing because it’s working.  Our business model suggests if we continue to scale our user base and content, we’ll have an amazing business [in the electronic book market.]  The growth of our digital and physical sales have been complementary. NOOK has been a big traffic driver into our stores and our booksellers have been a huge factor in our success in digital. Our always free in-store support is a big differentiator for us.  We were thrilled for NOOK to beat all of our wildest expectations.  While we don’t release sales numbers, we can say that we have sold millions of NOOK products and look forward to selling millions more."

Lisa Schroeder, author of The Day Before, answered our question as part of a continuation of the Vegas Valley Book Festival.

Q: What is the future of the written word? [With the advent of e-books, will we still be able to open up a hardcover book? Are Facebook/Twitter/Blog Posts considered published works?]

A: "The landscape is definitely changing as far as reading goes. But I don't believe that the actual book will go away any time soon. There are still too many people who love the look, the feel, the smell of real books. Furthermore, there is nothing like holding a small child on your lap, reading a book together, looking at the illustrations, and sharing in that experience. I'm of the opinion, and so are a lot of parents, that nothing takes the place of that. Both of my boys loved Richard Scarry's Busy Town books, for example. The illustrations were such a big part of that reading experience, and we would scour the pages trying to find Goldbug. Yes, e-readers are becoming more and more popular but I have heard a lot of people say they buy both e-books and regular books. This is what I hope continues - that e-readers will get more people reading, and we will see both kinds of books selling well.I'm optimistic about the future of the written word. Especially when there are so many teens like you who care about it and support it."

Don't forget to check out LIsa Schroeder's latest YA novel, called THE DAY BEFORE, about a girl whose world is about to turn upside down, so she goes to the beach to spend the perfect day, when she meets a boy, and things get even more complicated. You can find it at Barnes and Noble, and can read more about all of her books here: www.lisaschroederbooks.com.

Read contributions from GVoice Contributors and Guests below.