Paul Jessup is an avid reader who is increasingly turning to e-books to feed his love of the written form. It’s not just ease of use that draws Jessup to books in a digital form, it’s the potential e-books represent.

E-books, such as Sony’s Readers, are less than 3 percent of the total publishing market, but are catching on fast.

“It’s much better for looking things up, since any e-reader’s search function is 10 times better than flipping and looking and searching on my own” in a printed book, said Jessup, an Erie, Pennsylvania-based writer.

He is one of a growing number of bibliophiles, spurred by new reading technologies like Amazon’s Kindle, who are gravitating to the digital realm.

Key developments in displays are improving e-book reading devices, whether it be E Ink’s displays in products like the Sony Reader and the Kindle, or the easy on the eyes organic light emitting diode (OLED) screens being used in netbook computers and smartphones. Up-and-coming technology promises to enhance e-book reading even further.