My characters want to be in print...

Carla Cristoforo and Marlene Thomas were waiting for me at Dylan's, an Irish pub in - of all places - Reus, Spain when I showed up late for our lunch date.
"Get lost did you?" Marlene asked.
(She's a state Representative from my book 'The Session' and she can be a little sarcastic at times.)
Carla, a former nun turned cop from the same book, shook her head.
"He didn't get lost," she said. "He hasn't owned a watch in 50 years so I guess we should be grateful that he got here before the sun went down."
(She can also be a tad sarcastic.)
I smiled sheepishly and mumbled an apology.
"So, let's get down to business," Marlene said, her voice crisp. "I've got a budget hearing coming up in about 90 minutes and if I'm not there God only knows what those idiots from the other party will do."
Carla nodded.
"And I'm working a homicide so I can't spend all day here," she said.
"Okay, so, what's on your minds?" I asked.
Marlene glanced at Carla then back at me.
"We think you need to bring your books, at least some of them, out in paperback," she said.
I started to object but she cut me off.
"We've been doing some research and what we've found is a little disturbing," she said.
"Basically, it comes down to this: Young people - nearly 80 percent of them - are reading printed books, not eBooks," Carla said.
I was astounded and said so.
"It's true," Carla said.
"I thought these, what do you call them again?" I asked.
"Millennials," Marlene said.
"Yeah, them... I thought they were members of the Digital Generation... you know, the generation that grew up with mobile phones, laptops and tablets," I said.
"They are and they did," Marlene said, "but although that's true they seem to have this affinity for paperbacks and hardbacks. No one seems exactly sure why that is but the numbers don't lie."
I leaned back in my chair as the waitress came up and asked what we wanted for lunch. Marlene and Carla ordered salads. I opted for the pepper steak.
Once the waitress left I leaned forward and asked why we should care.
"I mean," I added, "I write books for adults, not teenagers."
Carla nodded.
"We know that but it won't be long before these teenagers become adults," she said. "I don't know about you but we'd like them to discover us when they do."
Marlene agreed.
"Look, we don't want you to get a big head about this - God knows your ego is already the size of Mount Rushmore - but we think that we're pretty interesting characters and that we have important things to say about loyalty, choices and the way government works in the real world. We want people to read us," she said.
"But," I said, "bringing my books out in paperback means they'll be more expensive and not as easily accessible as eBooks are. Those are two of the reasons I decided to publish electronically instead of on paper. People shouldn't have to get in the car and drive someplace to get one of my books. They shouldn't have to go broke buying them either."
Carla shook her head.
"You're missing the point," she said.
"As usual," Marlene added.
"What point?" I asked.
"We're not saying that you have to stop publishing eBooks," Carla said. "We're just saying that you should also make them available to those people who prefer holding a book in their hands."
The waitress materialized at our table, carefully set our plates down and disappeared again.
Marlene ate some salad and then looked at my backpack sitting on the floor next to my chair.
"How many paperbacks do you have in there?" she asked.
"Three," I said.
"So..." she said.
"So, yeah, I enjoy eBooks but there are times when I really like holding a book in my hands, especially when I'm sitting in the park and reading," I admitted.
"But," I added quickly, "I'm an old man. I was raised with paperbacks and hardbacks. I love eBooks because I can carry a bunch of them around with me, especially when I'm traveling, but there are times..."
"Exactly," Carla said.
"And it's easy to bring out paperbacks these days with print-on-demand publishing like CreateSpace and other options," Marlene said as she finished her salad.
"But..." I started to say.
"But nothing," Carla said. "We've looked at the numbers and we've followed some of the commentary about this, well I guess you'd call it a phenomenon, of Millennials reading print books. As characters in your books we're strongly suggesting that you do this."
"We can't force you," Marlene added, "but we can, let me see if I can put this delicately, make your life a living hell if you don't."
She smiled.
"How many angry women do you want in your life anyway?" she asked.
None, I thought. There have been too many angry women in my life in the past for me to want any more.
Marlene glanced at her watch.
"I've got to get moving," she said. "So, what's it going to be?"
I shifted in my seat.
"Okay, okay... I'll think about it," I said.
Carla stood up and stretched: As she did her jacket flared and I saw the 9 mm Sig in her hip holster. She looked at me and smiled.
"Think carefully," she said.
"Get the check will you?" Marlene said. "It's the least you can do for showing up late."
I nodded and they left.
The waitress appeared again and I ordered a Guinness.
I needed time to think.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DVXID0W