It is safe to say that what we consider to be a "book", has been pretty consistent for the past few hundred years. Nothing much has changed for the book industry, except the addition of the electronic book and the audio book, which for the most part hasn't been hugely successful with the general public.
Is the book industry the exception to the changing media world that we know? I mean the music industry has done so many changes over the past 40 years that it's hard to keep track of how many mediums they have used to sell their products. Television and movie industries have also had to endure the evaluational process to keep with changing times and technologies. Will the book industry have to do this as well, or are they the exception to this evaluational process that seems to be sweeping every other media industry?
Well, I would say that no one, at least no one in my lifetime, will ever have to worry about the book industry being swept up into this technological tornado that is causing all of the other media industries to evolve their mediums for distribution. And why not? Well, the answer is actually really quite simple...
No one wants to have to read a 390 page novel from their computer screen! It is uncomfortable(who wants to sit in the bathtub with their laptop), it is not easily transportable (its not like you can just throw a laptop in your purse for when you have a couple of free minutes to read), it is not easily markable (you can't write notes in the margins, highlight the important passages, or fold the page back to mark your spot), and most importantly, it is not personal! Let me explain this last point, because this one is the truly the most important one..
Who ever heard of having your electronic book signed by the author? No one, probably because it is not possible (or at least not to my knowledge). In addition, it is nearly impossible to have sentimental attachments to a book that is on your computer. Also, and I know that I am not the only person to feel this way, I love the look and feel of a new novel. Having the novel be tangible is a huge part of the reading experience-why else do so many people have personal libraries?
So as far as I am concerned, I don't see any real evolution in the novel/book industry happening any time soon. However, I do see electronic books and electronic audio books that you can download growing, which I think is a good thing. Maybe this reach into the electronic world will help to grow the interest in reading with our youth. Who knows, it could happen!
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2 comments:
Excellent point about the autographing! I have quite a few signed books, myself... I hadn't thought of that as a reason in support of "BOOKS MUST NOT DIE."
I hope you're right, but remember, we thought that way about records twenty years ago.
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