InformationToday 13
www.infotoday.com July/August 2010
When I was thinking about what Jobs First, I had to get over my initial vision
Focus on Publishing said, I pondered whether traditional books of trucks, cars, and buses all tumbling
and traditional publishers feel that they into the sea like lemmings, with the occu-
Books on the Loose are driving trucks in a world where more
people are driving around in cars. In these
economic times, it’s likely that readers
pants oblivious to the fact that they are
about to hit the water because they were
all reading or writing books. But at least
by ROBIN PEEK | Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, said that we are feel as though they are riding around in someone on board was undoubtedly writ-
heading for a post-PC era when only a few buses instead. ing it up on his or her blog. Since I have
I
have been thinking a lot about books people will need a traditional computer. No doubt, we could see trucks, cars, just finished two semesters of teaching
lately, in part because it has just He was making the comparison of an and buses colliding soon. On May 26, in digital publishing to graduate students, I
been hard to ignore them. Whether agrarian nation turning to trucks instead an op-ed piece for The New York Times, thought I would share some of the things
in the traditional media or in the blogo- of cars because that’s what was Garrison Keillor wrote, “Call me they taught me.
sphere, the Google Books settlement, the needed on the farms. “PCs are a pessimist, call me Ishmael,
latest and greatest in ebook readers, or going to be like trucks,” Jobs but I think that book publish-
the next generation of print-on-demand said. “They are still going to be ing is about to slide into the
My Book Is Not Your Book
(POD) options, books (more appropriately around. However, only one out sea. … And if you want to There are certain genres of publishing
digital books or ebooks) have attracted of x people will need them.” He write, you just write and pub- that immediately make sense to people.
plenty of attention. But this may not be did not give an exact year when lish yourself. No need to ask Newspapers still have a certain format
surprising to an industry devoted to the this was supposed to occur, but permission, just open a Web in part because they use newsprint. Mag-
distribution of content and fascinated with he just said that it was coming. site. And if you want to write azines also make sense to people since
its distribution. And of all the content that But Steve Haber, president of a book, you just write it, send they are printed on glossy paper and have
has migrated to a digital format, books are Sony’s digital reading business Robin Peek it to Lulu.com or BookSurge at a similar but smaller format to news-
perhaps the most emotional of them all, as division, was more exact. In an Amazon or PubIt or ExLibris papers. They also have a place on news-
the last major genre still standing. interview with the U.K.’s Telegraph on and you’ve got yourself an e-book. No stands, and people still subscribe to them.
It is curious how the process of re- June 2, Haber said, “Within five years problem. And that is the future of pub- After this common ground, things get
juvenating one technology can cause new there will be more digital content sold lishing: 18 million authors in America, more complicated. For example, try ex-
inventions, reinventions, or services in than physical content. Three years ago, each with an average of 14 readers, eight plaining the subtle nuances (occasionally
others. For example, at the D8 conference I said within ten years but I realised that of whom are blood relatives. Average an-
in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., in June, was wrong—it’s within five.” nual earnings: $1.75.” (continued on page 14)
Internet Waves Legal Issues
One Cliché We Hot Town, Summer in D.C.
Can Do Without by GEORGE H. PIKE | are required to prevent in-
ternet discrimination and to
F
rom what I hear, sum- maintain an open and free in-
by SHIRLEY DUGLIN KENNEDY | • Apple Gazette: “The iPad and My mer can be miserable in ternet. Neutrality opponents
Mom—One Week Later” (http://dig Washington, D.C. It can say these practices may be
OK, I drank the Kool-Aid. I bought
an iPad.
big.com/5bbsbq) be hot, humid, buggy, smoggy,
and packed with tourists. But
necessary to maintain a robust
internet infrastructure and
When these devices made their initial • The Unofficial Apple Weblog: none of this seems to be stopping support further development.
appearance in the retail marketplace, I “TUAW’s Tips for Gifting an iPad Congress from forging ahead In recent years, the Federal
found myself scratch- for Mother’s Day” (http://digbig with work on two critical issues George H. Pike Communications Commission
ing my head. Yes, it’s .com/5bbsbr) that could have lasting and long- (FCC) has taken the lead on
a sexy piece of hard- term effects on the information industry. Net Neutrality and other internet infra-
ware, but what pos- • The Huffington Post: “Apple’s iPad The first is a renewed look at Net Neu- structure issues. The FC