Friday, April 29, 2011

Future of books and publishing in digital age

Jumbo Editorial Team

Many media channels are feeling the pinch. Some are blaming the economy while others are blaming the Internet. Some think it's a combination of the two. Books, great literature and the publishing industry are not going to disappear, but they are going to change radically in the coming months and years. It's time we start having candid conversations about what the future of books, writing, publishing, and the book business will be in the digital age.

The publishing industry is looking at the technology that is changing the industry and the role that books will play "as a delivery mechanism for stories, information and entertainment."

Harper Collins had announced that it would be making nearly one hundred literary classics available via a new cartridge for the Nintendo DS that would turn the gaming device into an e-book reader. Then there's also news that the new Amazon Kindle will be launched.

The e-commerce giant was predicted to rake in $1.2 billion in 2010 from sales related to its Kindle e-reader, according to a new research report, that also stated the etailer sold 500,000 units the previous year. Industry insiders described the new Kindle the "iPod of the Book World."

A lot of people are of the belief that books and digital media can co-exist because they have the ability to serve different markets. They reckon that no one can rationalize the need for large volume encyclopedias when one has access to the same information and in many cases more up to date information, via the internet.

Conversely, there are subjects or material that would be best served in printed format for its ease of use. It’s believed that the downturn in book sales has less to do with competition from media sources and more to do with high book prices.

There are avid book lovers all over the planet who still cherish cradling a hardcover book in their hand and reading the words of the author. Humans are in nature tactile creatures. And that alone ensures that there's a future for printed books, they feel.

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