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On the e-book revolution

February 7, 2009 Amazon's latest version of the Kindle is due anyday now (Monday?).  As I mentioned a couple of days ago, Google's Book Search went mobile this week.

If you are interested in how books are trending, be sure to read Mike Elgan's article (and the 75+ comments) in Computer World,  Here comes the e-book revolution: Six trends are conspiring to drive electronic books into the mainstream. 

A summary of Elgan's trends:

1. The economy. The economy is in the tank, and people are looking to cut costs any way they can. An Amazon Kindle pays for itself after the purchase of 20 or 30 books, then starts paying dividends. You save big on books, magazines and newspapers. These savings will grow even more attractive as the recession deepens.

2. The environment. Interest in protecting the environment just keeps growing and growing. The idea of getting a daily newspaper or a weekly or monthly magazine on paper seems incredibly wasteful to the point of decadence. Environmental consciousness will drive e-book acceptance.

3. A publishing revolution. The book publishing industry is one of the most backward, musty, obsolete businesses in our economy. While every other kind of information moves at the speed of light, the process of publishing a book is like something from the Middle Ages.
4. The rise in aggressive e-book marketing. Like the move from silent pictures to "talkies," the transition to electronic publishing will prove fatal to laggards. Those aggressively pursuing and developing e-books will rise to take control of the publishing industry. Part of this revolution will happen in e-book marketing.

5. A rise in books written for electronic reading. The shift from print to electronic will change the nature of the book itself. Many books will be shorter. They'll be more timely and culturally relevant. They'll be more colorfully and engagingly written. And they'll go after young readers like nothing before.

6. The decline of the newspaper industry. And, finally, the newspaper industry is dying. The old method of physically delivering blog entries on dead tree pulp is obsolete. It's very simple. Newspapers that embrace e-books will survive. Those that don't, won't.

As a lover of books in all formats (including e-books); as a big fan and friend of publishers; and as former print journalist, I wonder and worry about Elgan's forecast.  I've been worried for some time. Elgan pulled my worries together.  (Though honestly, I never wondered about books growing shorter.)

Will all formats make it through the next five years?  How will books shake out?

Posted by Joyce Valenza Ph.D on February 7, 2009 | Comments (2)