Where are books headed?

As technologies improve readings materials, the results could look more of an amalgamation of book publishing and library services. Collaboration and guidelines will help aid the transition to pure digital materials. After issues of preservation and standardization are addressed, readers will enjoy the benefits of readily accessible digital resources. Aided by technology, communication media transformed and now consists of blogs and wikis. The same metamorphosis is a natural progression to bound books as readers now seek out more interactive resources. Although e-book usage mimics the fragmented use of other digital resources, the inherent benefit of digital books cannot be denied. E-books can only enhance scholarship, as the proliferation of data is essentially limitless. Innovative groups such as the Arizona school systems will force publishers to collectively agree on standardization that will reinforce the promising future of the digital book. Further research specifically covering how people use digital materials, will aid in future developments to fully maximize the utility e-books provide.

What’s legit publishing?

It’s interesting how our techie age has transformed publishing of all kinds. I recently wondered how tenure-track positions at universities were being affected. I’ve talked to several professors who have had a hard time convincing others that online journals and books that are peer-reviewed have the same merit as their printed cousins. Are born digital works the step children to bound works?

Art Durkee makes a valid point for poetry. I can definitely understand why this form of publishing should have great validity in any form. I’m also not a poet, so I don’t understand the relationship between poets and their readers.

For some people who have worked hard to get published, I do understand their reluctance to give the same significance to self-published authors.

Shall see how these arguments work themselves out.

Amazon killed the bookstore stars

Dutton’s Bookstore in LA is closing its doors this month. So sad, since while at UCLA I’ve spent many of hours at this great personable and comfy store. So many amazing book events occurred here, and you really got a sense that all the visitors really cherished this gem of a bookstore. I loved that I could walk (yes even in LA) to this store and get lost in the books.

A great photo of owner Doug Dutton amidst his volumes of books. On his bookstore’s website, Dutton acknowledges the changing landscape of the book market and physical stores:

It is no secret that the store today is a shadow of its former self. Given our situation as it now stands, the pride we feel in our past achievements, and the vagaries of the current book market, shuttering our doors seems the only realistic solution…The one certainty that we have relied upon for our many years at this location is the honest and dedicated support by this community to the value of books and bookstores in general, and to this one in particular.

While the beloved store-front store is closing, the virtual bookstore of Barnes & Noble is utilizing new functionalities to capture consumers. Original multimedia content will be updated constantly and will “do for the book what the cooking show did for the recipe.”

Facebook for Mags

Mediabistro’s Fishbowl recently focused on the need for magazine publishers to go Web 2.0 completely. In their article the

MPA Digital Conference was heavy on the “you should be doing this already, you entrenched print industry.” Only this time, it was social networking and user-generated content freaking out the magazine folk: You’ve got to be making widgets to disseminate your content on all the social networking sites — Facebook, MySpace and infinite others. You should be shooting Web video everywhere your outlet goes, making producers of your reporters, editors, and other content pros whose under-the-radar days are numbered.

I wonder how hard more tenured staff will find this. Even for the younger generation is their an ick factor even if they have the technical skills to pull this off? This is very web 2.0 interaction and it must be where we are headed. Steve Borsch discusses his family’s own hand in the waning newspaper industry. “We’re not alone in finding less value in ink on dead trees than we do from our newsreaders and the web sites we frequent.” He thinks the interactivity of a blog network could just be what the doctor ordered. I don’t know how this translates to book publishing, as magazines are definitely more conversational and maybe this new platform is best for them. However, Michael Geist would reject this assumption, as he points to several good reasons why book publishers need to jump on the web 2.0 train.

I am quite interested in how more academic titles can take advantage of these online delivery platforms without taking away from their intended message. It seems even Dr. Seuss has gone digital. Ross Dawson reiterates the importance of a networked connection from publisher to clients:

“Absolutely we are shifting into a world where experiences and physical interactions are becoming more important than ever… We are yet to see whether the spaces where people spend their time are those based around books and collected information.”

Book Industry Study Group

Publisher’s Weekly  recants strides made at a recent International Digital Publishing Forum conference. One of the panelists, Peter Brantley summarizes on his blog, warning that “with the transition to digital fast upon us, we must brook no delay in our discussions.”

I appreciate that strides are being made for conversations between libraries and publishers. Our end goal is the same, but the way we function is quite different. At my previous job at a University Press we realized the importance of having librarians on the publisher’s side, and we made initial passes at collaborative efforts. These were smaller projects, and even though they were noteworthy, they failed to luster because of ill-defined roles. Publishers and librarians speak different languages. Open access frightens most publishers and authors. Barriers are still up and until both parties can walk away feeling even minutely victorious the discussion will remain a standstill.