Recently, I started reading Everett Bogue’s blog, Far Beyond the Stars. I’m not looking to live a minimalist lifestyle, but given my pack rat tendencies, I stand to benefit from exposure to a little minimalist ideology.
- Print is dead.
- It’s hard to get published.
- Authors see relatively little of the proceeds in the end.
- Fat cat publishing houses are akin to pompous gatekeepers.
- Super mega popular blogger announced his future books will be digital.
While I agree with many of these points and can see the benefits of self-publishing digitally, there is one benefit to books which I think the iPad/Kindle/Nook crowd seem to be forgetting. It’s not really a big deal, but I can’t help but think it’s worth mentioning.
Books do not require batteries.
Yes, digital media is smaller, lighter, and you can get more content into a single package/form factor, but when the battery dies, game over. Not that many people do this sort of thing these days, but suppose you went on a month-long expedition to the African interior, or hiked the Appalachian Trail, or lived with the bears in Alaska for a summer – roughing it off-grid, including the power grid. What would you read when the batteries died? I’ve yet to see a solar charger for the iPad or a hand crank for the Kindle.
More to the point, how well do such devices – they are still devices – hold up to the rigors of the world outside of the local Starbucks? A grizzly bear steps on your knapsack in Denali, you get caught out in a torrential downpour in the Appalachians, or rebels attack your caravan somewhere on the Dark Continent – only an actual book is likely to survive (or not be stolen).
Not that I’m any kind of bookworm, or even global explorer. On the contrary; I read about a dozen blogs daily and have only read three actual books in the last decade. My last camping trip had a paved parking spot and was less than 2hrs from my front door. I just thought this was interesting.
In the glovebox:
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Dusten B.
Weren't you one of the guys in 2gnt chat a couple of years ago trying to make fun of me because I still read the news and magazines in print?
:p
http://dr1665.com Brian Driggs
I don't know that I was, but I'll take your word for it, Dusten!
- Print is dead. no.. far from it. Print will always be alive, but we'll get back to how it was around the time of the first presses (no, not trials for heresy…). Books will become something akin to art. We'll see a resurgence of illuminated texts and elegantly-bound volumes. The upshot will be that they price point will be rather low, so yay for that.
- It’s hard to get published. Physically? No. There are self-publishing companies all over the place. Getting into stores? Ok, THERE is a problem which dovetails nicely with..
- Authors see relatively little of the proceeds in the end.
If you self-publish and handle your promotion (which you should, honestly), you'll reap mega benefits. If you hire out, you'll see less and for good reason. You have a staff and staff needs to be paid. You can debate the merits of an agent/publisher/printer amongst yourselves.
- Fat cat publishing houses are akin to pompous gatekeepers.
Don't be butthurt because supply-and-demand economics works as intended. <3
- Super mega popular blogger announced his future books will be digital.
And John Lennon said the Beatles were bigger than Jesus and, somehow, everything is ok.. except for him-getting-shot part… that part sucks.
People are just fascinated right now. Print will live, especially in magazines. The iPad is cool, but people don't want to hold an iPad while taking a poo.
http://dr1665.com Brian Driggs
I guess the proper way to put it is “The business model is dead.” Print will
live on, but it will have to evolve to suit the consumer moreso than the
producer. Books are one thing, but while I can see your point about them
being more entertaining than pure text – almost art-like – I see the price
point remaining low by demand. While there might be those willing (and able)
to purchase books as art, many more will demand the increased features
without the increased price. I suspect this will keep margins low, rendering
said fat cat publishing houses SOL; especially when you consider improved
self-publishing/marketing tools.
Perhaps we need a literary renaissance?
Gearbox Magazine | Sharing stories of automotive enthusiasts worldwide.
Imagine Books Without Batteries
Recently, I started reading Everett Bogue’s blog, Far Beyond the Stars. I’m not looking to live a minimalist lifestyle, but given my pack rat tendencies, I stand to benefit from exposure to a little minimalist ideology.
Today, Everet’s post was titled: Imagine a World Without Books. In it, he brings up the usual talking points:
- Print is dead.
- It’s hard to get published.
- Authors see relatively little of the proceeds in the end.
- Fat cat publishing houses are akin to pompous gatekeepers.
- Super mega popular blogger announced his future books will be digital.
While I agree with many of these points and can see the benefits of self-publishing digitally, there is one benefit to books which I think the iPad/Kindle/Nook crowd seem to be forgetting. It’s not really a big deal, but I can’t help but think it’s worth mentioning.
Books do not require batteries.
Yes, digital media is smaller, lighter, and you can get more content into a single package/form factor, but when the battery dies, game over. Not that many people do this sort of thing these days, but suppose you went on a month-long expedition to the African interior, or hiked the Appalachian Trail, or lived with the bears in Alaska for a summer – roughing it off-grid, including the power grid. What would you read when the batteries died? I’ve yet to see a solar charger for the iPad or a hand crank for the Kindle.
More to the point, how well do such devices – they are still devices – hold up to the rigors of the world outside of the local Starbucks? A grizzly bear steps on your knapsack in Denali, you get caught out in a torrential downpour in the Appalachians, or rebels attack your caravan somewhere on the Dark Continent – only an actual book is likely to survive (or not be stolen).
Not that I’m any kind of bookworm, or even global explorer. On the contrary; I read about a dozen blogs daily and have only read three actual books in the last decade. My last camping trip had a paved parking spot and was less than 2hrs from my front door. I just thought this was interesting.
In the glovebox: