Friday 11 May 2007

Penguins


How will publishing cope with the digital future? It is a question I find interesting, always having loved books. As I spend most of my working life involved with them in one way or another, it seems a logical questions to ask.


I listened to John Makinson speak a few months ago. He pointed to the wiki novel, 'A Million Penguins' as a sign that publishing was ready to face web 3.0. This was at the same time as his company were suing Google, due to an online library plan. I'm raising my eyebrows.


I appreciate that online libraries would be a copyright nightmare, but a nightmare worth tackling I think. Although there will always be a place for the tactile experience of reading for pleasure, in my future at least, it is time publishers accepted that business books and textbooks would be far better in digital format. Might not be so popular with chiropractors though.


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