Most devoted readers are aware of Amazon's Kindle, the electronic device that downloads and displays books both new and old, cheaper than for a hardcover, but at an initial investment of more than $200 for the unit. It's a sexy new gadget that will surely go down in price (remember when DVD players where $350?). Anyway, since it's much less expensive and less hassle to deliver books this way, it will ultimately be a huge boon to the publishing industry. Also, it will likely evolve new ways to integrate video and audio and interactivity into the reading experience.
From ink on a page to audio books, and now sleek electronic readers; the evolution of literature continues to create new media that stretch and redefine the concept of storytelling. True, there are few forms of information as compact and portable as a book – but imagine taking along a 900-page tome, and maybe dozens more, on a long cruise and fitting it all in your purse. Consider a future where entire libraries can be carried in the palm of your hand, with more than a million titles available for instant download.
Far more than a trendy accessory, it’s destined to change the book industry forever, said Patrick Brown, an eBook expert who will be on the “Publishing 3.0: The Next Generation” panel at the Festival of Books.
“The eBook is an industry-changing phenomenon that’s currently the hot topic in publishing.” said Brown, webmaster and blogger for Vroman’s Bookstore. “It’s really taken off the past year or two and reached a tipping point, in part because handheld technology has become so ubiquitous. Everyone is used to carrying devices and reading screens.”
The Kindle and Reader devices are quite similar, lightweight and thin with bright single-page screens roughly the size of a paperback, and capable of storing hundreds of books at once. Titles are ordered online, downloaded into the device instantly and wirelessly, or via broadband connections. Also, text size can be adjusted.
Although still in its infancy, the eBook is growing fast, showcasing a fast-growing number of high-profile authors, including T.C. Boyle and T. Jefferson Parker, who will be at the Festival. The vast majority of current best-sellers are available, and backlist titles are starting to catch up, Brown said.
It’s a brave new world of portable literature, but the reading experience is surprisingly similar to a real book, said David Baldacci, author of 16 best-selling mass-market thrillers, all available on Kindle.
“I wasn’t sure about the idea of reading books on a screen, but since I got my Kindle a couple of months ago, I’ve been using it all the time,” said Baldacci, who will be signing copies of his latest novel, “First Family,” at the Festival. “The big advantages are storage and portability. When I go on long trips to do research, I’ll load half a dozen books to take along – much more convenient than packing the actual books. Also, they’re less expensive than print versions.”
Already in its second generation, the Amazon Kindle 2 can store up to 1,500 titles, available from more than 240,000 offered exclusively on Amazon.com. The Kindle 2 will even read to you with its new text-to-speech feature. Also, the Apple iPhone and iPod touch can now read and download Kindle titles from the Apple App Store.
The third-generation Sony Reader – which will be shown at the Festival – holds 350 books and up to thousands more with optional memory sticks or cards. The Reader now has access to around 600,000 titles through their eBook Store (ebookstore.sony.com), including 500,000 free titles available from Google Books.
Many free classics are offered, including Jane Austen’s “Emma” and Mark Twain’s “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.”
“We have focused our efforts on offering an open platform and making it easy to find as much content as possible,” said Steve Haber, president of Sony’s Digital Reading Business Division. “Working with Google, we can offer book lovers another avenue for free books while still providing a seamless experience from our store.”
Not only do eBooks provide a new, direct link for authors to reach their audience, the technology will most likely someday empower writers with creative multimedia tools, Baldacci said.
“Some people feel that adding audio and video could interfere with the integrity of books, but I think anything that enhances the reading experience and gets people more interested in books is positive, as long as it’s with the author’s consent,” Baldacci said. “Some audio books add sound effects, and they’ve proved to be very popular.”
As eBooks evolve it’s inevitable that they will create new forms of content, with animation and perhaps even interactivity, Brown said.
“Future eBook technology will be much different from what we see now,” he said. “Beyond fiction, I can easily see, say, a book on music history that has MP3 files that play on the device. That could apply to so many types of books, like dictionaries and Atlases with audio and video.”
Imagine readers being able to write their own fan fiction stories featuring their favorite characters, and make them accessible through the eBook along with thousands of others, or downloading almanacs and text books that could be automatically and periodically updated directly to the device, Brown said.
“Interactivity is definitely a possibility, in ways we might not be able to imagine right now,” he added. “Already, it allows easy self-publishing; anyone can post their own novels on Kindle to sell.”
But don’t expect books in print to ever go away, at least not entirely. Perhaps deluxe, collectible limited editions with high-quality binding, special paper and other extras, will someday be released simultaneously with their eBook counterparts, Brown said.
Indeed, devoted readers will always have a need to carry and hold their favorite titles, and enjoy the cover art, Baldacci said.
“Print books will never be replaced by eBooks,” said the author. “People love the experience of holding and reading a good book, sharing it with friends, that’s never going to change. Some people predicted that DVDs would keep people from going to see movies in theaters.”
Turns out more people than ever are attending movies, while DVD sales continue to soar.
“I think it’ll be the same with print editions and eBooks,” Baldacci said. “There’s room for both to thrive. “
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