Wednesday, December 5, 2012

The Future of Books


Is a PDF a book?

One definition of a book is Physical objects consisting of a number of pages bound together.

Another definition of a book is A written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)

Although there are almost as many E-Book readers as there are formats available for reading E-Books, can you call them books by the definitions above?

When reading for review, I prefer PDF format only because of simplicity, and I can delete it after I finish the review. I don’t call it a book; it is just a written story by some author.

There are many companies where authors can publish their book, even the venerable Simon & Schuster created Archway Self Publishing, where anyone can write and publish.

Companies like Lulu, Xlibris, Book Locker, Outskirts Press, Create Space, and many more will publish manuscripts; an author can pay to have a manuscript printed into book format, either hardbound or paperback creating a publishing house.

Is this to be the future of books?

As an avid reader for over six decades, the future of books and the written word are something special in my thoughts, I wrote a blog post titled The Demise of the written word. In that post I mention the use of software, I see in commercials extolling the virtue of diction software to write. Is this manuscript creation of the future, this type of manuscript will likely end up requiring more editors and proofreaders, because no software is 100 percent effective and correct.

Publishing houses no longer have editors and proofreaders for every manuscript and proof copy of the books they print. Although, publishing houses are adding to the burden authors face in today’s publishing environment, which begs the question, Are books better or worse than years past?

I leave it up to you to answer.

Robert Medak
Freelance Writer, Blogger, Editor, Proofreader
Published Author, Reviewer, Marketer

10 comments:

  1. i think the focus on books is sort of missing the point. People are interested in stories, not the delivery system. As long as fiction, non-fiction, whatever is still available only the few people who have some vested interest in the packaging will care about the feel of a book in your hands or the smell of paper.

    mood
    Moody Writing

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    1. “I still love books. Nothing a computer can do can compare to a book. You can’t really put a book on the Internet. Three companies have offered to put books by me on the Net, and I said, ‘If you can make something that has a nice jacket, nice paper with that nice smell, then we’ll talk.’ All the computer can give you is a manuscript. People don’t want to read manuscripts. They want to read books. Books smell good. They look good. You can press it to your bosom. You can carry it in your pocket.” — Ray Bradbury

      I agree with Ray. I have two books autographed by him, which is something that is hard to do with an E-Book.

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  2. Really, moderino? Then why is it readers who talk about the feel of a book in their hands or the smell of paper or the ability with a book to flip back and forth to find information more easily? I read on my Kindle Fire, but I prefer a physical book.

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    1. I am one of those readers. With a book in your hands you never have to worry about glare or dropping it.

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  3. Robert, interesting post. I think book publishing is getting a bit murky. In a tighter economy more companies are seeing the opportunity (money) in offering self-publishing options for people. And, I agree that technology for writing can go just so far, making the editors job more intense and in some cases the publishing of substandard stories.

    I prefer a 'real' book and magazines. But, the ereaders have the advantage of holding lots of books in an easy to carry format.

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    1. Karen,

      Thank you for the comment.

      I prefer PDF when it comes to reading for review. My favorite format for reading pleasure is still hardbound.

      I will never give a book 5 stars that needs editing and proofreading, just my style.

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  4. I prefer the print books. I hope they don't go away completely. I like to curl in a chair & hold a hard copy in my hand. That said, I realize we live in a different world. I'm thankful for small presses like 4RV that still edit and produce quality products. Thanks, Robert, for sharing your thoughts on this topic.

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    1. You're welcome, Janet. I am with you about a comfy chair and a good hard bound book.

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  5. Great post. I enjoy reading on my iPad because it's easier on my eyes than a print book is. I can enlarge the type if I need to. I also love to hold a book in my hands and read the printed word. When I go somewhere I'm hesitant to carry my iPad, afraid I'll drop it. To me, there's a place for both, but I hope paperbacks and hardbacks never go out of style.

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    1. I like my Andriod tablet and PDFs when reading for review, but for pleasure, give me a hardbound every time.

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