By Darren E Laws
Though it is hard to see the positives in the current economic cycle these are exciting times. There is a huge element of the unknown but in the world of publishing publishers are at last beginning to see the benefits of digital technology. Whether this is because other doors are closing or there had been a conversion on the road to Damascus who knows? But the upshot is that various platforms and media delivery systems are converging and now only the foolish publisher or author is going to ignore them.
The world is changing and the way we are doing business has to adapt and develop if we are not to wither on the vine. Our books are going to be available to download to mobile phones late this year and we have finally found a a system that delivers eBooks with an element of style, quality and security that controls the digital rights management for our authors. In the past eBooks have invariably either looked bad or offered no way of controlling sales. Many sites still offer eBooks as no more than PDF versions of a word file. In this day and age of page turning software it is no longer justifiable or aesthetically pleasing to do this and it gives eBooks a bad name.
The Kindle, eReader and Iliad will add further scope to publishers as we get to grips with the technology and the hardware becomes more commonplace, and lets not forget that print on demand (POD) is constantly evolving. Hopefully 2009 will see the Espresso Book Machine rolling out into the commercial and retail sectors, opening up a whole new digital library to readers who will be able to see their books being printed and bound before their eyes. One thing is for sure is that as a publisher and an author I am going to ensure that out titles are available in as many formats and markets as possible in 2009.
Here’s wishing you a Happy, Peaceful and Prosperous New Year with all the success you deserve.
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