We are in the transition point for books as people are introduced to eBooks and reading on electronic devices. These eBooks naturally have to have a smooth transition which won’t alienate readers used to traditional book formats; hence we have page turning effects and formatted layout but eBooks will change. The traditional formation will evolve, multi-media will make books something more contextually in-depth and rich adding layers of content providing a complete audio/visual experience which grows around the ‘reader’ taking him or her further into the realms of fiction like never before.
As a new generation of book readers evolve they won’t be locked in to the same mindset as the early adopters of digital books. Technology will expand out options and the arrival of ePub 2.0 and subsequent versions will further enrich the eBook reading experience. Content will always be king but the thrilling aspect will be the variety and richness of the content that can be delivered within a reading experience. We will move away from page turning software and the concept of the page will also disappear. Interactivity and cross-platform multi-media will become the norm in many instances. Publishers will have to look at ways of delivering this new content, invariably authors will also become part of the overall process of the production of the eBook of the future.
1 comment:
Thanks for this, CN, and for the clip -- what an articulate, interesting and plain nice chap Alfredo seems to be.
On the ebook question, I really think we're in a Much Ado About Nothing situation. Literature will not change, the ebook and the dedicated ebook reader is merely presentation of the written word in another, more convenient and efficient form ... as the codex took over from the scroll, as the printing press took hold six hundred years ago, as the mass production of paperbacks became the norm in the thirties and forties.
I have been a devout bookworm for six decades (I started young), but since laying hands on my first electronic reading device a couple of years ago, I've suffered treebooks ungladly; only when there's absolutely no electronic alternative.
My point is, of course, that my reading tastes and enjoyment of books -- from the classics to best-selling contemporary releases -- has changed not one iota.
Very best wishes. And thanks again, CN, for raising the question. Neil Marr at BeWrite Books.
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