In this time of restless techonological transition, we’re constantly calling business-as-usual in the book industry into question. And in many ways, it’s healthy and long overdue. Yet when I hang out with friends like Colleen Lindsay, who – like me - can remember how the industry operated in the days when faxes and Fed Ex were the spanking new technologies, we also tend to lament aspects of the industry that are fading.
Like what, you ask?
- Like booksellers who hand-sell based on personal connections with their customers.
- Like the grounding many people got in bookselling as their first step on the ladder, watching which books moved and why, before they climbed into the industry’s ivory tower in New York.
- Like manuscript production editors who are enormously adept factcheckers and editors in their own right.
- Like the primacy of personal relationships in a small industry
I’m sure you have your own example, don’t you?
So, come chat with Colleen (@ColleenLindsay) and me on Twitter from 4-5pm today about the aspects of the industry we should be sure to carry with us into the digital age.
Quick, let’s spark some inspiration before we throw out the proverbial baby with the bathwater!
To join the #followreader conversation, here’s what to do:
- Just before 4pm ET today, log in to Twitter or whatever interface you prefer. (We recommend Tweetchat, which refreshes quickly and automatically loads your hashtag when you are in the discussion.)
- To follow the discussion, run a search for #followreader
- I’ll start by asking a few questions, before opening up the discussion to the group.
- To post a comment to the discussion, make sure that the hashtag #followreader is in each tweet you write.
[...] #FollowReader had a fabulous discussion last Thursday about “What’s Good About Tradition… – I’m pleased to report the conversation overall was (pragmatically) optimistic. You can check it out all the tweets by searching the hashtag #followreader on Thur June 24th between 3-4pm EST. [...]
I probaly won’t ever buy a kindle, an ipad, or an ereader (sony). I prefer to handle the book and open and flip pages. I like the covers on the books. I am drawn to the artwork. Somehow paying 99 cents to have a book sent to me electronically doesn’t give me that same satisfaction.
I usually drink tea with my book. If you spill, you only damage the pages, but you can still read the book. If I spill on something electronic, oh boy, there’s goes that hard earned money. I can’t read a kindle in the bathtub, but I can read an actual book in the bathtub. I also love the smell of actual books. I love the crispness of a new book. I like leaving my books out that I am reading–it reminds me that they are there.
Again, not a technology hater, but some things should remain sacred.
Plus, did I mention that I can bring my book to a coffee shop and not worry about my battery lasting or wires or anything?
Traditional publishing today seems more about who you are than what can you do. If you’re a celebrity, the doors are open. The pressure for writers to get higher sales with each successive book in a contract has also hurt known writers. And as the industry contracts, many wonderful writers have been excluded and had to self-publish.
But at least traditional publishing had standards. And still does in some instances.
Today, buying a self-published book may mean the reader buys a book from a writer who is no where near his best writing because the writer is too green.
Electronic publishing is just an inevitable part of the business. No one can hold back progress. I just hope Americans will continue to read. This worries me more than who is producing the books.
So many writers are constantly blogging. But are they reading books?
I hope so.