There’s so much in the press about Reading; but, most of it pretends it’s about Publishing…
Will digital kill print?
Will self-publishing kill the traditional houses?
And, all the authors feel compelled to share their opinions—opinions only since hard facts in the realm of books are so difficult to find…
Of course, the prevailing opinion is that readers are consumers and authors must feed that consumption.
What’s happened to authors as Unique Creators and Readers as the Most Privileged People on the planet?
Things are so frenzied that even my attempt to introduce what I want to share in this post has almost slipped away from me…
I’ve covered the Reading-Writing-Publishing Beat for nearly eight years and the Subject Index Links in the left side-bar clearly show what I’ve felt most compelled to explore.
Amongst the over 2,300 posts, certain major topics loom large, like Writer’s Resources and Self-Publishing and Reading and Author Interviews.
And, the most numerous group of posts are tagged Notes from An Alien…
Not merely because that’s the name of the novel I wrote that will always be free.
It’s also because of what that novel says about our world; and, more importantly, that the words “Notes from An Alien” most perfectly describe me and what I’ve tried to do in this blog—find some sense in what’s happening in the Book World as our civilization goes through the biggest transformation humanity has ever faced…
So, peripatetic introduction having been spun out, consider the Future of Reading through the lens of an article in Publishing Perspectives from the London Book Fair—LBF’s Digital Minds: The Golden Age or End of the Book?
A few snippets:
“…in a roundtable discussion that ended the day, a question was posed by Random House’s Dan Franklin that seemed to summarize the philosophical bent of the day. ‘Is this a golden age for publishing or the end of the era of the book?’”
“’It’s the beginning of a change in readership’, replied Dominique Raccah.”
“’It’s the golden age for the access to stories’, said author Nick Harkaway.”
“’It’s the beginning of a new age for the author’, says Kobo’s Michael Tamblyn.”
My comments:
Certainly, books need authors to write them and some method of publishing them; but, Readers (not “readership”) are the reason for books.
Certainly, access to reading is opening up.
Certainly, one can hope authors are beginning to enter the New Age that’s dawning…
Now, trying to keep the focus on Readers, let’s briefly explore an article about the UK head of Penguin Random House in The Guardian—Tom Weldon: ‘Some say publishing is in trouble. They are completely wrong’.
One snippet:
“While Amazon tempts browsers with recommendations based on their search history, Weldon thinks traditional publishers need something more personal. They have to get to know their readers: ‘Where do they hang out, what do they like, how do we talk to them?’ The company is still in the early stages of this process, but is seeking this ‘direct relationship with readers to tell them about the books they might fall in love with’.”
My comment:
Traditional publishing has been around for quite some time now… Why are they still “in the early stages” of being concerned about a direct relationship with their readers?
Another article from The Guardian—Publishing: we can’t see the right track for all the digital platforms—has this:
“Last year, the Pew Research Centre, an independent think tank, reported that people under 30 were now reading more books than they were 10 years ago, and in more formats than ever before. We know this anecdotally, from experience. Step on to any bus, plane or train. A majority will be engrossed in the written word, in some form.”
So…
There appears to be some hope for the Dear Reader; yet, I wonder if all the Access is providing a truly Valuable reading experience…
And, what’s up with all this talk of bookstores disappearing?
Perhaps, it’s only certain kinds of bookstores?
I’ll leave you, my Dear Readers, with a bit of Refreshment:
Visit Parnassus Books, where the owner says some fascinating things, like:
“You may have heard the news that the independent bookstore is dead, that books are dead, that maybe even reading is dead—to which I say: Pull up a chair, friend. I have a story to tell.”
Read Parnassus’ online Literary Journal—and, have some fun. :-)
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