Publishing and the Digital Revolution
It’s literature, Jim… but not as we know it
(I’ve got a feeling Alan Bigelow may have used this line already.)
From Vooks to ebooks, from the iPad to the Google settlement, and from print-on-demand to new styles of writing, this article attempts to analyse the effects of the digital revolution on the publishing industry, and to make some educated guesses about how things may develop in the next few years.
“An alternative to the Big Publishing model is already with us, and despite the odd viral phenomenon it consists in the main of very large numbers of small-scale products reaching small audiences, rather than small numbers of very high-profile products reaching huge audiences. This alternative model is enabled by digital technology, and it replaces high production values and market-minded editorial controls with the principle that people’s desire to publish themselves and to look at each other’s efforts is itself a profit motor.”
To read the whole article, go to http://www.hyperex.co.uk/reviewdigitalpublishing.php or http://www.furtherfield.org/displayreview.php?review_id=406 .
- Edward Picot
personal website – http://edwardpicot.com
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3 Responses to “Publishing and the Digital Revolution”.
No, Edward, it’s not my line, but I wish it was!
I look forward to reading your article….
Edward–This article is filled with loads of interesting observations and solid research bits. I like how you roam over the possibilities of present (and future) authorial technologies, and also examine publishing venues (which, as you point out, are pretty much up for grabs, despite the long shadows of Google, Apple, etc.) I also like your style in this article–smart, informed, and to the point, with no messing around.
Thanks for this, and for spreading the news…
Thanks, Alan. I felt sure I’d seen something by you with “It’s literature, Jim…” in the title. My imagination’s obviously playing tricks on me.
- Edward
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