The Future of Books: Kindle, the Domino Project and a Twitter Conversation
Do you consume and produce content as either reader, blogger, author, or entrepreneur?
If so, this post may interest you…
I’ve been watching, for sometime, how the publishing industry continues to evolve. Specifically, how it affects me as both a reader and a blogger. So last weekend, I finally downloaded the free Kindle reading app for Mac. For those who know me, this might come as a shock as I’m usually the first to adopt new technology.
However, I’ve been slow to adopt mainly as a result of my habits. I don’t buy a lot of books. When I do it’s because somebody has recommended them. In addition, these books are typically used for reference over and over so I write notes in the book. I also do most of my reading at bedtime, therefore, since I don’t own a reading tablet (yet) have stuck with the traditional book.
So why have I made the shift?
First, Kindle e-books are usually cheaper and I get them immediately. Second, organizations like Amazon in collaboration with the Domino Project (started by Seth Godin) are experimenting with new ways to think about publishing. Their mission is to try and change the way books are built, sold and spread.
This intrigues me as I believe this is the direction new authors and content producers must adopt in the future.
What really fascinates me, however, is that there is still such an emotional divide between people like me (“the down-loaders”) willing to adopt this new way and those who still want to read a traditional book. Not that there’s anything wrong with either way, just that it’s such an emotional topic for people.
For example, I posted this message on twitter recently and in 7 minutes got the following response back from a complete stranger.
Now I’m no fortune teller, but unless the book I want is only in print, I’ll likely be reading it in a digital form for the reasons I’ve specified. I believe more people will also.
New authors and content producers should take note. Not because I said so, but because, more and more, there is a clear divide between people who want “digital” and those who still want “print”.
In the end, you must give your audience what they want.
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P.S. To listen to a great interview about the Future of Books between Leo Babauta (creator of ZenHabits) and Seth Godin follow this link. It’s an amazing interview (about 26 mins long).
photo credit: Silverisdead