future…douper
Study of the future is just an engaging way of doing history. The future of the book, for example, is really media history of the 21st century. The fun aspect is that while methods of history study apply, the specialist also gets to live through the era. This double dynamic is something exclusive to futurist investigation.
So futurist study entails an oddness in routine historical methods such as archeology, documentary research, oral testimony, and impartial interpretation. While students of the 18th century or 19th can assemble evidences and interpretations without any need to live in the era, the futurist must work in the midst of history.
This queasy circumstance makes futurism un-academic when it is really ur-academic.
i.p.r. fotb
Today was another call-in show on the future of the book. Iowa Public Radio, “The Exchange”, had a one hour program with an independent book store manager, a university publisher and a library conservator. We all arrived dumbfounded that we were to talk about the death of the book. Without any prompting we all confirmed the prospects for the print book and, added to that, prospects for screen delivered books. The prospects for either inter-plays with prospects for the other and both are surging.
who is the zombie?
if:book blog of the FotB dot org has risen from the crypt to send print publishers to the hospice but print is still lingering. The only sign of exclusive migration to the screen is a small niche of addictive romance. All other screen books have print equivalents while about 50% of new publications are exclusive to print.
The poor publishers are greatly tried by this. Now they must sell each of their products, each of their titles, twice; once to a device owning market and again to a print market. Pathetic publishers with two different markets now for the same product. Adding to their woes, print sales only grow by double digits while screen book sales grow by triple.
Terminal types in desperation have innovated this double sales strategy by clever distinction between book ownership and book reading. Enjoy a book reading on the screen and then another and another. Enjoy book possession with an elegant reading exemplar of the work ready for positioning among others.
Silly, lingering publishers. Meanwhile FotB dot org has only managed two postings this month.
kindle 3
The minutes drag on. Will it prompt it’s own by-line: “Gary’s third Kindle”. How many if any of my previous titles will be displayed? What can I do to regard my three shadow libraries? Stay tuned…