Welcome To The Books Of Tomorrow
"What I hope readers understand is that it is not the tangible book that they love, but the story itself." - Hannah Black, "How Will We Read" winning essay for The Bookseller.
I'd have to say that's a very sweeping statement, which makes a lot of assumptions about readers. But it's one I might expect from someone who works for a digital publishing company. Yes, the story is obviously key, I don't go to the shelf and think "I'll read that one because it's a paperback." I pick my reading to suit my mood. To say that readers are going for a "real book" [or as I like to call them... books] out of nostalgia is a very narrow view.
My book never runs out of battery. It never crashes and loses data. I never have to worry about it getting infected, it's only concern is people with sticky fingers... they don't have my permission for loans... I like my books food free. It is compatible with all users, with the right language format of course. And it is much less likely to break... if I drop it in water it only takes a radiator or £6.99 to sort it out, not upwards of £100.
I can't speak for all readers but a book is already so interactive. I bring it closer to my face when the story line gets exciting. I flick the pages faster when the story is building. I put the book, pages open, face down on the table when it's so sad that I need to glare at it from a distance for making me cry.
Yes I do have an iPad, and yes, that iPad has Kindle, iBooks, Blinkbooks and probably lots of other apps that escape my mind for now. But I don't find this a comfortable reading experience... for those of you wondering, no, I am not technology shy. I love my gadgets and use my iPad everyday for all sorts of different reasons.
When I research it is nice to have several books out in front of me so that I can easily cross reference the information at hand. How am I going to do this with a tablet? There's a certain ease, and joy, to overlapping books and skimming across relevant pages. I'm sure Apple would love me to buy two more iPads so that I can line them up on my desk and multitask.
I'm happy with my books as they are, practical. I really hope that the day they are obsolete is a very long way off, because reading will not be the same without them. As I sat on the train the other day I saw lots of people with books. I always slouch down in my chair so I can see the covers and discover what they're reading. "Why not just ask them?" Try that on me when I'm enjoying a book and see where it lands you!
Too many times have I glanced at a person's tablet and discovered they are watching something or playing a game. It may be becoming the age of the tablet but that age is very distracting with many different bells and whistles... yet another thing that's not a problem with a book.
I'd have to say that's a very sweeping statement, which makes a lot of assumptions about readers. But it's one I might expect from someone who works for a digital publishing company. Yes, the story is obviously key, I don't go to the shelf and think "I'll read that one because it's a paperback." I pick my reading to suit my mood. To say that readers are going for a "real book" [or as I like to call them... books] out of nostalgia is a very narrow view.
My book never runs out of battery. It never crashes and loses data. I never have to worry about it getting infected, it's only concern is people with sticky fingers... they don't have my permission for loans... I like my books food free. It is compatible with all users, with the right language format of course. And it is much less likely to break... if I drop it in water it only takes a radiator or £6.99 to sort it out, not upwards of £100.
I can't speak for all readers but a book is already so interactive. I bring it closer to my face when the story line gets exciting. I flick the pages faster when the story is building. I put the book, pages open, face down on the table when it's so sad that I need to glare at it from a distance for making me cry.
Yes I do have an iPad, and yes, that iPad has Kindle, iBooks, Blinkbooks and probably lots of other apps that escape my mind for now. But I don't find this a comfortable reading experience... for those of you wondering, no, I am not technology shy. I love my gadgets and use my iPad everyday for all sorts of different reasons.
When I research it is nice to have several books out in front of me so that I can easily cross reference the information at hand. How am I going to do this with a tablet? There's a certain ease, and joy, to overlapping books and skimming across relevant pages. I'm sure Apple would love me to buy two more iPads so that I can line them up on my desk and multitask.
I'm happy with my books as they are, practical. I really hope that the day they are obsolete is a very long way off, because reading will not be the same without them. As I sat on the train the other day I saw lots of people with books. I always slouch down in my chair so I can see the covers and discover what they're reading. "Why not just ask them?" Try that on me when I'm enjoying a book and see where it lands you!
Too many times have I glanced at a person's tablet and discovered they are watching something or playing a game. It may be becoming the age of the tablet but that age is very distracting with many different bells and whistles... yet another thing that's not a problem with a book.
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