The Definition
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately while trying to decide what to feature on this site that may appeal to “book people”. The answer used to be rather self explanatory. The definition that was found in the dictionary that stated that a book was a bound document with a spine was the commonly accepted answer.
As the years have gone by, the concept of a book has expanded to mean so many different things, it is hard to keep up. What constitutes an actual book? Is the physical item the book, or is it the story inside? Is an electronic book a real book, or is it a document? How about diaries, or thick, gorgeous moleskine journals with nothing inside? And of course, we can’t forget the good old book on tape.
Times, they are a-changin’
As technology continues to blaze on, book readers are going to define for themselves what a book is and, in my opinion, publishers will have no choice but to be flexible enough to meet the demands of the market, whatever they may be. Digging in their heels to preserve the status quo is going to be digging their own grave when newer, leaner versions of publishing outfits arrive to give people what they want.
I love books. I love the feel, the sight, even the smell of books, particularly those with big gorgeous covers and ragged pages. There will always be some books I buy in hardcover, no matter how many other forms it may come in. Hardcover books will not die anytime soon as long as there are people like me ready to pay a premium for a beautiful book, but I also buy paperbacks and e-books depending on what the purpose of the book is. I consider myself a fairly typical book buyer in this regard.
E-books are not a threat to traditional books. They are an opportunity for converting non-readers to readers. Making stories accessible to people who would never buy a book or visit a library is going to be huge if someone ever actually figures out how to do it right. First of all, who the hell wants to own a book reader that only does one thing? The right gadget has not come along to win me over yet.
Sony e-book Reader from Irish Typepad
I will gladly buy an e-book that is informational in nature and print it out so that I can highlight it and mark it up. I’ll even read those on the computer. But I don’t want to get my stories from a screen, and people who DO want to get their stories from a screen want that screen to do 15 other things .
Another debate that is far from finished is that of publishers holding back e-books for months after the hardcover version is available. Most of the opinions that I have read are not in favor of this, but I don’t know enough about the publishing industry to comment on how this will affect it.
Common sense tells me that withholding the electronic version won’t encourage people to buy more actual books, but will train them to wait for the e-book if that’s what they prefer. Movies have taught us that. How many times have you asked someone what they thought of a movie, and they answered, “It would be a good rental”. I weigh those opinions heavily. Some movies are theater movies, some are rentals. Same goes for books as far as I’m concerned.
In the End
Having so many options available can only be good for everyone. In fact, publishers could learn a thing or two from bloggers who are preaching the good news that giving free things to people makes them more likely to actually buy cool stuff later on. The whole situation will eventually shake out, and the definition of a book will be decided by each individual, not by publishers.
