The WMF Archives: Are books going out of print?

Friday, October 29, 2010

Are books going out of print?

6:00 AM

Technology and the reader: Part One

by Rebecca Dienger

Last night I was with friends discussing the phenomenon (and potential evil) of technology transforming our beloved books. You know, books. The ones we read and carry around and sort alphabetically by author. As portable and exciting and economical as the souped-up, slimmed down “electronic book” may be, we long for our four-door sedan with the AM/FM radio and a film of dust on the, er, dustcover.

We debate the future of society and literacy, good taste and civility as we punctuate our dismay in the air with our breadsticks. If the printed book goes the way of the vinyl LP, will we lose figures of speech like “that was a real page-turner” just as young people cock their heads at us when we say we’re going on “like a broken record?” A whole lexicon of language may be lost!

Seated at the table are writers and readers; the ones who lurk in the cookbook section of Barnes and Noble, sniffing the binding as if Chocolate Chip Muffins really are inside. There is something intoxicating about the smell of books. Even in the reference section.

We like the way books look on our shelves and the way they feel in our hands. We like the scent of the sheets and the weight of the words. We love the creak of the cover and the ceremonial creasing of the endpaper when we begin. We savor the back cover when we finish. It’s a better hangover than from any drunken evening we may have, this afterglow of reading.

We are a tactile and traditional people. And we are worried about the literary friends who literally kept us company on Saturday nights and rainy afternoons. All of the Little Women, Scarlett and Mellie, Nancy Drew, and, whether we want to admit it, any Fabio-like character from Danielle Steele’s pen and the Harlequin factory. From our passionate tones you would think that the written word is at risk of being wiped out in a worldwide hard-drive mishap. We don’t really know what’s going to happen and that’s the reason we order more wine.

Our discussion barely scratches the surface of how, as writers, the ebook has the potential to set us free. We can now bypass the behemoth publishers with print on demand and self-publication. We can now effectively market and distribute our work and keep more of the proceeds. We can reject rejection! Oh electronic freedom! More wine. More breadsticks all around!

But as readers, we worry about how it will all shake out. It may take another dinner, and possibly a Tums, before we can truly celebrate the future of books.

Next week:

Part Two of Technology and the Reader

I’ll share some fascinating essays about the future of the printed book and the not so surprising force that may lead the electronic overhaul of libraries and bookstores in the not so distant future. As I explore this topic from both the reader and the writer's perspective it occurs to me that the one book I may not miss at all is the one entitled, "How to Write a Book Proposal."

Labels: ebooks, Rebecca Dienger, writing inspiration

3 comments:

Rosanne Dingli said...: Books won't disappear for exactly the reasons you enumerate. The zip did not outdo the button, no matter how fearful of the possibility the 'tween wars tailors were. We still have glass jars, even though the sachet and the tin can posed a lot of stiff competition.
What MIGHT happen is that the paper book will become a lot more expensive and a collector's item, with special foil, leather and board editions.
Certainly, the next 15 years will be very interesting, and those of us writing now - as I am - will either fall between two stools or straddle them.; October 29, 2010 7:49 AM
D. Pecis said...: Really, as a mother of young children, I wonder what this revolution (for I do believe we are in the midst of one) means for children and learning to read. As far as I can understand, the childrens' books must stay: they need hand-eye coordination, small motor skills...not to mention the possibility of being drooled upon, tasted, scribbled on, torn, taught to be valued...cuddled in a warm lap, toted about, gifted from others, etc...things you cannot get from electronic counterparts.; October 29, 2010 4:42 PM
Janet said...: All good points! My daughter mentioned a while back that she had considered buying me a Kindle for Mother's Day. In a way, it warmed my heart. Obviously she's been paying attention enough to notice I love to read. But I told her I didn't know if I would like it. I LOVE books! Becky, you are SO right! There's nothing like the smell and feel of a book.; October 30, 2010 9:29 AM

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