The Shape Of Books To Come

It's a fact that all new life begins with pain and the publishing industry in 2010 is no exception. eReaders like the Sony Reader, Kindle, Nook and Cool-er have given birth to a new and exciting breed of digital reading tools that have got the print and publishing industry reeling and looking for a funeral director - but is it time to start writing the publishing industry's obituary just yet? I think not.

While eReaders are slowly changing the way many of us read and interact with text, I believe there's a real good opportunity today, for a new breed of "super book" publishers and designers to come forth and take charge of an industry that is in desperate need of a face lift.

Super books, or the kind of books we will likely see on the iPad, the Nook, the Kindle, will talk, they'll play video and music, define words and of course, include rich hyperlinks. Think of the first time you interacted with the Encarta encyclopedia CD ROM. 

This is all very exciting. Think of all of the possibilities that exist for young novelists, poets and playwrights. And while I am far from a programmer, designer or developer, I've got some pretty good ideas about what I'd like an electronic book to look and sound like. No doubt your students and mine have some pretty good ideas too.





Zinio Dynamic Design from zinio on Vimeo.

H Songhai
2/17/2010