Joaquín Rodríguez shares his views on ebook accessibility, standards and interoperability within the frame of the European single digital market.
If E-books Have No Physical Form, What Defines them as Books?
By Edward Nawotka In today’s lead story James Bridle suggests, “The book — by which I mean long-form text, in any format — is not a physical thing, but a temporal one.” It is, in essence, a commitment of one’s time to having a particular experience dictated by an “author” — whomever or whatever that may be. As e-books challenge …
When is a Digitized, Enhanced, Video-enabled Book No Longer a Book?
By Edward Nawotka In today’s lead story, digital first publisher Eoin Purcell argues that e-books are, essentially, a cul-de-sac — a dead end. He writes: …the industry, despite notable and impressive exceptions, is still avoiding the inevitable accommodation and embrace of the internet AS THE PLATFORM. As a body, we are ignoring the implications of digital change and seeking short …
E-books are a Cul-de-sac: Why Publishing Needs to Rethink Its Digital Strategy
By Eoin Purcell DUBLIN: It is a mark of the publishing industry’s poor strategic abilities that e-books have become an all consuming obsession. I believe that, ultimately, e-books are merely a cul-de-sac. Given that sales of e-books tripled in 2009 — and continue to boom — this may seem ever so slightly irrational, but hear me out. Much as we …
How Would You Improve E-books?
By Edward Nawotka Kassia Kroszer argues in our lead story today that e-books, despite burgeoning acceptance in the market, are still in need of TLC. Some are merely poor-quality scans ported to the e-book format. Others have formatting issues, floating images, and navigation and usability issues. She argues that before we get “enhancements” we need to take care of the …