It's an undisputed fact that those who anticipate a trend and get onboard early are more successful than those who procrastinate. There is little disagreement that e-publishing is the wave of the future.
All major publishing houses are jumping on the e-publishing band wagon. The few not already actually publishing electronic books are squeezing authors-yes, even the well-known ones-fighting to add electronic rights to the long list of concessions the author signs away in that coveted prize-the publishing contract.
What is this upstart industry that dares challenge the ivory tower sanctity of the publishing industry? Where did it all start? Where is it headed?
E-publishing got its shaky beginning in the late seventies by two young visionaries named Bob Gunner and Ken Jenks. Each started separate e-publishing ventures offering their own works and assorted short stories. The few readers who had access to computers could sample a short excerpt online and if intrigued, could purchase the "key" unlocking the "rest of the story."
In 1981 IBM introduced the first personal computer. This launched a flood -- by the end of 2002 it has been estimated that almost 700 million PC'S were in use world-wide. 174 million Americans now own and use a computer regularly. The Internet is adding new members worldwide at the astronomical rate of 2 million each month. Eight larger publishers recently reported that sales for e-books in the first half of 2003 have increased 183% over the same period last year.
Today, over 200 e-publishers now offer electronic books in every genre one could imagine. Traditional print publishers are rushing to "re-release" hundreds, perhaps thousands, of out of print "best sellers" electronically.
Publisher's web sites, online bookstores, and personal web sites are open 24/7 where anyone in the world with a PC can leisurely browse through thousands of books and read excerpts to their hearts content. When they find something to their liking a few simple clicks and they can be reading their new purchase in minutes.
Yes, "we've come a long way, baby."
Young children in elementary school are already adept at using the computer and the internet--most already have their own personal PC. Housewives are shopping and paying bills online. Husbands are bringing their work home with them on their laptops.
Computers, in their short 20 odd year history have become a vital part of our lives. Does anyone seriously doubt they will become a part of our leisure time reading?
Granted, the e-publishing industry is still an infant. And like its counterpart, is still stumbling and struggling to find its place in the publishing world. But find its place it most assuredly will.
Like any new industry e-publishing has its challenges:
(1) Many readers look upon e-books as "inferior"--they've been burned. In the early days of e-publishing some inexperienced and under financed speculators established "table-top" e-publishing ventures and accepted anything and everything that resembled a book. With little or no editing these books were thrust on the market and were just as quickly rejected by the reading public.
These "fly-by-the-nights" have, for the most part, fallen by the way-side and have been replaced by experienced and well-funded e-publishers producing well-edited books every bit as good-and oftentimes better-than the traditional publishing houses.
(2) Old habits die hard. The vast majority of the reading public still like to "hear the pages turn." Many of my own fans tell me, "Dusty, I still prefer to hold the book in my hand. I'm just not ready to read it on my computer."
Herein looms perhaps the highest hurdle the e-publishing industry must overcome. We simply must develop an inexpensive, universal, e-reader; One that is simple to download an e-book onto, easy to operate, and with long-lasting batteries.
Yes, there are currently several "good" e-readers on the market. The Mobile Pro 790, the Palm PDA OS, the Hiebook, the Franklin EBookman, and China's EB 660 eBook reader. Each of these have their own unique features and each has something to offer, but they are still too pricey for the average consumer. Additionally, they are still too complicated for the average reader to download an e-book into. The vast majority of people haven't yet learned to program their own VCR let alone an e-reader.
But technology will prevail. Soon-very soon-an e-reader will be developed and marketed for the price of a transistor radio. When that day arrives we will see a revolution in the publishing industry the likes of which the world cannot even imagine.
Will e-publishing make the printed book and the familiar brick and mortar bookstore a thing of the past? Not likely. But predictions are that e-books will continue to gain popularity and take their place right up there alongside the traditional publishing venues and be every bit as accepted-quite possibly even more-than their counterparts.
Happy Trails!
Dusty Rhodes is a best selling author of Western novels, and currently serves as the President of EPIC -- The Electronically Published Internet Connection "the Voice of Electronic Publishing" and sponsor of the EPPIE Awards. You can visit Dusty's homepage at www.eclectics.com/dustyrhodes
