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The Digital Evolution of Books (and Where It's Headed)
We know it's a book reproduced into electronic format to be distributed on the Internet, and it's been around since 1999. It was legitimized in 2000, when Stephen King “cyberpublished” his novella “The Plant” and sold it on his web site for a buck a download. He eventually went on to sell 600,000 copies.
Lately, e-books can contain embedded videos and other fancyschmancy bling bling to win friends and influence people. With my e-book Zero to Superhero (also in “oldskool” paperback edition), I spelunk YouTube's awesome video archives and reference oddities and pearls of unconventional wisdom for added value. The concept seems to work well, and readers can submit their videos to me for inclusion in the next print and pdf edition which creates an ongoing dialogue that I find unique and invaluable. What doesn't work so well is embedding movie clips into pdf documents: it's cost prohibitive (Adobe Acrobat costs 450 bones US) and it's a trying process converting YouTube clips into supported file formats and then getting them to actually work in the pdf.
Still, the long short of it is that e-books are still in its infancy, and functionality will no doubt expand. Expect the e-book to evolve and flourish as a viable medium.
The "Blook"
Next is the blook, which comprises the ongoing story entries of a blog until it becomes a full-fledged book (hence the combining of the word blog and book). One of the most prominent examples of a blook would be Hackoff.com by Tom Evslin, a murder mystery set during the dotcom crash. Says Tom of the advantages of writing a book in a blog:
[ The first question you may have is "why would anyone distribute a book on a blog?" Good question. There are four reasons. First, blogs are where the readers are. Second, readers find blogs without the help of traditional gatekeepers; blogs are "discovered" and become successful (or don't) in an interesting democratic way. Third, online distribution makes it economically feasible to distribute free copies of the book. Fourth, an online book should do things a print book can't. ]
I'll add a few more reasons. It helps establish a routine for the writer, it can be incredibly motivating when you know people are out there waiting for your next entry, and it provides instant feedback, be it positive or negative. This makes blook writing the most charged and exciting option for would-be authors.
The Blubook
Designed by Royal College of Art designer and engineer Manolis Kelaidis, the Blubook is the marriage of the physical and the digital, and is still very much cutting edge. It's a paper book with circuits embedded in each page and the text printed with conductive ink. When linked words on the page are touched, a processor in the back cover transmits a signal via Bluetooth to a nearby computer and displays the related information. I imagine the Blubook gives reading a tactile and interactive dimension unparalleled to this point, but we have yet to see the innovations in publishing for Apple's iphone.
But that'll be for another article, distributed electronically to a terminal near you.
About the Author:
Jason S. Comely is the author of Zero to Superhero, a guide to ultra-fitness, and a marketing student at Mohawk college in Canada.
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