When I began reading it, I couldn't help but thinking, "Digital books? As if there isn't enough schlock on the shelves, let's make it easier to get 'published'!" I wondered how Bransford could possibly twist this post to fit Positivity Week.
But I'm encouraged. Bransford says:
[...H]ere's what's going to happen in the digital era: anyone will be able to publish their book, and there will be no distribution barrier. The same eBook stores that stock Stephenie Meyer and Dan Brown will stock, well, you. Readers will be the ones who decide what becomes popular. There will be no intermediary. It will be just as easy to buy a book by you as it will be to buy the HARRY POTTER of the future. Your book will be just a few keystrokes away from everyone with an internet connection (and their tablet/eReader/iPhone/gizmo/whatchamacallit of the future).
Just think about it: no wondering how in the world your book is going to find its way past a publisher into a bookstore. No more print runs! No one will be doomed by a publisher and bookstores underbetting on their success. No more bottleneck. No more que......... well, there will always be queries. Sorry!
Books will finally be able to live and die by, well, themselves, not by the best guesses of the publishing industry.
If you're concerned about the future of books, or just curious what people in the industry are saying about it, go read the rest of Bransford's post. It would be a big change, but ultimately, it could be a really great thing.
Hooray for Positivity Week!
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