Epstein, iPhones, and the fall of the book

I am sorry Epstein; I have seen the end of the publishing business as we know it. I just watched an iPhone commercial in which one of our friendly fingers was paging through 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. I have to believe, copyright issues notwithstanding, that this marks a crucial step towards the complete digitization of books. On a previous iPhone commercial they demonstrated how the phone could analyze a fragment of a song and connect the user to the iTunes store where the album could be purchased. What’s stopping this from being applied to text? I am greatly anticipating the time when I can read the New York Times Book Review, on their website via my phone of course, and immediately be connected to an online bookstore so that I can purchase the hottest new titles. Given these new possibilities, perhaps Apple should create something like iMedia. Similar to what Epstein conceptualized as a publishing conglomerate, filtered through online marketplaces, the opportunities afforded Apple could lead to the eventual creation of localized sites that cater to every interest of every consumer, be it Peruvian pan-flute music, the newest blockbuster action movie, or digital copies of text books.
What I find terribly ironic is that the iPhone answers Epstein’s complaint, and the subsequent voracity of his belief that printed text will never become an extinct expression of technology, by providing digital books with which a reader can still fulfill some sort of tactile experience. It is true that holding an iPhone loaded with your favorite novels and poetry will never equal the sensory experience of standing in a room filled with those same books. I guess we just have to ask ourselves whether it is a fair trade-off to lose the experience of the smell and feel of a book in exchange for having access to the most extensive library imaginable in our front pocket. For me, the answer is a resounding yes and my interest is piqued as to how these technologies will continue to unfold and change our day-to-day lives.

My take on First 5 and Book Business

The First Five Pages has been as painful and tedious to read as a grade school grammar book. While I begrudgingly admit that I have already started to incorporate some of Lukeman’s tenets into my writing, despite the academic rather than creative nature of my writing, I have struggled to finish this reading. Lukeman gives advice similar to King when he instructs the writer to approach the craft with an, “unshakable confidence to leap forcefully into the realm of creation” (15). This echoes King’s admonition to not approach the blank page lightly, but King manages to weave his principles of writing into the narrative of his life while Lukeman provides a bone-dry index of proscriptive measures for the aspiring author. To use their own vocabulary, King shows the reader/writer how he became the literary entity that he his, and Lukeman is telling us what to do or not do. As readers, we learn that one must never staple manuscripts from both texts but unlike the story of King’s first hand-written response to a submission, we simply receive a directive from Lukeman. In addition, the examples Lukeman provides are such extreme examples of his talking points that it becomes more difficult to recognize and correct more subtle occurrences of “bad writing” in my own writing.
So far, The First Five Pages is the lest favorite of the books we have read. On Writing was a quick read because I enjoy King’s fiction, so getting a glimpse into his creative process was a treat. I have not gotten very far into Book Business yet but I have been intrigued by this aspect of the publishing business for some time. I agree that the publishing business, like many other industries, is going to undergo a drastic change in the near future because of advances in technology. I found an interesting parallel between the music and publishing industries during the last class discussion. Similar to the transition from vinyl records to digital files, books have evolved from stone tablets to e-books. I find some of Epstein’s ideologies a little naïve though. His idea of book-printing kiosks springing up across the globe seems far-fetched. His view that people will download a text and then print and bind it in their homes appears ludicrous. Again, I see a parallel between the music industry. Before mp3 players were on the market, I burned downloaded music onto CD. iPods have made this unnecessary, as technology like the Kindle may make books printed on paper. I would not be surprised if, in twenty years, books are published exclusively in a digital format. To accommodate for people like Epstein, who simply must have an actual book in their hands to enjoy the reading process, people will be able to get printed copies of the book, most likely at smaller ‘boutique’ retailers. Another solution for these people would be, in essence, a book-tailor. One could send a digital copy of the book you want printed to this book-binder and receive a custom printed copy of the book. Such a store will probably never come into existence, I’m guessing for reasons relating to profit, but its an interesting notion. Aside from Epstein’s depictions of things like the ideal book store, I anticipate this being a quick and interesting read.

On Book Business

I really enjoyed Stephen King’s On Writing and I was expecting Jason Epstein’s Book Business to be just as interesting as King’s book. Since I don’t know much about publishing and the role of publishers, I anticipated learning about the publishing industry, especially the mergers and acquisitions. Reading the first chapter of the book, I noticed how Epstein focused mainly on the new technology-transmitting books electronically- that affects the publishing industry.

Epstein depicts how the new technology renders the traditional publishing outmoded. He lists the pros and cons of this technology. In the Preface, page xi, Epstein writes that these technologies will “make books more widely available, less expensive, and more profitable to writers as costs related to physical distribution are minimized or eliminated.” However, later on he states that the electronic books take away the feeling that a book brings to its readers: “The feel of the book taken from the shelf and held in the hand is a magical experience, linking writer to reader”(38). He places the traditional publishing in competition with the new web technologies as he further suggests, “Tomorrow’s stores will have to be what the Web cannot be: tangible, intimate, and local; communal shrines, perhaps with coffee bars offering pleasure and wisdom in the company of others who share one’s interests, where the book one wants can always be found and surprises and temptations spring from every shelf”(38) Is he urging bookstores to create a communal environment by creating coffee bars? There were quite a few moments in the book, including this part, which threw me off a little.

With no background knowledge on the emergence of publishing houses, the process of publishing, and more, this book was hard to grasp. Also, Epstein’s use of vocabulary was difficult to impart. Perhaps the target audience of this book is more specific than King’s Book. So far, I could hardly say that I’m taking anything out of it. Hopefully, as I continue read, I’ll be able to understand the book and Epstein’s perspective better.