BOOK SA – News

You use a computer every day. You do. Even when you’re not at your keyboard and screen, computers are driving your car, your washing machine, your security system, your banking.

So, why fret about the computerised book? It’s passé, all that anxiety. You don’t have to succumb to it, yanno?

“Traditional book lovers may want to burn all e-readers on a giant pyre, but this will not stop the technology advancing,” argues Sunday Times contributor Antonia Senior in a recent and fairly sane piece. But perhaps she protests too much with: “The slow death of the book may be with us”:

A remarkable, seemingly unbeatable technology has been causing much excitement. A device designed for reading words on the go, it is portable and lightweight, with unlimited operating time and no battery worries. It is wireless and cheap. Yes, it is a book.

Given the advantages of the humble book, it seems inconceivable that it could ever be replaced by an electronic reader. But, just as the music, film and television industries have been forced to grapple with the consequences of the Internet, publishers are facing up to the digital threat.

In the latest in a series of industry moves to embrace the digital world, Random House has announced that it will allow readers to download chapters of books. HarperCollins, which is owned by News Corporation, parent company of The Times, has revealed plans to allow readers access to previews of new titles online. British and US publishers are rushing to digitalise their back catalogues.

They are entirely right to do so. The slow death of the book may be with us. That was an incredibly painful sentence to write.

• Complete article in The Times

Still hysterical?

All you have to do to keep with the times is show up regularly at BOOK SA. We’ll tell you how to do it. We’re not afraid.

Photo courtesy C-Net.