Here's a quickie for those interested in the slow, painful death of the printed word: Jeff Gomez, author of the forthcoming book Print is Dead: Books in Our Digital Age, is talking the talk with a new podcast. Available now on printisdeadbook.com and on iTunes, Gomez reads excerpts from teh book to promote its release. So get your ears on a copy now, and your hands (or thumbs, for you Reader readers) on one when it hits shelves November 13.
Based on his blog of the same name, the book e
xamines the recent decline in readership and revenue in the paper space, and our society's rapid adoption of digital media (at least that's what I gather from the Amazon description; I haven't read the book yet). As Director of Internet Marketing for Holtzbrinck, Gomez is something of a guru on the subject (having lectured at NYU and BEA and other important three-letter acronyms), and he's just the guy to author the book on the digital transformation. He's also a novelist, so don't think he doesn't have a personal interest in saying buh-bye to the paper age. You can <del>cyber stalk him</del> find out more about Gomez and his book here and here. (And here. And here.)
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Chris is a writer, editor, and Entertainment Product Manager for Hearst-Argyle Digital Media. Does he think print is dead? Well, he thinks so, but he's not quite sure, so instead of an answer he'll include here an astute drawing of a toaster to distract you from the truth.
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Comments: 13
am I the only one that sees this as cross purposes?
I hope it doesn't sell.. it'd prove him right.
But then again, most of what's printed we wouldn't want to keep anyway.
Give me a good old paper book, with print, and maybe a smudge mark or two. Give me a printed book where I can curl up in bed with it and not worry about my laptop falling off in case I fall asleep. Give me the smell of a printed book.
Audio books are fine if you're driving and listening to a book is better than taking your eyes off the road to read.
The toaster is nice though. I'll take a toaster.
As for the rest of you, think of the leeches!
Me, I'll keep my toaster.
For broad accessiblity, eye-catching appeal and little or no cost - all the motives and obligations of their office will be best met with digital publishing. THEN - their ability to digitize their work will be important when submitting files to their printers - for the few projects that must be committed to paper.