Cloudy Forecast
in Cairns
FROM PUBLISHING
TRENDS (MAY 2003)
Holding
a conference to discuss “the future of the book in a
digital age” in tropical Cairns, Australia, seems a
bit like holding a soiree in Orlando to discuss the
future of French Cinema. Yet 200 publishers, booksellers,
librarians, and academics gathered on April 22-24 within
earshot of the odd alligator and didgeridoo for a three-day
talkfest about ebooks, automatic publishing machines
(APMs), POD, digital copyright — and of course the possible
demise of the book as we know it. As if in sympathy,
torrential rains fell from the usually deep-blue skies.
Evangelist/keynote speaker Jason Epstein (3
Billion Books) peddled his now familiar line that
the only road to universal knowledge is via the digital
catalog and a machine which he claims can produce a
bound book from a digital file for just a few dollars.
Replies to questions about the business model were unconvincing,
although Epstein maintains he’s got World Bank
cash earmarked for a pilot scheme of 10 machines in
underdeveloped countries. Once the futurist floodgates
were opened, the dot-com hopefuls (there are still a
few around), and leather-sandaled academics jumped in,
clutching his or her digital baggage. It was generally
agreed that the book does have a future, although given
the caveat that “screens that mimic paper are not far
away,” Epstein is recommending against further investment
in brick warehouses.
Nina
Ziv, Professor at the NY Polytechnic University,
shared some useful research conducted with major US
trade publishers who are going digital. Michael Cairns
(yes, he made the joke), President of Bowker USA,
shed some newish light on supply chain options, and
Chandi Perera of Lonely Planet showed
that publishers can do effective market research and
build a strategy with the results. In the end, the conference
was mostly a meeting of non-practitioners who, with
the luxury of not having to make the numbers work, were
able to fly some odd-looking though occasionally thought-provoking
kites.
We
thank Robert Sessions, Publishing Director of Penguin
Books Australia, for this report.
©2003
Publishing Trends
