Cathy Macleod, January 2009:
One could write a book, and somebody probably will, about the pain and drama unfolding now in the book world. The question is would anyone read it?
The answer is yes, yes, a million times yes! There will always be book readers, seeking either knowledge or entertainment. Readers have been around since humans first scribbled on cave walls. Only the method has changed, and it is changing still.
Pecked rock progressed to scratches on palm leaves, etched clay tablets, then to script on animal skins, parchment and paper scrolls, and let's not forget the printing press and the joy of bound tomes. Readers were always there to absorb the product, however created. Today, we're all blinking in a digital dawn. When those laid-off editors, bankrupt publishers and disappearing booksellers pen their memoirs, these will most likely be distributed onscreen.
With ever increasing cost of paper, printing and premises, it is simple economics to publish on the Web. The output is instantly available to readers in home or office. Business and academic people have long adopted the screen, and pleasure readers are doing it now, perhaps slowly, but statistics say surely.
Dedicated professional ebook retailers have emerged to serve the growing market. Despite a global trauma for print publishers and traditional bookshops, the world is awash with books as never before. The Internet, in fact, offers a Great Flood of them, an endless ocean.
Some authors sell direct, publishers and bookchains too, and many newspapers these days own an online bookshop. Surfing the deluge is simple if you stick to reputable sites. You'll find these give easy navigation, fast free samples and secure online purchase.
Don't own an electronic reading device? Use what you have, be it PC, laptop, PDA, or handheld marvel. I use my laptop, on which I enhanced the reading experience by downloading the free Mobipocket Reader. My book-browsing on different websites is extensive. It could never be physically replicated even in a High Street exclusive to bookshops. The expanded choice of books on the Internet, and their lower price in digital format, makes this a joyful activity.
Happy reading! from Cathy at http://www.booktaste.com
Occupation: Self-employed writer and literary critic.
Born 1969 in Scotland, Cathy Macleod is a lifelong journalist, widely travelled. She writes a weekly blog on news, views and interviews concerning the book world, at http://www.booktaste.com.
Happily married and twice a mum, she resides with her husband in Kalamunda, in the forested hills overlooking Perth, Western Australia.
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