The Future of Books: Digital Literature & Market

TheFuture of Books
Digital Literature & Market
Xavier Badosa
http://xavierbadosa.com
October 2009

market
literature

digital
notdigital
market
literature

BeforeGutenberg
digital
notdigital
Not in bookform
market
literature

SinceGutenberg
digital
notdigital
market
literature

SinceGutenberg
digital
notdigital
Although in the 80’s sometried
a differentapproach
market
literature

SinceGutenberg
digital
notdigital
Eastgate Systems began to sellhyperfictionCDs
market
literature

SinceGutenberg
digital
notdigital
Eastgate Systems began to sellhyperfictionCDs
Notreally a market:
Notenoughsuppliers and consumers
market
literature

SinceGutenberg
digital
notdigital
Whataboutnow?
market
literature

SinceGutenberg
digital
notdigital
Whataboutnow?
?
market
?
literature

Whataboutnow?
There’s a lot of talkaboute-books
Google News

Whataboutnow?
like 10 yearsago
Google News

Whataboutnow?
And like 10 yearsago, thestarsarededicateddevices
like 10 yearsago
Google News

Whataboutnow?
And like 10 yearsago, thestarsarededicateddevices
Google News

Whataboutnow?
But, unlike 10 yearsago, there’s a boost of e-booksales
Sales
Google News

But, unlike 10 yearsago, there’s a boost of e-booksales
Lots of similar dedicateddevices
Sales
Google News

Sales
Google News

with a dedicatedtechnology
without a dedicatedtechnology
Sales
Google News

digital
notdigital
An incipient digital market
market
?
literature

digital
notdigital
An incipient digital market
market
apparentlybased on
purpose-builtdevices
?
literature

Reading is an important enough activity that it deserves a purpose-built device…
Jeff Bezos

In the physical world, more functionality
can mean less usability.

Too much functionality can even turn a tool useless.

In the digital world, functionality is not about adding.
It’s about metamorphosing.

That’s why they call it software.

That’s why they call it software. Hardware still a constraint

That’s why they call it software. Hardware still a constraint
unless it becomes softer.

What we’re working on with Kindle is purpose built for reading…
Jeff Bezos

Dedicateddevice
General purposedevice
Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos

Production
Quality of content
A camera is a tool for content production.
Its quality can have an impact on the content’s quality.

Production
Consumption
Quality of content
Comfort
An e-reader is a tool for content consumption.
It can have an impact on the consumption’s comfort.

So it’saboutcomfortreally…

Onething in common

Onething in common
E·Ink

Today
Slow
B&W
Fewgrays
E·Ink

Today
Slow
B&W
Fewgrays
E·Ink
A solution in search
of a problem?

Slow
B&W
Fewgrays
A solution in search
of a problem?

Slow
Limitedinteractivity
Staticimage
B&W
Limitedfidelity
Fewgrays
Lowqualimages

Staticimage
dedicated
Limitedfidelity
device
Lowqualimages

limited
Staticimage
dedicated
Limitedfidelity
device
Lowqualimages

Limited device means you need to carry another device for other stuff…

Limited device means you need to carry another device for other stuff…
…That has animpacton

digital
notdigital
market
Ifbased on
Only
links
literature

digital
notdigital
ePubaccepts <object>
buttodayE·Inkdevicescan’tbenefit.
market
Ifbased on
Only
links
literature

digital
shouldbedefinedtakinginto
accountthetechnologicalcontext
Only
links
literature

digital
shouldbedefinedtakinginto
accountthetechnologicalcontext
links
More
than
literature

animitation
of a book

animitation
of a book
a transitional
solution?

a transitional
solution?
In thebeginning,
TV wasfilmed radio, too

Could be OK 10 years ago
a transitional
solution?

But the whole web ecosystem has changed

But the whole web ecosystem has changed
The Services

The Tools
The Services

The Tools
Internet Explorer 4
Netscape
Communicator 4.61

HTML 3.2-HTML 4.0
XHTML1-HTML 5
Internet Explorer 4
Netscape
Communicator 4.61

PAGES
APPLICATIONS

And the Devices

And the Devices
A new set of
standard functionality
for mobile devices

(Andrew Savikas)

geolocation
(Andrew Savikas)

And the Devices
A new set of
standard functionality
for mobile devices
(and not so mobile)
How to benefit NOW?

How to benefit NOW?
Books as applications

Poor visibility

Poor visibility
(this could change soon)

High entrance barriers

Single platform

Single platform
unless not native (Web App), but then
you need an e-commerce site.

The whole web ecosystem has changed
Users’ expectations
have changed too

The whole web ecosystem has changed
It’s unlikely that they will
turn their backs to the web

Real need of dedicated devices?

Real need of dedicated software?

Web-based e-book reading
Scribd
PDF
“E-books”
like
paper books
(The Wrong Approach, IMHO)

BookGlutton
Reading 2.0
E-books in thecloud

Bookworm
ePub
E-books in thecloud

ePub?
Gears
Editions
2010
E-books in thecloud

E-books in thecloud
Evolvewiththe web

E-books in thecloud
The sky is thelimit
Evolvewiththe web

E-books in thecloud
The sky is thelimit
HTML5
CSS
Javascript
widgets
APIs
...
Evolvewiththe web

digital
notdigital
ePubaccepts <object> now,
and will be forced to accept
the new HTML5 tags in thefuture
market
Ifbased on
web browsers
(ePub or plain HTML)
literature

digital
notdigital
ePubaccepts <object> now,
and will be forced to accept
the new HTML5 tags in thefuture
and evenscripts
market
Ifbased on
web browsers
(ePub or plain HTML)
(ePub as a mere packaging format?)
literature

digital
ThankYou
market
Towards a literaturefreedfrombooks’ constraints
literature

Credits
Logos and products and websitesphotoshavebeentakenfromtherespectivecompanies’ websites. TV show from hazardkentucky.com. Apple iTabletfictionalpicturefrom mashable.com. Oldrailwaypicture, authorunknown. WeirdSwissArmyKnife, originallytakenfromFlickruserJesse Sneed (CC-BY-ND).
Xavier Badosa
airosan / Sanath Kumar
tegg / Pete Berlin
Ferran. / FerranJordà
Netream
calamur / HariniCalamur

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The Future of Books: Digital Literature & Market

by Xavier Badosa

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