The e-book revolution

[Mike Dennis]

A couple of weeks ago, I attended Sleuthfest in Fort Lauderdale. It was my first time there, and it turned out to be a well-organized, informative conference. One thing was quite unusual, though.

 

Every panel I visited, regardless of assigned topic, eventually turned to a discussion of the ebook revolution. I might add at this point that many of the panelists were major players in New York: publishers, agents, publicists, and authors. These people were quite accessible outside the panels, also, and I was really stunned to hear them talking as though nothing was really wrong, as though they couldn't hear the barbarians banging down the doors of the Hilton Hotel where the conference was taking place.

 

I posted a detailed blog on this subject on my website. You can check it out here.

 

It will be very interesting to hear the first reports from Left Coast Crime, which kicks off tomorrow in Santa Fe.

[I. J. Parker]

You dont' really expect the establishment to acknowledge that they have a problem, do you?

[Mark Porter]

They will realise when economies start to recover and traditional publishing houses are still experiencing difficulties.

 

 

[Mike Dennis]

I guess not, IJ. It was just astounding to see how far into the sand their heads were buried. It was like they weren't going to notice until the torch-bearing villagers dragged them out of their beds in the middle of the night.

[Mark Young]

Would this quote from author Stephen Jay Gould apply to publishing today? 

"The most important scientific revolutions all include, as their only common feature, the dethronement of human arrogance from one pedestal after another of previous convictions about our centrality in the cosmos."

 

 

[Stephen Brayton]

I attended Killer Nashville in 2009 and 2010 and I'm planning on 2011. The first year many agents and publishers and book sellers on a panel mentioned the eBooks and how it's starting to change ideas. I don't think we had the big boys, but the smaller presses were prevalent.

[Tim Scanlon]

The writers' festival I attended recently didn't include much discussion of e-books. They had one session specifically devoted to it in a small room. It is denial.

 

I was speaking with someone recently about this phenomenon. Basically it is human nature to do this. Publishing, like any organisation, has designed itself upon a way of doing things and promoted those who don't rock the boat. Innovation and creativity are actually frowned upon because it challenges the established hierarchy.