Signs of this is already causing a stir in publishing industry. Amazon has hired an industry veteran to head its publishing division indicating its seriousness. It could be a massive thing, the extent and reach can well be imagined.
If all goes well (one hopes, of course), books could go digital without taking the hardback/paperback route. Imagine a book being published in digital form and being distributed on the net for downloading. It's already happening I am aware, but not on the scale it is expected to. Can all the book lovers opt for a Kindle? I know it's handy, but what about storage, breakage, batter charging, et cetera? The worst thing about a gadget is the hours you have to connect it to your electric plug charging it. And, then, it lets you down when you most need it.
Here's what's happening at Amazon:
Amazon.com has taken its most aggressive step yet toward competing head-on with traditional publishers: It's hired Larry Kirshbaum, a literary agent and the former CEO of Time Warner Publishing Group (now Hachette Book Group), to start a general trade imprint.
Until now, Amazon's imprints have focused on genre fiction like mystery and romance. By hiring a high-profile industry veteran to focus on "quality books in literary and commercial fiction, business and general nonfiction"—and by releasing those books in both print and digital formats—Amazon is announcing itself as a serious competitor against the "big six" traditional trade publishing houses.We don't know what the big six have to say about this. But I hope the re-organise big time from vast bureaucracies to more efficient digital publishers.
Hat tips: GK John via Prem Panicker.
I am @johnwriter on Twitter and John.Matthew on Facebook. I blog here.
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