Thursday Truism – Sorry publishing industry. In the end, it is the stories that matter.
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We opened the Memetales site about a week back. We have had LOADS of visits in the past week. Since then, one thought has been running strong in my head -
Does it REALLY matter what happens to the publishing industry? Does it REALLY matter if books, as we know them today, go away??
NOPE – and here is why …
Who does not love stories? Who does not love a good book?
Ages ago, stories were passed down the generations by word of mouth.
Kids and adults listened to stories with great enthusiasm and went away on their own journeys deep inside their heads.
Somewhere along books came in and took over the space. Slowly, storytelling became more of an art form. Storytelling was largely replaced by books – picture books for the little kids, with gorgeous pictures that sparked little minds and help them grow.
And then came the television that turned books and stories into cartoons –with sound and music – voices and action. Then came along the computers that made everyone a writer, everyone a storyteller …
Are books going away, we wonder? Will the old style television go away, we wonder? And then what happens ?
We do not know and at Memetales, we believe, that it does not really matter ….
At the heart of all this are the stories and the people’s love for stories, both of which have stayed intact for generations and generations.
The stories and the HUGE world of imagination and possibilities around them, will stay on forever and ever and ever ….
Stories will NEVER go away because stories are a part of who we are.
Online, offline, in hard bound books, on television, in the arts, music, crafts and paintings ….. the form hardly matters because in every single form the story is what we really celebrate.
Technology provides but a medium … let us use it to enhance our lives and the lives of others , and let us connect with the real people around the things we love. Stories see no fears, no boundaries and no limitations …
If the Publishing Industry sees limitations, well then, that is a sad thing. Things WILL move on irrespective – the best thing we can do it concentrate on sharing the stories and making the most of the technologies today to enhance our experiences.
If you read this far, then Memetales is YOUR space. So go on now and gather around a good story …..
Do you see books going away? Do you see stories going away? What are YOUR thoughts on all this?
You have some interesting points. I certainly hope that books don’t go away! I find reading books online hard on my eyes. I also don’t worry nearly as much about my kids hurting a book as I do them hurting my computer (simply because of the replacement cost). I don’t see stories going away and I think sharing them in many different ways is important. Children learn different ways and the different approaches to sharing stories appeals to these different learning styles.
You have some interesting points. I certainly hope that books don’t go away! I find reading books online hard on my eyes. I also don’t worry nearly as much about my kids hurting a book as I do them hurting my computer (simply because of the replacement cost). I don’t see stories going away and I think sharing them in many different ways is important. Children learn different ways and the different approaches to sharing stories appeals to these different learning styles.
Hi Julie –
And so true about learning styles – I believe that is the absolute best part of technology – kids can learn in multiple ways …and parents have so many tools !
True – these devices are so much more expensive – but the way I see it, books will never ever go away. People will adapt the formats to what is convenient to them because we have choices now
Hi Julie –
And so true about learning styles – I believe that is the absolute best part of technology – kids can learn in multiple ways …and parents have so many tools !
True – these devices are so much more expensive – but the way I see it, books will never ever go away. People will adapt the formats to what is convenient to them because we have choices now
Hello Memetales,
It’s very nice to meet you via @cynthiajabar. I have to respectfully fully disagree with you that it REALLY DOES MATTER if books go away. Let’s consider a few things:
- the experience of a child from toddler to early elementary is vitally important to discover their cognitive development, their imagination and play, their familial relationship and their buddy literacy skills.
- if we have forget that in the rush to digital, what do we end up with? Do we have toddler proof ereaders that toddlers can rush around with, drop, sit on, rip apart, and generally play with to explore the world? How can you manipulate a piece of glass and plastic compared to board books and novelty books that intersect playful learning with the experience of learning that those squiggly shapes are a bridge to communicate? ebooks can’t do any of that beyond what’s locked into the pre-scripted experience. For $2-10, any board book or picture book will provide VERY important things that an interactive appbook can’t. Not saying that the ebooks aren’t a new valid form of transmedia, but you’re throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
- I think there are tremendous opportunities inherent in the shakeup of the publishing’s industry’s big six and their existing models with booksellers, authors and agents. We can make something wonderful and different and useful and new. But we must not forget our responsibilities as content makers and the people who WILL be affected by our participation in this transitition period. Think about public libraries.
What will happen to public libraries as books become more expensive over time, with less distribution and content is delivered as ebooks. The ebook vendors have DRM built into the system, and the publishers see this as an opportunity for making more money, by lending less.
Take a look at this article:
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/will_your_local_library_lend_e-books_or_can_they.php
What are WE going to do about it, as the new generation of publishers and content creators? How do we ensure that those already affected by the digital divide don’t get disadvantaged further?
How do WE share/give books to libraries if the systems of DRM in iOS or Android prohibit this, and it becomes ever more expensive to print, even with print-on-demand.
Independent publishers and startups need to pool our resources and creative thinking together to find solutions that help, rather than blithely follow without thinking about all the consequences, whether unintended or not.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
All the best,
- Ian @ianchia
Founder: Being Prudence
Ian –
Thanks for your thoughts. I asked if it really matters if books, as WE know them, go away.
I agree with everything you say – we need to be responsible as we innovate. I know this better than a lot of people having grown up with access to very few rich picture books back in India. Even today, the remote villages in India do not care about what books we have on the ipad, they care about what books THEY have access to.
I think books will become more important than ever as they seem to go away – since they will not be a commodity anymore.
Books are made of content and medium. The content will always be more important – that was the point I was getting across. We have lost traditional storytelling over the generations and several people are working to keep it alive – So it will be with books as well…
Thanks for stopping by !
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