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Moving house is never fun, but one of the advantages is that you get a bit of stocktake on the possessions you’ve acquired since the previous move. For me, the thing I notice most is the amount of new books I’ve accumulated, which often requires some creative storage solutions at the new abode. During a recent move I concluded that I’d probably stick with my hard copy books for the time being but didn’t rule out a transition to an e-reader or tablet sometime in the future. And to be honest, one device for hundreds of books is a fairly attractive proposition.

I’ll admit that I’m attached to printed books but if a Kindle, smart phone or iPad offers a similar reading experience, it will be hard not to join the ‘digital revolution’. But I think that’s the clincher – the user experience.

E-readers like the Kindle or Kobo Touch, aren’t a huge departure from reading print. They’re easy on the eye and not affected by glare. You couldn’t really say the same for smart phones and tablets but publishers are using the capabilities of these devices to take content in a new direction – in the form of applications.

Apps are allowing publishers to present their content in new and inventive ways but the publishing sector is still feeling its way through what is a relatively new market. To get some perspective, CAL spoke to a couple of publishers on their experiences developing applications.

With all this activity, the hype surrounding digital publishing and its impact on the future of the printed book is hard to ignore. But hype can sometimes cloud the real picture. To get some feedback, CAL recently conducted a member survey on digital publishing trends, and received responses from over 2,000 authors and publishers. Read a summary of what we discovered.

 

There’s a whole lot more in this issue so please take a look inside and enjoy the read. Keep an eye out for our new look Calendar in September.

Sean Harnett
Managing Editor

21 July 2011