It's not hard to see that the future of physical media 'publishing' is extremely limited. Of course it will take some time, perhaps years, but we are finally on the verge of not only the 'paper-less' era but also the videotape, CD, DVD, and even book-less era. eBook sales in Japan are on the rise, and with their long, boring train commutes more and more Japanese are taking to reading eBooks on the same fancy cellphones that they already use to make phone calls, take digital photos, listen to music, send short mails, surf the internet, and play computer games. The technology is already in place - ready, willing, and able.
So, what are the major roadblocks?
One significant roadblock is cultural conditioning. We have a lifetime of conditioning that links physical books and the book experience with reading. We want the book in our hands, the feel of the paper, the page corner to turn down to mark our place, and for some of us - the margins to make written notes. I have some friends that still insist on only buying hardback books and wouldn't be caught dead with a lowly paperback in their hands. I even have some friends that only use fountain pens. None of them are in the majority. People and cultural conditioning changes and evolves whether we like it or not.
The second biggest remaining roadblock seems to be the existing infrastructure. From a pure process perspective content needs to find it's way from the content creator (musician, novelist, movie producer, photographer) to the audience. All of the steps in between can only justify their existence if they add value to the process.
In years gone by, the music companies and book publishers added significant value by establishing the distribution channels, promoting the content, and manufacturing the physical media. Now we are seeing companies that had no previous connection to the music and book business, companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Walmart open online music download businesses. It won't be long before the same thing starts to happen with books and movies.
A good example is the following article that appeared in the Japan Times this week announcing the formation of a new e-publishing joint venture lead by Sony. It's interesting to reflect on the fact that some of the major publishers and printing companies are shareholders - even though their physical media infrastructure is likely to be quickly eroded. There are also some obvious compromises that have been made to get the publishing companies to play along - compromises like trying to restrict the customers ability to read an e-book for a limited two month period.
The article also says that the new company "... will distribute the publishers' book content..." which raises the question, at least in my mind, of who the 'content' actually belongs to, or who it will belong to in the future. Doesn't the content creator actually own the content? Don't they contract with the publisher for distribution and promotion? What new relationships and value propositions will evolve over the next few years?
The Japanese magazine publishers are already up in arms over the fact that many customers have been using their cellphone digital cameras to take a photo of a magazine page in a bookstore, send it to their friends, and walk away without buying the magazine. The publishers think it's electronic shoplifting.
Sony forms e-publishing joint venture
Fifteen companies, including Sony Corp., have established a joint venture to provide paid electronic publishing services to member customers, Sony and four other major partners said Thursday. The other four firms are publishers Shinchosha Co. and Kodansha Ltd., and printing firms Dai Nippon Printing Co. and Toppan Printing Co.
The new company, Publishing link Ltd., will distribute the publishers' book content over the Internet and Sony will sell electronic book players. The service is scheduled to begin in spring, the companies said.
Under their plan, members can download content and read it using personal computers and electronic book players for a two-month period for each book.
I had the opportunity to visit the CEATEC Trade Show at the Makuhari Messe convention center on Friday afternoon. CEATEC bills itself as-
I had known for quite a while that my Clie had an English/Japanese/English dictionary app. I had installed it, and used it a couple of times, but I really didn't realize it's usefullness until I was trying to show my Japanese tutor a writeup on the history of the Oxford English Dictionary. I had the text file on my Clie, and we were discussing it over coffee one evening at the local Starbucks. She had a question about the word "philological", so I happened to look it up in the Clie dictionary. Suddenly that mental lightbulb went on in my brain and I realized the solution to most of my electronic dictionary issues had been hidden in my Clie all along.
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