The End of the World is Nigh - Part 1
Oh dear. Just signed up for a year's course in professional writing and what happens? The very first guest speaker prophecies the death of the industrial publishing world and the novel. Bummer. Never can find a conspiracy theorist when you need one.
In fairness, Brian Perman is supremely well qualified to make the prediction. Oh and yes, he does not say that no one will ever read a written word ever again. To paraphrase Mr Spock, his view is: "There will be life Jim, just not as we know it."
Perman is also far from the first or only prophet of doom. The IT revolution cometh and has been for quite some time. Anyone with even half an eye on the clouds on the horizon has seen the storm brewing.
Two factors collude to preserve the vested interests of the current giants in the publishing world; production and distribution. In other words, it costs a small fortune to put a book together for sale and a large one to pay for physically delivering it to the bookshelf.
The continuing text onslaught will do away with the need for both. Simply press a button and a click in the appropriate slot of the universal library will send the requested document, book, paper, folio, manuscript etc. winging electronically down the broadband highway to your desk, office, TV, bed-side etc.
Needless to say, there's plenty to play for and the future is far from cast. For the budding student, the message has to be remember your SWOT analysis. For every threat there is an opportunity. The future could be bright; the future could be yours.
In fairness, Brian Perman is supremely well qualified to make the prediction. Oh and yes, he does not say that no one will ever read a written word ever again. To paraphrase Mr Spock, his view is: "There will be life Jim, just not as we know it."
Perman is also far from the first or only prophet of doom. The IT revolution cometh and has been for quite some time. Anyone with even half an eye on the clouds on the horizon has seen the storm brewing.
Two factors collude to preserve the vested interests of the current giants in the publishing world; production and distribution. In other words, it costs a small fortune to put a book together for sale and a large one to pay for physically delivering it to the bookshelf.
The continuing text onslaught will do away with the need for both. Simply press a button and a click in the appropriate slot of the universal library will send the requested document, book, paper, folio, manuscript etc. winging electronically down the broadband highway to your desk, office, TV, bed-side etc.
Needless to say, there's plenty to play for and the future is far from cast. For the budding student, the message has to be remember your SWOT analysis. For every threat there is an opportunity. The future could be bright; the future could be yours.
posted by Andy at 3:27 AM
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