Kim's Blog

The Quality of Content: What’s Going to Happen To Books?

Last week I talked about an article I read by Stephen King that discussed how the quality of our content was eroding storytelling. Today I’m going to its effect on books.

Books and the printed page elicit a variety of emotional responses. Many people lament the loss of a tangible object. Some worry they won’t be able to “feel” the page or that the art of book covers will be lost. King worries about the demise of plotlines and savvy editing because if ebooks become the norm, the price is lower, and therefore the quality of the stories we read will be one dimensional and fluff.

The truth is that ebooks require the same type of content as traditional books. My editors have been editing electronically in the educational publishing industry for years. New tools are really moving editing to a new level, allowing for a paperless and 24/7 environment. It saves money on shipping, paper, printing, and—you guessed it—people. But stories still are written electronically. Content comes from someone’s brain, whether it is written or whether it is typed. So what’s happening? Does that low price means less margins? Does that mean demand slows as people lose the love of holding that tangible book?  Will people miss annotating in the margins?

I love technology, but technology is just an improvement on the delivery system—the content still comes from us. Some people have even talked about how the “book” was technology in itself at the time it was invented.

So will there be a loss of storytelling? Maybe, but there are storytellers all over the world. Why do lower prices mean lower quality?
Not if I can help it. I love a rich book—if you haven’t read Sarah’s Key, People of the Book, or The Help—turn off your TV for a couple hours and re-introduce yourself to these great modern novels.

Where I see the demise of the printed book is through the relational, emotional attachment books bring. I love buying another copy and selecting the people I pass a book on to—chick lit for my sister, murder mysteries to my mom, great audio books for my dad, and anything interesting for my informal book club of ladies in my life. This art of sharing messages and feelings keep me from going totally electronic.
I look forward to a hybrid model for the coming years, and maybe we will solve some of the other issues with better technology.