MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - E-books could be a blessing (says HarperCoolinsCanada)

Colin Dunstan · 04-21-2005, 07:39 AM

Unlike Nigel Newton, CE of Bloomsburry whom we reported on earlier today, David Kent, President and CEO of HarperCollinsCanada, gets it right: "The introduction of electronic books could be a blessing," he is quoted in a student newspaper of Lehigh University (Kent is an Lehigh alumnus). The blessing is, according to Kent, that in digital format, books can be delivered to any place in the world and brought by customers at any time they want.

There are other powerful statements in favor of e-books made in this story:

trend toward electronic books could lead to an increase in reading;
there will be a huge upheaval of how to attain information;
"the great democratization of literature" (books for underdeveloped countries);
less space would be needed;
print your own books; eliminating the "elitist dynamic" associated with book publishing;
e-books will not have a negative effect on writers;
number of paper books will remain same ("We have plastic, but we still like wood" - love that analogy!)

Nigel Newton, is it possible that you went to the wrong school? Or perhaps Kent has been the smarter student (even at the age of 73!).

04-21-2005, 07:39 AM	#1
Colin Dunstan Is papyrophobic! Posts: 1,926 Karma: 1009999 Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: USA Device: Dell Axim	E-books could be a blessing (says HarperCoolinsCanada) Unlike Nigel Newton, CE of Bloomsburry whom we reported on earlier today, David Kent, President and CEO of HarperCollinsCanada, gets it right: "The introduction of electronic books could be a blessing," he is quoted in a student newspaper of Lehigh University (Kent is an Lehigh alumnus). The blessing is, according to Kent, that in digital format, books can be delivered to any place in the world and brought by customers at any time they want. There are other powerful statements in favor of e-books made in this story: trend toward electronic books could lead to an increase in reading; there will be a huge upheaval of how to attain information; "the great democratization of literature" (books for underdeveloped countries); less space would be needed; print your own books; eliminating the "elitist dynamic" associated with book publishing; e-books will not have a negative effect on writers; number of paper books will remain same ("We have plastic, but we still like wood" - love that analogy!) Nigel Newton, is it possible that you went to the wrong school? Or perhaps Kent has been the smarter student (even at the age of 73!).