Nick Hornby is not an e-book fan

[HappyMartin]

I think the assumption is that reading books is an old fashioned thing and the 2nd assumption is that old fashioned people are averse to technology and so are not early adopters. If readers are not old fashioned then the entire argument falls flat on its prejudiced little face

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by axel77

Also I wonder, why do people always tend to compare eReaders to the iPod. Both fullfill so very different needs, I don't see the comparison valid. You can compare eReaders with same reasons as well with vacuum cleaners, not?

Ebook reader vs iPod is a specious argument for two basic reasons:

1) Everybody listens to music. Everybody doesn't read.

2) Music is often a background activity, done while also doing something else. Reading is (and must be) a foreground activity.

Ebook readers will never achieve iPod like numbers. The market isn't big enough, and the price is unlikely to get low enough.

Of course, pointing this out to the folks who make such comparisons is likely a lost cause.
______
Dennis

[Simon_Drake]

I’m a writer and I have to compete in a crazier world where change is the normal, as compared to the pre-digital age that Nick Hornsby would have started out in.
I think the people who 'love' his books won't read eBooks, because they'd see it as a bit of a shock of the new, but gladly absorb hours of mindless TV, and film versions of Nick Hornsby's books.
I've never read his books, so I can't comment on his writing. His view in general is typical of the established publishing industry, much like that of the music industry pre-download, ie, "It won't happen, it won't affect us, it won't work."
The best thing about the eBook Crowd is that we read beyond the curve - beyond the mainstream, way beyond the trend, and create tomorrow’s trends. Who cares what somebody who can’t ‘get it’ has to say, just because they’re ‘established’ in the old world of publishing, and, er, reading.

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by Simon_Drake

The best thing about the eBook Crowd is that we read beyond the curve - beyond the mainstream, way beyond the trend, and create tomorrow’s trends. Who cares what somebody who can’t ‘get it’ has to say, just because they’re ‘established’ in the old world of publishing, and, er, reading.

really nicely said.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Simon_Drake

I’m a writer and I have to compete in a crazier world where change is the normal, as compared to the pre-digital age that Nick Hornsby would have started out in.

Well, so does Nick Horsby, now...

I've never read his books, so I can't comment on his writing. His view in general is typical of the established publishing industry, much like that of the music industry pre-download, ie, "It won't happen, it won't affect us, it won't work."

There's a lovely Jules Feiffer cartoon from years back, set at an awards ceremony for various people in industry who have successfully killed new ideas. The last panel has the chairwoman of the ceremony reciting their motto:

"Treat freshness as a youthful quirk,
and dare not stray to ideas new.
For if t'were tried they might e'en work,
and for a living what wouldst we do?"

The best thing about the eBook Crowd is that we read beyond the curve - beyond the mainstream, way beyond the trend, and create tomorrow’s trends. Who cares what somebody who can’t ‘get it’ has to say, just because they’re ‘established’ in the old world of publishing, and, er, reading.

Folks have been doing that about as long as books existed. But ebooks won't prosper on just the leading edge proponents. We need the folks whose reading is the current best seller, self-help tome, or trashy romance novel to adopt the practice, as well.
______
Dennis

[daffy4u]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

We need the folks whose reading is the current best seller, self-help tome, or trashy romance novel to adopt the practice, as well.
______
Dennis

You rang?

[=X=]

You know Nick's opinion does not bother me in the least. I interpreted his blog/opinion as "I'm unwilling to accept change". We all know what happens to those people.

What does bother me was that hist blog was hosted by Peginun's site. Here is a book publisher that in effect is supporting Nick's argument, by hosting his anti-ebook argument.

I like penguin's books, but if they don't learn to embrace change they too will go the way of the dinosaur.

=X=

[RickyMaveety]

Oh .... Nick Hornsby is a writer?? Huh. I never would have guessed.

[axel77]

Originally Posted by =X=

I like penguin's books, but if they don't learn to embrace change they too will go the way of the dinosaur.

Well I disagree with this principle philosophy that change "just happens", and the path we are going is actually already determined by "whatever", and we can not really influence it, as progress is already pretermined (by god???) This attitude was the principle idea of 'the modern' so from 1950 until aprox 1990, 2000. We can very well as sociecty decide again a technolgy, or decide for one technolgy against the other, hot topics in this issues are genetic engineering, nuclear energy now coming co2 exhausting worries and upcoming nano technology... While I do fully understand people raising concerns to this technologies and like to observe public negotations about what to do, this doesn't apply to eBooks and eBookreader at all, there is no 'danger' at all going out of this technology. So why do people like this and the publisher actually make public statements why eBooks are to fail? I mean if are *really* sure they fail, they wouldn't make any public statements about this. We also don't make a great story: "Why the sun will arise again tomorrow morning!". The truth is they actuall fear this technology to be successfull, because they think it endangers them in their social position of power/economy/status. I guess social status (oh look the man must be smart who got so much books visibly on his wall) is what Nick Hornby fears about, economy power the publisher hosting this.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by axel77

Well I disagree with this principle philosophy that change "just happens", and the path we are going is actually already determined by "whatever", and we can not really influence it, as progress is already pretermined (by god???) This attitude was the principle idea of 'the modern' so from 1950 until aprox 1990, 2000. We can very well as sociecty decide again a technolgy, or decide for one technolgy against the other, hot topics in this issues are genetic engineering, nuclear energy now coming co2 exhausting worries and upcoming nano technology...

The one thing we can say with certainty about tomorrow is that it will be different than today. We probably don't know and can't know how it will be different -- only that it will be.

What bothers people isn't change, per se -- it's the rate of change, which can be highly disruptive.

While I do fully understand people raising concerns to this technologies and like to observe public negotations about what to do, this doesn't apply to eBooks and eBookreader at all, there is no 'danger' at all going out of this technology.

Depends on who you are. If you're a brick and mortar bookstore, already struggling with flat or declining sales. ebooks are a threat. Everyone in your area who buys an ebook instead of a pbook is one less potential sale for you.

So why do people like this and the publisher actually make public statements why eBooks are to fail? I mean if are *really* sure they fail, they wouldn't make any public statements about this. We also don't make a great story: "Why the sun will arise again tomorrow morning!". The truth is they actuall fear this technology to be successfull, because they think it endangers them in their social position of power/economy/status. I guess social status (oh look the man must be smart who got so much books visibly on his wall) is what Nick Hornby fears about, economy power the publisher hosting this.

As I read Nick Hornsby's post, I saw him as less unhappy with ebooks than with the state of publishing in general. Note his opening remarks about the bookstore he visited, and the lack of business he observed.

And while power and status are powerful motivators, they aren't the only ones. I suspect a lot of publishers fear ebooks because they require major changes to an existing business model, and if they do it wrong, they can be out of business.
______
Dennis

[=X=]

Originally Posted by axel77

Well I disagree with this principle philosophy that change "just happens", ... The truth is they actuall fear this technology to be successfull, because they think it endangers them in their social position of power/economy/status. I guess social status (oh look the man must be smart who got so much books visibly on his wall) is what Nick Hornby fears about, economy power the publisher hosting this.

I agree with both points. My post wasn't intended to say hey change happens. Though if one is not the catalyst for the change it can be observed as "just happening".

eBook technology cannot be stopped. Players who are moving this technology have leverage and are not tided to the old publishing model. It offers too much convenience and is a natural extension of the information age.

Th point I was making in my previous post was that these authors and publishers who "wish" to pretend that eBooks are a fad. A technology that will fade away are in for a rude awaking.

=X=

[Krystian Galaj]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

Ebook reader vs iPod is a specious argument for two basic reasons:

1) Everybody listens to music. Everybody doesn't read.

2) Music is often a background activity, done while also doing something else. Reading is (and must be) a foreground activity.

Personally, I can't listen to music as background activity. It interferes with anything I do as foreground activity, so I need to have silence. I listen to music maybe once a month, and then only songs who have some interesting text, authors like Suzanne Vega, or Weird Al... else it bores me.

But I'm probably not typical

[badgoodDeb]

Originally Posted by Krystian Galaj

Personally, I can't listen to music as background activity. It interferes with anything I do as foreground activity, so I need to have silence. I listen to music maybe once a month, and then only songs who have some interesting text, authors like Suzanne Vega, or Weird Al... else it bores me.

But I'm probably not typical

But you aren't alone, either! I mostly listen to music while driving to and from work. Other times, I'd rather be DOing something ..... like reading, or sewing, or other hobbies. And then I don't want music to distract me, cuz music requires that I *listen* to it. So, I don't want my Kindle to play music -- just let me READ it!

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Krystian Galaj

Personally, I can't listen to music as background activity. It interferes with anything I do as foreground activity, so I need to have silence. I listen to music maybe once a month, and then only songs who have some interesting text, authors like Suzanne Vega, or Weird Al... else it bores me.

But I'm probably not typical

You aren't, but you aren't alone either. A friend on a mailing list calls himself "amusical". He simply doesn't get it. He's capable of responding to interesting lyrics, but melody eludes him. There was an interesting discussion on the list a while back as another list member who is a musician, composer, and adjunct professor of music tried to nail down exactly what he did and didn't hear.

What constitutes tolerable background noise varies. I can have music as background and do other things in the foreground, but I can't ignore the TV. Voices require me to pay attention to them. The SO wears headphones when she's watching, to spare me.
______
Dennis

[Simon_Drake]

eBook readers vs iPoders. Every generation has a split, (ie jocks vs nerds, gothics vs homeboys) a reason for feuding and teenage punch ups and girls pulling out eachother's hair. For the digital generation, eBook readers vs iPoders could just be that.