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In the year 2000, Amanda Kimmel (now
Edmonds) then of Random House (now Google) invited (actually, commanded) me to
become involved in a new committee to develop standards for, and help promote,
the fledging format of eBooks.
The committee met, conferenced, worked ... in the words of TS Eliot, “we wept
and fasted, wept and prayed.” However, the grand vision (Arthur Andersen’s) that
by 2005 10% of trade publishing revenues would be from digital content is still
far from being realized.
IDPF has made real strides this year in resolving standards issues, as the
recent presentation at the AAP impressively showed.
Thinking back over the last few years, my current view is that underlying the
issue of standards is a larger problem. Namely, that we viewed eBooks as a
‘world apart.’ A new world. A different world.
At this point, they are not. eBooks are just publishing.
Moreover, as publishing’s business processes and systems become increasingly
digital, eBooks will be even more clearly seen as one possible final format of
an original digital file, taking their place along with print, POD, digital
audio, Google search, read inside the book, etc. in the lifecycle of an
individual title.
Along with promoting the necessary convergence of standards and business models
(NOT price), part of the work of IDPF, going forward, is to re-frame the
understanding of eBooks as being an integral part of the larger, and quickly
evolving, publishing landscape. In this way, the unique benefits of eBooks as a
final format can be profitably enjoyed by consumers, libraries, bookstores, and
publishers themselves, whether the uses are for travel, editing, lower cost
‘publication’ or things yet to be imagined.
As a member of the IDPF board, it would be a pleasure to work with you toward
achieving these goals.
Jim Lichtenberg
President, Lightspeed, LLC
Board Member, BISG
VP Higher Education Division, Association of American Publishers 1993-1996
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