I got a chuckle out of this recent article in the Chicago Tribune. The entertaining part is where the co-owner of Academy Chicago Publishers says that they’re not planning to produce e-versions of their books. It’s one thing to say you don’t have the resources to create the files, but I can’t believe a publisher in the year 2008 would say something like this:
"Those of us that like books and publish books aren’t too crazy about the idea of putting them into electronic media, because we think that part of the enjoyment of the book is a tactile sort of sensation: the feel of a book, the smell of it, turning the pages."
A little detail: Customers’ preferences
OK, so maybe you don’t like the idea of e-books, but what about those of your customers who do?
Do you suppose that when Ford started rolling Model T’s out the door in the early 1900’s there were a bunch of horse people who said, "we really prefer the sound of the hooves hitting the dirt and the up-and-down rhythm of a nice trot on Mr. Ed, so we don’t see a future in this combustion engine device"?
Moderator: Another recent gem comes from science fiction writer Ray Bradbury (photo), who says, "There is no future for e-books because they are not books. E-books smell like burned fuel" Ugh, Ray, have you ego-Googled yourself lately? – D.R.
About the headline: It’s mine—Joe didn’t mention Bradbury but undoubtedly agrees with me about him. – D.R.
