Forum - View topicNEWS: Publishers Random House, Penguin Consider Merger
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marie-antoinette
 Posts: 4136 Location: Ottawa, Canada |
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Probably worth noting that this isn't just the US companies talking, these are two of the biggest publishers worldwide. I used to joke that Random House was pretty much the Borg of publishing but if/when this happens, it's really going to be true.
That said, given how many imprints both companies already have, I wouldn't expect to see too much change, at least not in the books being released. I can't speak for the behind the scenes of it, though I am sure the people predicting job losses will be right as the company tries to streamline itself and remove any "redundant" positions. I also agree that ebooks will never completely replace print but they are definitely changing the face of the publishing industry. Of course, it's important to remember that some of the independent bookstore closures were a result of the larger companies coming into the market, not just the rise of ebooks. |
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Genet
Posts: 261 Location: USA |
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I think they are, too. And I think that some of it is really great- I really like that there's much more potential for authors who aren't able to publish traditionally to get their work out there. I also like that the format could possibly encourage people to read more and read more often than before. Also, I agree. I wonder if retailers like Amazon played a bigger role than lack of reading/'obselete'-ness of print books in the folding of some of the bookstores (And Borders) It wouldn't surprise me. Isn't Amazon one of the largest retailers of printed books out there? Or do stores like B&N still hold that title? |
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Teriyaki Terrier
 Posts: 5689 |
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Alan, you bring up valid points no doubt, but the problem with written text, especially obscure and older text is should the text ever be illegible, there may not be a means to ever find out the message that was being written. As it currently stands, the actual literature likely won't ever be lost if this media is published online. As once this content is published online, chances are that this information will be widely available through multiple sources. I've seen very obscure documents, dating as early as 40's online and were viewable in PDF form and other forms as well. Now the e-books devices of today will ultimately become obsolete in only a matter of years, but as long as there is a market for e-books, chances are new and "improved" (I use this term loosely with some e-book readers of today) e-books will be created to replace the old versions. The era of physical books is quickly becoming a relic of the past and I imagine some time in the future, there won't be any traditional physical books, as times are quickly changing. Every bookstore in my area has either gone out of business (Walden Books, Borders, Atomic books in the sense of comics/manga) to name a few businesses and the nearest book store is a sizable distance away. As technology continues to advance, the need for practices that may even date thousands of years may soon either become obsolete and or are forced to modernize. |
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Genet
Posts: 261 Location: USA |
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I disagree, since I think that, even if it does not stay the standard, print will always have a market unless there is a far superior digital alternative to a tangible, physical item. Today's technology cannot replicate a high-quality physical book release. It might exist as a collector's market in the future, but I strongly disagree that physical books will cease to exist completely.
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SereneChaos
 Posts: 384 Location: Middle of Nowhere, USA |
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While its market will undeniably shrink, I highly doubt print will ever become completely obsolete. Everyone I know who has an ereader continues to buy physical books, and some types of books are simply not suited for reading on a device, such as guide or reference books. I love my ereader and ebooks, but I will never make the mistake of buying a guide book that way ever again. |
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StudioToledo
 Posts: 847 Location: Toledo, U.S.A. |
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They'll probably had a "-" or a "/" to it if they feel like it.
They would be. I'm too old now to know the truth. |
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