123ArticleOnline Logo
Welcome to 123ArticleOnline.com!
ALL >> Writing >> View Article

E(merging) Books

Profile Picture
By Author: Sam Vaknin
Total Articles: 58
Comment this article
Facebook ShareTwitter ShareGoogle+ ShareTwitter Share

A novel re-definition through experimentation of the classical format of the book is emerging.

Consider the now defunct BookTailor. It used to sell its book customization software mainly to travel agents - but such software is likely to conquer other niches (such as the legal and medical professions). It allows users to select bits and pieces from a library of e-books, combine them into a totally new tome and print and bind the latter on demand. The client can also choose to buy the end-product as an e-book. Consider what this simple business model does to entrenched and age old notions such as "original" and "copies", copyright, and book identifiers. What is the "original" in this case? Is it the final, user-customized book - or its sources? And if no customized book is identical to any other - what happens to the intuitive notion of "copies"? Should BookTailor-generated books considered to be unique exemplars of one-copy print runs? If so, should each one receive a unique identifier (for instance, a unique ISBN)? Does the user possess any rights in the final product, composed and selected by him? What about the ...
... copyrights of the original authors?

Or take BookCrossing.com. On the face of it, it presents no profound challenge to established publishing practices and to the modern concept of intellectual property. Members register their books, obtain a BCID (BookCrossing ID Number) and then give the book to someone, or simply leave it lying around for a total stranger to find. Henceforth, fate determines the chain of events. Eventual successive owners of the volume are supposed to report to BookCrossing (by e-mail) about the book's and their whereabouts, thereby generating moving plots and mapping the territory of literacy and bibliomania. This innocuous model subversively undermines the concept - legal and moral - of ownership. It also expropriates the book from the realm of passive, inert objects and transforms it into a catalyst of human interactions across time and space. In other words, it returns the book to its origins: a time capsule, a time machine and the embodiment of a historical narrative.

E-books, hitherto, have largely been nothing but an ephemeral rendition of their print predecessors. But e-books are another medium altogether. They can and will provide a different reading experience. Consider "hyperlinks within the e-book and without it - to web content, reference works, etc., embedded instant shopping and ordering links, divergent, user-interactive, decision driven plotlines, interaction with other e-books (using Bluetooth or another wireless standard), collaborative authoring, gaming and community activities, automatically or periodically updated content, ,multimedia capabilities, database, Favourites and History Maintenance (records of reading habits, shopping habits, interaction with other readers, plot related decisions and much more), automatic and embedded audio conversion and translation capabilities, full wireless piconetworking and scatternetworking capabilities and more".


About the Author Sam Vaknin is the author of Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited and After the Rain - How the West Lost the East. He is a columnist for Central Europe Review, United Press International (UPI) and eBookWeb and the editor of mental health and Central East Europe categories in The Open Directory, Suite101 and searcheurope.com.


Visit Sam's Web site at http://samvak.tripod.com

Total Views: 344Word Count: 530See All articles From Author

Add Comment

Writing Articles

1. Beyond The Benchmark: Leveraging Reverse Engineering For A Winning Product Strategy
Author: andrew smith

2. Inspirational Life Good Morning Quotes
Author: Motivation Gyan

3. Bangalore's Best Content Writing Professionals Services Agency
Author: italics began as a humble backyard content writing

4. Online Cfd Trading: Your Questions Answered
Author: johnson

5. Content Marketing 101: Create Engaging Content Your Audience Loves
Author: vedpandey

6. Enhancing The Essay Writing Process
Author: Creighton Lyon

7. Cnc Machine Tools Precision Solutions For Modern Manufacturing
Author: Blocktobox

8. Claims Of Racism And Intimidation In Gmc's Actions Against Accuvision Clinic
Author: Wilfred

9. Housing Esa Letter: 5 Key Facts You Must Know
Author: Justin Foley

10. Elevating Accessibility: Streamlining Subtitle Creation For Youtube Creators
Author: Janice Chow

11. Shower Curtains For Hotels
Author: Richard

12. Google Flights Leverages Amtrak Data To Boost Sustainable Transport Decisions Amid Green Initiative Push
Author: jamescolin

13. Academic Guru: A Leading Thesis And Dissertation Writing Service Provider
Author: Nitesh

14. Cipher Publisher: A Leading Name In Self-publishing Excellence
Author: Nitesh

15. Ag Publishing House: A Leading Self-book Publishing House
Author: Nitesh

Login To Account
Login Email:
Password:
Forgot Password?
New User?
Sign Up Newsletter
Email Address: