The Other Book Revolution

Technology does change the way we read. In time, the hypertext link -- that invaluable new punctuation popularized by the Web -- will transform everything. We've taken some important steps, but progress has been slower than I hoped. Electronic books have encouraged new kinds of illustration and interaction. For the moment, though, the great change is the transformation in how we get books and how books find us. Lamentations for the bookstore are the background music of our time, but the picture is far more complex. Now, Internet booksellers make it easy to grab a book as soon as you hear about it. Electronic delivery can put the book onto your Kindle or iPad in moments. Browsing used book stores is great fun, but if you want a specific book that's out of print, Alibris and AbeBooks have no peer. The second great change in the literary economy is short-run printing. Short press runs reduce the necessary investment. With less at risk, specialized books can find their natural readers, and quirky and experimental works might find the right audience.