The Future Of The Book: It's Already Here

Saw this over at The Creative Penn, a site on writing, self-publishing, print-on-demand, internet sales and marketing for your book: The Future Of The Book: It's Already Here. An excerpt:

Last night I attended an event at the State Library of Queensland with Bob Stein, founder and co-director of the Institute for the Future of the Book, in conversation with @Kate_Eltham, CEO of Queensland Writers Centre.

The publishing industry is changing right now, and we can be a part of it by exploding old school ideas of what an author is. Creativity has never been so easy or accessible to express and collaborate on. If we can break out of the idea of physical books and traditional publishing, there are endless opportunities for authors in this new world!

Here are some of his ideas, and my responses.

Books in the future will be an experience in cross-media. We need to look to the gaming industry to see a space where people are not constrained by the old forms. Fiction authors will become creators of worlds that readers populate like World of Warcraft.

I disagree with Bob. This is not the future. It is happening right now.

Click here for the whole entry.