3 Interesting Pieces On The Digitization Of Text

Do you remember the early years of the iPod? Apple's mp3 player was still locked to its proprietary operating system, still some years away from becoming Windows-friendly (which eventually led to its roaring success). Napster's first incarnation was also in full bloom, and mp3's were being shared by millions of users (iTunes didn't exist yet), to the consternation of the music industry. With the advent of better made e-readers, pundits are now seeing similarities (and differences) between that time and now for book buyers and the publishing industry. Amazon's Kindle seems to have the upper hand at becoming the iPod of e-readers, though that can still change.

Which makes these three articles an interesting read, as each tries to foresee how the industry's business model will change in the near future, how it will affect readers, writers, editors, and everyone else involved, and how lessons can be learned from what happened to the music business.

Does The Book Industry Want To Get Napstered?

Bits Of Destruction Hit The Book Publishing Business: Part 1, Part 2.