Debates: VERSUS?
John: The term "warfare" infers an absolute winner and loser. That's nonsense; it's not an either/or proposition. The BISG survey shows that — for individuals of certain ages and incomes — the ebook format is rapidly displacing print. However, print still has intrinsic value that digital has not yet replicated. For one thing, printed books are physical products, not software. Once sold, they are not subject to the whims of any publisher or reseller. I agree that format choice is cause for consumer celebration, not depression. If there is a war, it's not about formats, per se, but about who will control book distribution. Software-savvy e-distributors may indeed overthrow the old physical product regime. However, this is only cause for depression if the new order limits consumer choice for commercial gain.
John Parsons (john@intuideas.com), former Editorial Director of The Seybold Report, is an independent writer, ghostwriter, and editor. He is the co-author of the interactive printed textbook, Introduction to Graphic Communication, on the art, science and business of print, which has been adopted by Ryerson, Arizona State, the University of Houston, and many other schools and vocational training centers. Custom editions of the book are under consideration by major printing companies and franchises for internal training purposes.