Guest Column: The 300-Pound E-Gorilla

Independent publishers are spending too much time worrying about the future impact of e-books and too much money partnering up with companies that are more hype than substance. We all know that change is coming. By 2025, technology will be providing us with new gadgets to run our businesses and sell our books, and e-books will be a significant part of the book-trade pie. But right now, we need to keep our eye on producing titles for the 97 percent that comprises the traditional markets. When the time is right to make the move to e-books, we'll know it.

So, is there an e-gorilla in the room? Sure, there is. But it's a lot smaller than you might think.

Rudy Shur is founder and publisher of Long Island, N.Y.-based Square One Publishers.