iPad and the trend towards reading digitally
February 21st, 2010 | By Ovi Demetrian Jr | Posted in DistributionPublishing
The recent announcement of the iPad has once again sparked talk about digital publishing. Although it’s been somewhat misguided by focusing on print media going away (which people have been saying since the early years of the Internet and it’s still not really true), the common point made is that devices like the Kindle and the iPad make ereading more accessible for people in a similar way that the iPod made downloadable music more accessible to a wider audience. The Kindle has already proven this based on its sales success during this past holiday season.
What does this mean for independent artists and writers? Well, consider what the music industry is like now since the iPod came out and how independent musicians have been able to get their music sold better than ever before through the use of online tools for distribution and promotion. Additionally, the advent of podcasting which came directly from the iPod’s online marketplace, iTunes. It’s allowed anyone to share their ideas in a new way and immediately gather a niche audience.
In a lot of ways, digital publishing is at a point where music downloading was just a few years ago. Which means that now is the perfect time for independent storytellers to self-publish their work and seek out their audience via the upcoming distribution mediums that put them on the same playing field as large publishing companies. Amazon already offers a way for writers to self-publish their work on their online store. Soon Apple will as well through its iPad. Even Microsoft has plans for releasing its own software that will tie in with its upcoming device.
It’s an exciting time for people who love to read to enjoy media like never before, and for storytellers out there, it couldn’t be a better time to reach an audience!
Ovi Demetrian Jr is the founder and interface designer for Indie Aisle. He loves books of fiction along with comics and has delusions of writing his own stories someday.
[...] is for reading news, articles and books. And more people grasping this concept is what will expand the audience for ebooks. Because now there is a device designed specifically for reading [...]