As publishers, we want our readers to be as free as possible to do what they want with the books we sell them, as long as we don't get robbed. Classic DRM doesn't do this. It ties the reader to particular reading devices and software and imposes unreasonable restrictions — on lending or giving away e-books — simply because the technology can't regulate these activities and so must ban them. Classic DRM is equally bad for the publisher because he has to buy in (literally) to one DRM platform or another and be tied to a specific distributor who can provide...

The peacock's tail is the most honest thing in zoology. It says "This thing is expensive to construct and it makes me more vulnerable to predators. But I have built it, and I haven't been eaten, so you see how strong I must be". Book publishing is full of peacocks' tails. When I lift a heavy illustrated book from Thames & Hudson, I know that time and money have been spent on it. Since Thames & Hudson are a commercial organization, I know that they have done this because they think the content is worth the effort and because they think...

[caption id="attachment_28779" align="alignright" width="360" caption="The Real World"][/caption] I can't see the point of e-books. They are slower to flick through than real books, you can't lend them or borrow them or give them away, and if you leave them on the train they cost hundreds of dollars to replace. Nevertheless, some people seem to like them, and as a publisher it's my job to offer people what they might want. Here is my first look, as a publisher and a citizen of the real world (see above) at what my distribution options are. A****n In...

ePub is the magic that will rescue us from the crumbling Tower of eBabel and give us e-books that Just Work. Or not. Here is the experience of a simple-minded publisher who believed what he was told about ePub. Perhaps there are some morals to be drawn. But if I'm not simple-minded, just simple--- please correct me gently! The book I'm formatting as an e-book is a collection of short stories. Here's a link to one of them, so you can follow my reasoning if you want. The formatting of these stories...

Everyone knows what an e-book is. You read it on a screen, probably one that you’re holding in your hand. You tap or swipe or click to turn the page. And there’s a table of contents that helps you get to what you’re looking for. This definition is in the process of being changed. It is being changed in a way that will illegitimise a lot of extremely useful e-books. And worst of all, in all the talk about formats and standards and channels and DRM, no-one even notices that the change is happening, so nobody thinks about...