The Millions blog has a detailed write-up on our friends at the Future of the Book (“redefining the act of reading, with the ultimate goal of democratizing how information is created, conveyed, maintained and understood”).
Meanwhile, in the spirit of the institutes’s mission, Jesse Wilbur at the if:book blog has a write-up on the write-up. “The fact that this piece is on a blog—and not an expanded (expandable?) format—is a testament to how much further the tools and practices of writing still need to advance before we begin to approach our vision of ‘networked book.'” For nonfiction, I find it difficult to think of writing a book without interactivity—the reason why I’m now focused on a novel.
Home to Sophie
The Institute, of course, is home to the Sophie program for interactive books and other documents. I can’t wait for Sophie and similar software to catch on. Within mainstream publishing, the IDPF will help a lot if it can work out trustworthy linking and annotation standards. Those are not little details. I wholeheartedly agree with the instituter’s belief that there’s much more to redefining the book than, say, allowing insertion of ads. Interactivity means that readers will get closer to the truth since authors will be more accountable; and smart writers and publishers will welcome the feedback. The improved results will give new life to books as a medium—with positive consequences for the book industry, not just for society at large.
(Thanks to Peter Brantley.)
