A Brave New World of eBooks
To quote an often misused Twitter prefix: in case you missed it: there’s a small revolution at play as we speak. Avid readers are undoubtedly aware of, and likely already embraced, electronic books (eBooks) and recent news from major booksellers suggests that eBooks are now outselling their printed editions.
As an author, this is some of the best news I’ve heard in a while. The ability to retain complete creative control, to sell directly to my audience and to be able to cut out numerous (and expensive) middlemen is a boon likely to result in a flux of exciting new titles. Authors are now free to target whatever niche and topic they want; the effort paying off even with just a handful of sales (as opposed to a large upfront investment and the need to sell thousands of copies to be worthwhile in printed editions). We are witnessing nothing short of the democratization of the publishing industry.
Indeed, many photographers are already offering a wealth of information in electronic format directly to their audience. Eliminating almost all of the overhead associated with traditional publishing allows authors to offer their work at very attractive prices while still making a reasonable profit, and I suspect few will miss the days of large palettes of books stacked in the garage, hoping to find enough outlets willing to sell them.
There was no doubt in my mind that instructional texts, essays and short “how to’s” will lend themselves well to electronic reading devices but have to admit that I always thought one class of books – large format “coffee table” photo books – will be difficult to replace. Something about the experience of handling a large book, the scent of the pages, and the ability to appreciate fine detail just seemed to be made for paper. I should know; I own more of them than I can fit on my shelves!
I have, however, quite literally, seen the light!
Let me start with a small confession: I didn’t just wonder whether eBooks can impart the same viewing experience, I decided to actually try it with my recent release of Intimate Portraits of the Colorado Plateau. Not to resort to thinly-veiled marketing, let me be upfront about it: I want you to buy this eBook and I want to hear your thoughts about viewing it on your screen. My own conclusion was a rather surprising one, even for me: the electronic format, while not replacing the joy of paper books, provides a completely new aesthetic and viewing experience.
For decades we learned to appreciate the luminous look of fine prints presented under proper lighting. The most striking aspect of viewing an eBook of high resolution images on a device such as the Apple iPad, though, is that is actually IS luminous. The back-lit screen brings the images to life, giving them their own inherent light, almost channeling the actual qualities of the light at the scene. Consider the implications: this may well be the biggest thing to happen to purveyors of photographic images since the photographic inkjet printer!
Rather than toot my own horn (too much,) though, let me share with you a moment of inspiration I experienced earlier today while reviewing William Neill’s Yosemite (Volume One) book, now available in 2 different editions: a dedicated iPad app, and a PDF eBook, which are based in part on Neill’s printed edition, all of which I happen to own.
I purchased Neill’s printed book a couple of years back. His work had been an inspiration to me for almost as long as I lived in the American West and I jumped at the opportunity to purchase a signed copy when it was first released. The PDF version is very much true to the book’s format, presenting images in a traditional white “mat” with the added luminosity of the iPad’s screen. The dedicated iPad app was an altogether different experience, though. I’m generally a pretty quiet reader but will confess to an audible “wow” when I reached Page 8, showing Neill’s image of a spring storm making its way through Yosemite Valley. Admittedly, the image did not stand out to me in the printed edition (rich in many other superb images) but on the back-lit iPad screen those clouds appeared to glow with the same rich Sierra storm light that illuminated them in front of Neill’s camera.
This small version (posted with permission) still falls short of the exquisite rendition in the iPad version:
- Spring storm, Yosemite Valley, by William Neill
It is a brave new world for authors and readers alike and I, for one, am extremely excited. I look forward to seeing more such titles in electronic format.
I should also mention that the code behind Neill’s new offering was written by my friend Jim Goldstein who obviously realized the possibilities long before I have. Thank you, Jim for the insight!
Category: Books and eBooks, Thoughts and Musings
Just purchased your ebook, Creative Processing Techniques. Thanks so much for writing it! I enjoy your work so much. Do you mind if i mention your ebook on my own blog at http://bitly.com/myphotoblog ?
In Greenspun’s “Philip and Alex Guide to Web Publishing” (my reference text !) written the mid 90s, there is a sub-chapter entitled “Images on the Web can look better than on a magazine page” that discusses the favorable contrast ratio vs resolution trade off.
I could nopt agree more – this is the way forward. We even touched on this in our recent Podcast, the simple difference that paper is a reflective media, whereas screens illuminate the images, allows for a totally different viewing experience. Add to that the ability to create interactive content and it is even more powerful..
Some great insights, Guy. I too love seeing photo books in print but that image of William Neill’s looks amazing posted on your blog and I have no doubt would look great on the iPad if I owned one. His Yosemite book is actually one of my favorite books in my collection so I’m curious to see it on an iPad as well to compare the different viewing experiences.
Interesting post on a subject that I’ve been thinking about lately. I just hope that there will be a viewing device (read iPad) with higher resolution so that it matches the fine detail of a print in the same size.
Ebooks will become more and more popular but I don’t see them becoming a boom industry immediately, more likely a slow progression over time. Instructional type will more than likely be the most popular it will be convenient to have reading material on ones portable device. On the other hand limits are many with ebooks as compared to print versions, most will not invest several hundred dollars for a portable device that can properly render images they way they need or are expected to be viewed. It seems crazy to me to buy a $500 device to view a $10 book. I say this because I am at that cross road, I love the idea but can not justify the cost just to look at pictures. I will more than likely buy some of these products but viewing will be limited to the computer monitor which seems to defeat some of the purpose of the electronic version.
Obviously this is how I see things at the present and could be totally wrong. Technology and the wants of people change like the seasons in Kansas. As there are more choices in quality portable devices, mainly tablets, I see the sales of ebooks picking up pace, but it is common for hardware to lead the practical needs for such items. People will ultimately decide what it’s worth to them but one thing is clear, the ebook revolution is upon us.
Brad, Amazon already announced last month that they are now selling more eBooks than paper books:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/20/technology/20amazon.html
Interesting. I’m one of those dinosaurs who love the feel and romance of a good book (paper). I like highlighting passages where I can come back and reread them time and again. I like being able to throw a book in the truck for nightly reading while on the road, without having to worry about being quite so careful with it, or worrying about battery life, etc. Ebooks have been a hard transition for me so far, although it’s a transition I’m being forced to make. I certainly understand the advantages to the author, and am pleased that more choices (and a wider array of choices) will be available to the public. Even so, it’s hard to witness the decline of a genre I’ve loved for so many years.
Thanks Guy, appreciate the food for thought. I’ve been buying eBooks lately, mostly because in the past I used to carry two or more books with me when I travel (for inspiration), but weight was always a factor when I did. Now, with eBooks I can carry my entire collection (now if I could get Jack Dykinga’s Large Format Nature Photography in eBook format). I purchased your Intimate Portraits of the Colorado Plateau a few days ago, and am about 25% of the way through it, and enjoying it very much.
One comment about the form factor. While iPad’s are popular, they are by no means the only tablet available – I’m getting ready to buy the new Samsung Galaxy Tab. Authors should consider them as well. There are people who, for whatever reason, prefer not to own an iPad, but prefer Android/Windows alternatives.
Yep they sure did Guy, don’t get me wrong I think that’s great and I’m sure it will only continue. I have your first ebook and love it and will undoubtedly purchase the second and yep probably your Intimate Portraits of the Colorado Plateau as well. E-”readers” are great thing, I was referring more towards the ebooks replacing the coffee table photo books as you had mentioned. I completely agree with your premise, they will be difficult to replace. We seem to accept the notion of web quality photos on our computers and it’s very possible devices such as the ipad render equal quality in color and contrast but I don’t speak from experience. I would have one in my hand at this moment if it just wasn’t for the price. I think that is were people struggle with the crossover.
Thanks everyone!
Bill, I actually feel the same way and do not plan on giving up on paper books altogether. The electronic format doesn’t quite replace that romantic feeling you describe. Instead, it offers a different kind of experience, which is quite compelling in my opinion. Also, as Robert mentioned, you can carry several books on a single device. Rather than throwing an old paper copy in the back, keep it in a padded sleeve in your glove compartment and you can have an entire library with you.
Robert, I agree completely. This is why I much prefer PDF to other formats. It lets me lay out the book as I please (which is not possible with EPUB and others) and is supported by a wide variety of devices. I’m sure larger and better displays (and smaller, if that’s a preferred option) are or will be available soon.
Brad, I know. I actually bought the iPad for a different purpose (credit card processing) and may not have purchased it back then otherwise. Still, knowing what I know now, I think I’ll be willing to spend the money if only just for the ability to have multiple books on hand while traveling.
Hi Guy,
Good article.
Another advantage of ebooks is the time between finishing the book, and publishing it. With ebooks it can be as short as a day. With print books, it usually takes over a year.
I also have several ebooks for sale, and I do like the ease of production and the control I maintain. And it’s nice to keep 100% of the profits, instead of the roughly 8% an author receives for a print book.
Have Fun,
Jeff
Great article, Guy. The next step will be displaying the pages of eBooks — particularly photo books — onto large HDTV screens. While I don’t know if its being used for eBooks, the technology is out there already; using an AppleTV, I can display photos and videos from my iPad onto my TV. It’s a great way to share the content among multiple viewers.
Hey Guy. I’m curious to know if you think people will be inclined to view eBook photo books over and over again just like large format books in a photo collection?
When I first looked at my ebooks on the ipad this year, I was humbled by how good it makes the images look and the experience of flicking through the pages.
Luminous is exactly the word and feeling. My first taste of this was a few years ago, the first time I looked at a high resolution image on an Apple Cinema Display and knew that, for me, this is the direction I wanted to go with my own art.
But high resolution prints on fine art paper have their own special qualities for sure. . .
Guy thank you for writing this article. I too am a lover of books and while I have an iPad I still, every so often add to my collection of art and photography books. Having said that viewing photography ebooks on an iPad is incredible. Not long ago I purchased Peter Lik’s book as an iPad app and it is spectacular. Truth be told I could ‘t afford to purchase the book which I believe is in the $500 range. The ebook which was $8.99 was a steL in comparison.
Transmitted light has always been superior to reflected light…… Remember transparency material (Kodachrome, Ektachrome, Agfachrome) versus what you could get in a print?…..Give me a fine print any day. At least it takes some knowledge of the craft to make.
Thanks Guy for your interesting thoughts, for posting my photograph and mentioning my ebooks and app. I am thoroughly enjoying your ebook Intimate Portraits of the Colorado Plateau. Spectacular imagery. I first started photographing in your area of Utah in 1976 while I attended the University of Colorado for spring break. Hiked down to Spanish Bottom. Deeply inspired by Edward Abbey, whose Desert Solitaire was required reading in my Environmental Conservation degree at Boulder. I met Abbey a couple of times, and knew Doug Peacock (alias Hayduke) when I worked for the NPS in North Cascades. Got to read Doug’s copy of Monkey Wrench Gang before it was released!
I just wish more ebook authors would keep their prices as reasonable as yours are, Guy. Some ebooks seem to be priced higher than what I would expect for a physical copy ($20-50)! Not to mention, second hand physical copies can often be had for under $5 used. If authors keep their prices so artificially high I wonder if the ebook bubble will burst as a result of file sharing.
The transmitted light argument is an interesting one.. hadn’t really thought about that before.
I agree, Floris. I often scratch my head when I see some of these prices, too. Still, the Internet is the epitome of a free market and I trust that the simple laws of supply and demand will ultimately dictate what sells and what doesn’t.
Guy
eReaders and tablets are getting cheaper by the day, eBooks are outselling print. technology triumphs. we went from vinyl to cd to mp3. everyone benefits. I feel the same is occurring here. I embrace it and look forward for what is to come.
[...] out in the first place was clouds that reminded me of the William Neil photo at the bottom of this journal post by Guy Tal. The composition of “Shrine Clouds” is modeled after these photos by Patrick [...]
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