Before we all abandon hope, here are a few thoughts to help keep things in perspective:
- New technology has always brought about widespread change. It happened when we started scribbling on paper instead of cave walls. It happened when the printing press was invented. And yet, humans are still itching to write things down and share them with others. The way we deliver stories may evolve, but the desire to tell them will probably stick.
- Electronic formatting will change the way we distribute and market books, without a doubt. This may mean that part of a writer's job will be to use online social networking, as well as podcasts and live chats. It may be new territory for some, but it can mean reaching a larger audience, without leaving the comforts of one's own home. Hey, even Margaret Atwood is on Twitter!
- Ask yourself if you really care whether your work is read from a piece of paper, or from a computer screen. As far as I'm concerned, if people are reading my stuff, and I'm getting paid for it, then I'm doing alright. Given the success of iTunes, it may be that people are far more willing to pay to download literature than they are to take it home in a bag and have to find space for it.
- Paper books will probably still have sentimental cache for many readers. Beyond their practical use, they're cultural artifacts, like the family china pattern, or one's favorite stuffed animal. I recently heard a parent say that even after her daughter read a book on her Kindle, she still wanted a paperback copy, so that she could take it to school and share favourite pages with friends.
