Every year about 250 people assemble for a 1 day conference known as IDPF (International Digital Publishing Forum). Here we hear what will be facing the eBook and Reader industry for the next year. Big names like Adobe, Google, Apple, Sony, Kindle, and more will all give their views on the state of EPUB as a format, new devices, the Agency Model, DRM and Non-DRM strategies, iPad, MIDs (Mobile Internet Devices),new eBook Stores, and a lot more. The Statistics alone that are released are amazing.
BUT... this year this little conference joins with the giant BEA (Book Expo America show). Now the show runs about a week long and brings in about 200,000 book lovers. This means that the publishers will be in full force at the event. Every author you can imagine will be represented there as well as hundreds of independent authors and publishers. Astak will be meeting with the actual publishers and authors... trying to build for the future.
The first thing that will come out of this combined event is statistics on the industry. What is working and what is not. We will start to hear from websites that are NON-DRM and how they are doing with that. Every genre from erotic to politics to espionage and crime will be talked about and new titles shown. Hundreds of publishers will be planning their first foray into eBooks and away from Printed Books.
Two years ago we went to BEA and found almost NO support from anyone for eBooks. We were dismissed as a nuisance. This year most of the hour long sessions are on eBooks with advice on how to get involved to new titles in Spanish and other languages. You would not belive just how major the impact of eBooks is on the Printed World.
Yes, the iPad will be there... all two pounds of it with 8-10 hours of battery life. Think the end of the Dedicated eBook Reader is at hand? Think again. Changes are coming to eBook Readers to make them more interactive and the dawn of the MID (Mobile Internet Device) may make the bulky tablet obsolete. Imagine a device that does MORE than the iPad, has a web cam and a camera, gets a few days to a charge, is color, weighs about 14 ounces tops, and costs quite a bit less.
So where will this leave Dedicated eBook Readers? Better, faster, stronger, lower priced, and the light weight champion for reading by far.
Anyway, from May 24-28, I will not be blogging but will be getting info for some great new stuff.
I will try to give you a better perspective soon on this show and what is coming up soon!! It will effect you and you should know about this!!
