1. All India Radio, Panaji
17/22April 2012
Author-Publisher-Book Relation in the Digital Era
Kanaka N. Swamy
23April is a symbolic date commemorating the death of two literary giants –
the English playwright and poet, William Shakespeare and the Spanish
novelist Miguel de Cervantes. Hence to make this day more memorable and
meaningful, the UNESCO deliberates on issues related to books, author,
publisher and copyright all over the world.
The ‘technology’ of books is old; the print-reader relationship spanning
more than five and a half centuries is unquestionable. The scholarly works
the world has seen stand witness to that! The information storage format on
its long journey, from clay tablets to palm leaves, from papyrus to print and
from print to digital media is no small achievement. As the paperback,
which created a revolution in the publishing industry kicked off , it was
considered a threat to the very existence of print medium .But the beauty
lies in the fact that all these remain indispensable to date. Yet change is
inevitable to keep pace with the demands of a generation. What baffles the
present day adult is the Information Overload resulting in the inability to
filter the right information, rather than the paucity of information.
It may not be too prophetic to declare the demise of a technology that has
withstood the test of the time .. But we need to welcome new elements that
creep in assuring qualitative mode of transferring and preserving ideas.
Print is no longer a dominant element of the 21st century. Electronic books,
like paperbacks once, are the new avatars here to create another revolution in
the information arena .This might cause temporary inconvenience to the
information industry but will, in no way, create discomfort, or crumble down
the print version. A significant trait of an online version is that -the content
is the king, and the form and format which are the delivery mode of a
document take the back stage. To make the statement more clear it means
the updates which is very crucial in the area of knowledge transmission can
be handled much easily. The Encyclopaedia Britannica, as the current stock
of 2010 edition runs out, will no more be available in the printed form. For

2. a long period of time this reference material has been under severe criticism
for the inconsistencies present in macropaedia with its corresponding
micropaedia, obsolete articles and its out dated bibliographic content.
Perhaps this is one area where the electronic mode seems to have a cutting
edge over other modes of gathering information
Moreover the nature of electronic contents is analogous and digital in form
which could be read on a computer screen. This helps the user to open
multiple windows, and, flip through the pages in a linear fashion to follow a
favorite theme of his, that cuts across several chapters which he may prefer
to download or read online. They are high quality texts published by bona
fide publishers, digitized and diligently proof read with the help of
volunteers. The electronic readers help the users focus on the minutest
details to make reading a pleasurable event. The digitized version of
Gutenberg Bible available at the Library of Congress, which belongs to a
bygone era, is a concrete evidence to substantiate the statement. The Internet
Archive that offers downloadable texts that are out of print, rare books and
documents which are not easily accessible to patrons, The Random House
which has been making aggressive effort to publish its fiction and non-
fiction titles through its newly created e-book unit are indicators showing
their path to success.
The intricate and intimate relationship of a reader with the print documents
spanning a period of five and half centuries is highly understandable. The
feel of a book, the texture and the musty smell which pervades all over the
pages of an old collection, the physical proximity the ambience no doubt
makes us nostalgic. Recreating the same physical proximity may be
impossible .But efforts to preserve the physical appearance –for example the
colour of the paper with due consideration to the date of publication is done
to make the user feel nothing is missed out while reading the digital version.
The fact that some of the major companies that control the majority of
digital books with e-reader outpace their hard cover sales reinforces the
capability of the digital media.
At this point an analysis of the relation between author, publisher and the
information seeking behavior of a reader in a digital environment becomes
inevitable. Considering the reader as focal point it can be said that the
present day youth is ‘Digital Native’. He views the world of information
and the communication medium differently from most of the adults who are
‘Digital Immigrants’ or digitally naïve. To him the new technology has
repositioned the learning and reading process. The reader is more on the
comfort zone getting enough flexibility in terms of time and space. He has

3. the access to new techniques in solving old issues probably on a short span
of time. If confronted with a genuine question -has this helped increase
readership, the answer may be confounding. It may not have made readers
out of non-readers. But will definitely withstand the brickbats with no
threats to any of the existing medium. What will happen is the convergence
of technologies. Haven we see the radio come back with much greater force
and have not the listeners welcome with great enthusiasm?
But the author on the other side is not much convinced on the arguments
laid out by new technology. A traditional writer is much apprehensive of
the new ways and too skeptical of the new mode with all its tall claims.
Technology needs to reassure the author, as the creator of a scholarly piece
of work that he too stands to benefit, that he could think of different models
that would work to his advantage. He can simply post his work online with
retailers. He can offer his book as downloads or through print on demand.
The transparency in the electronic medium gives him the flexibility to assess
the market. Here the publisher is on the scrutiny of the author, which
permits him to reassess or withdraw his consent and settle royalty matters. If
a publisher performs well and turns a book into a bestseller then he is bound
to cough up more royalty.
This simply makes the writer retrospect, ‘Do we need publishing houses to
take care of our creativity?’ The answer is YES! They are a bridge and a
supporting partner investing heavily on publicity with good marketing skill
and a strong editorial voice. The scholastic work of an author, be it a book
or an e-book, or an article pay-per- view, or an audio-download, he is safe
in the hands of a publishing house for boosting his sales and promotion and
preventing piracy which is a by-product of this technology.
But the sudden switch over to a new platform which is yet to prove its
competence and credibility has given way to sharp new debates questioning
the basic philosophy of-
(1) what constitutes an electronic book? (2) Does an author who has signed
a contract with a publisher to publish a document in print form before the
advent of internet has handed over the publisher e-book rights? (3) What are
the remedial steps which can stop a publisher from converting the author’s
intellectual resource into different and can cause financial inconvenience.
Hardly one seems to realize that the publisher venturing into this newly-
found technology is also vulnerable to serious consequences which might
jeopardize the entire information industry.. Unless adequate measures

4. safeguarding the pitfalls that could creep in are put in place the e-books are
poised to become another branch of copyright disputes as in the music and
movie industries. A law acceptable to authors, publishers and booksellers
protecting their rights need to be put in place. Serious thinkers in this field
feel the laws must be on par with copyright laws of traditional format or that
exceeds a hard bound or paperback document. The publisher needs to
publish physically and electronically together for a long time. The author-
reader- publisher relation is so delicate a sincere effort from all sides is
likely to clear the confusion that haunts the mind of these intellectual
communities.
. Hence with the conscious attempt of intellectuals related to knowledge
sector, a World Forum on ‘Culture and Culture Industries’ will be held on
June 2012 in Italy, spearheaded by Unesco to discuss the theme “The book
tomorrow, the future of written word”. According to UN Secretary- General
it is a pledge by United Nations to provide reading material available to
800 million adults that lack reading skill all over the world.
To reinforce the principals of the June summit, the UNESCO on its
initiative will deliberate on vital issues like translation across borders,
copyright, author- publisher relation, and nuances related to technology,
calling experts from all quarters on 23 April 2012 . The very edifice of a
society is built on a culture that entertains diverse ideas beyond borders.