E-books and the graying of lit fans, CNet’s upbeat Sony Reader review, and VitalSource-Sage agreement
Earlier today I suggested that AARP explore e-books in a serious way and consider teaming up with the $100 laptop people and others. Imagine what an OLPC-designed "grandputer" and e-books could do for people with vision impairments and mobility problems.
Just a few days ago, I got a call from a retired businessman in his 80s who was desperate for easy tech to let him enjoy Web sites and e-books. The market is there even if the elderly are accustomed to paper. Sadly, disabilities may leave many of them with no other choice than to rely on E, large print and audiobooks.
Nicholas Negroponte’s people did a brilliant job of designing an e-book-friendly computer for children, even if it isn’t flawless; and I suspect that they can do the same for elderly people in the States and elsewhere. No ageism, please. With decades of life still ahead for the zillions of boomers, they, too, will figure in America’s future—not just the young. And there could even be synergies–since a bigger market for OLPC-designed machines could lower costs for everyone.
Biggest b-lovers: 50+
As if to back up my thoughts, Los Angeles Times has just published Shades of Gray in Fiction—on the need for publishing to serve the boomers. An excerpt:
"Since America’s 78 million baby boomers started turning 60 last year, dozens of novels with graying protagonists and late-life themes have hit the nation’s bookstores, adding a few new wrinkles to the face of contemporary fiction and underscoring a sobering fact about readers in America: The most avid book-lovers are 50 and older.
"Increasingly, so are the characters they’re reading about. And ‘the novelists are getting older’ too, said Jane Friedman, president and CEO of HarperCollins Worldwide. "It’s really the graying of America. . . . This is not a trend. I think it’s the zeitgeist."
"Novels ‘are going to now have to have characters that the aging population recognizes,’ she said, and ‘you’re going to start seeing all of those books in larger print.
E-books, also, please—not just large print
Or how about as e-books, where people can have control over the type size and conveniently order from home or the nursing home, regardless of infirmities? Long term, the costs would be less for both publishers and boomers than large-print books would. Meanwhile check out the Senior-Friendly Libraries blog written by TeleBlog contributor Isabelle Fetherston.
Other links of interest today:
–CNet reviewer David Carnoy likes the improved interface, speed and screen of the new Sony Reader.
–SAGE Publicatons’ e-books will now start appearing in the .vbk format from VitalSource, which will also provide other services. Ahead I’ll reproduce the press release.
VitalSource Takes Advanced eBook Platform across the Pond
Agreement with SAGE underscores broad base adoption of Vitalbook format by global publishing industry
Raleigh, NC – November 12, 2007— Vital Source Technologies, Inc., a leading developer of eBook solutions, today announced an agreement with SAGE, a leading international publisher, to provide services for the publisher’s digital strategy in the UK.
SAGE is focused on serving the global academic community with high quality journals, reference books and textbooks. Working with VitalSource further supports SAGE’s goal.
The agreement with VitalSource will enable SAGE to launch its premium content on VitalSource’s cutting-edge Vitalbook (*.vbk) format. SAGE will also benefit from access to VitalSource’s P2 application, a one-of-a-kind digital content management tool that allows publishers to organize, productize and market their properties safely and efficiently.
“SAGE is committed to making the best and most current scholarship accessible to a broad academic audience,” said Tony Histed, Associate Director, Sales, SAGE. “VitalSource’s technology will allow us to infuse content with interactivity, search and collaboration features in order to meet the needs of Digital Age scholars, students, teachers and practitioners.”
The Vitalbook format was developed to support content rich in graphics and text without burdening the user’s computer. The format’s proprietary technology also delivers advanced content tagging. As a result, works published in the Vitalbook format may be searched for specific references found in an image’s caption, a graph’s title, a paragraph, a chapter as well as the user’s entire library of VitalSource-powered eBooks.
SAGE eBooks featuring the Vitalbook technology will be stored, organized and viewed by users on a free, PC and MAC-compatible application called Bookshelf.
The software, designed to unleash the power of the Vitalbook format with leading-edge interactive and collaboration features, has been successfully deployed in K-12, secondary and post-secondary educational settings.
A flexible business model that allows publishers full control over their digital strategies, combined with an eBook platform built to enhance the learning experience have contributed to make VitalSource the go-to partner for academic publishers.
“VitalSource technology has been proven to improve teacher effectiveness, enhance student engagement and drive better outcomes for those seeking professional certifications,” said Frank Daniels III, CEO of VitalSource. “We are excited to be working with SAGE to bring more premium eBooks to market.”
About VitalSource Technologies, Inc.
Headquartered in Raleigh, NC, VitalSource is a leading provider of technology solutions for eBook publishing and distribution. The company enables publishers, distributors and other partners to create and deliver textbooks and other content directly to users’ computers in its proprietary Vitalbook (*.vbk) file format under a variety of scenarios, ranging from custom curriculum solutions to private-label bundled products, as well as single textbook and promotional content delivery to students and faculty in both secondary and post-secondary educational settings. In 2007, VitalSource commemorated the billionth book distributed in the Vitalbook format. VitalSource is an Ingram Digital Group company. For more information visit www.vitalsource.com
About Ingram Digital Group
Ingram Digital Group is an operating division of Ingram Industries Inc. and provides publishers and other content owners with a comprehensive offering of digital content accession, storage, management and distribution services. Ingram Digital Group along with its group companies MyiLibrary and VitalSource Technologies provides a full-service array of digital solutions and support. The Ingram companies – including Ingram Digital, Ingram Book Group and Lightning Source Inc. – provide a broad range of physical and digital services to the industry. For more information, visit www.ingramdigital.com
About SAGE
SAGE is a leading international publisher of journals, books, and electronic media for academic, educational, and professional markets. Since 1965, SAGE has helped inform and educate a global community of scholars, practitioners, researchers, and students spanning a wide range of subject areas including business, humanities, social sciences, and science, technology and medicine. An independent company, SAGE has principal offices in Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, and Singapore. www.sagepub.co.uk
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