Toward the end of his life Edward Gorey experimented with the form of his work--I don't totally remember what all he tried, but a pop-up book was one of the more normal ones. Apparently there was one that worked sort of like a Viewfinder??
Anyway, the main thing this post made me think about is how much I love the way books start to smell. That foxed smell, autumn leaves and whiskey: no Kindle could ever.
One of my first and favorite experiences with a “book as art object” was finding a copy of House of Leaves at my second-hand bookstore. There’s nothing quite like the sense of, on one hand, claustrophobia and mania induced by the crammed marginless pages of unbroken paragraphs — and then on other pages, isolation; a single word, or a few words.
I'd been hearing this idea about people craving more authentic/communal activity, in light of AI, but the whole idea seemed kinda whimsical and abstract until seeing how you put it here. even the mmp from your jacket pocket on the train...it doesn't seem quaint or romanticized. and the appreciation of trim and texture. just a bit more mindfulness about the craft of things -- that'd be a nice result from the deluge of generic slop!
Thank you! I agree this topic can make people a bit whimsical or romantic. I think there is an even less romantic notion here, which is that people (for better or worse) expect digital stuff to be be free or very very cheap. It's just how things have played out. The digital economy is largely a gift economy, where e.g. Substack subscribers are more paying to support someone they enjoy than feeling they are paying for a good they value. But people still value physical goods, at least if you give them a reason too.
I was lucky enough to get a special edition for my book via a subscription box as well, and the final version was extremely gorgeous. I do think there's a growing desire for books that are lovely to hold, as well as lovely to read.
I think of Brandon Sanderson's company Dragonsteel, which does leatherbound editions of his books. They sell out quickly, and fans are rabid over them. I do think a lot of people crave the feeling of a nice book in their hands.
I will admit, I read the vast majority of my books on my phone. Libby is my best friend. But I can be tempted by special editions of books I have already read, if they are pretty enough. I love foil, and sprayed edges, and little silk bookmarks, and all of those other touches that make the book just feel *special*. It reminds me of when I was a little kid and everyone wanted to check out the book with the holographic cover, or the built in bookmark. It's nostalgic and just generally nice.
This is where my head's been going. I mentioned in a reply to you on Twitter how we tend to underrate the sense of touch in discussing media. Books do have weight, and texture, and in some ways it's easier to flip through some pages and skim than to run a search on a Kindle. Plus, they don't require an external power source.
Personally, I've always liked the smooth, flexible paper, compact sizes, and slipcovers of Japanese paperbacks.
I've been wondering if this may be a factor in the vinyl renaissance. Everyone talks about sound quality supposedly being different, but surely it's the music as a physical object that counts as well. Being able to listen to any music I want on Spotify is nice, but I can see the appeal in a medium that you have to actually touch, lift, and place on something in order to function. And of course, now you have deluxe vinyl releases of certain albums.
There's even this message from Tom Petty from the CD/digital version of Full Moon Fever:
"Hello, CD listeners. We've come to the point in this album where those listening on cassette, or records, will have to stand up, or sit down, and turn over the record, or tape. In fairness to those listeners, we'll now take a few seconds before we begin side two. [pause] Thank you. Here's side two."
Yes, I think the quality of a book really does matter. Maybe a small paradox of books is that they are in one way distinct from the object (the same novel can be made in a bunch of formats and we still judge it as the same work) but also the experience is totally changed by the medium and object. There was a bunch of discourse on here about whether audiobooks are reading or not. I don't see why they aren't, but I definitely process an audiobook differently than a physical book (find them easier for history non-fiction, harder for narrative fiction). The physical object is definitely an appeal of vinyl. I imagine a lot of people buy the vinyl just to own it, and then listen with a digital stream most of the time...
Yeah, I've been reading Marshall McLuhan, and that's basically his core thesis.
One of the problems I see with reading online is that we're getting it through the same inputs--our eyes and fingertips--as everything else we can see on our computer. On one hand, that makes every form of writing seem in some way interchangeable; on the other, it also has to compete more directly with video, music, and gaming, plus everything else online. The Kindle at least brings a physical object and a more comfortable screen back into play.
That's an interesting point about genre in audiobooks. I've often wondered why nonfiction essays tend to have an easier time online than fiction (besides fanfic). I even seem to recall "Cat Person" going viral seemingly in part because it was fairly easy to mistake for an essay. I wonder if there's something similar going on?
My audiobook issue is a little simpler: I can easily drift off and not pay that much attention now and then, which causes major problems in something narrative but doesn't matter as much for a history book. "Kinda missed who that king was. Okay, onto the next king." You know?
Thanks Lincoln. Physical books won't vanish. But e reading will continue to comprise a bigger and bigger share, especially on cell phones. Amazon Books, always ahead of the curve, is going big on phones, and they don't make many bad bets. Also expect to see (or rather hear) audio grow rapidly, with narration using AI.
What does this mean for writing? Authors need to take note. We're headed for a shorter, punchier age. Clarity and concision, always the hallmarks of good writing, will be held at an even higher premium. Those who can adjust will be the winners.
I agree we're in for a shorter, punchier literature. I certainly don't see ebooks going away but I do think the market is splitting apart in different ways. Ebooks ales for traditional publishers have been declining while the sales for self-published authors increase. My impression is these are increasingly separate markets where one set of readers reads predominantly physical books by trad publishers and another set of readers buys predominantly self-published ebooks.
really cool to see these other projects come to life. if it’s alright, i also wanted to mention my recent book, which i (as an artist myself) envisioned as an art object:
I’ve spent a couple of years carefully crafting my book. Not only the story arcs, but the formatting and the overall presentation of the book as well. Even the cover. All this, knowing full well that the Damocles Sword of AI slop was omnipresent.
I’m well aware that agents and publishers have unfathomable slush piles of submissions to be read. So, how could my hand-crafted story possibly compete? Especially when submissions are required in ‘manuscript format’ (double-spaced PDF with no formatting – disregarding my careful page layout).
So, I’ve decided to go the delusional route and self-publish a physical book only. I’ll take it to a few local bricks & mortar booksellers to see if anyone might interested in reading it, but I won’t hold my breath.
"Time Stryder, the Hidden Storms" – the past has yet to happen, and the future haunts us all …
The first place I’ll try is the little store where I bought my copy of Metallic Realms.
Hi Jeff! I'm a little late to this thread but I'm able to answer your ending question. The answer is YES! Book busking is totally a thing, and I know it works (I've bought 3 or 4 books that way :) ). The hard part of it is finding the correct venue in which to try it.
I am lucky enough to live near a large artist collective, where people have permission to set up stalls some days (if they don't want to pay for a full studio). I have seen people sell their books to passers-by in that space, as it's already a space for unique experiences and handmade art, which I think helps a lot. (I bought 2 books this way.)
I've also seen people selling their self-published books at a surprisingly wide variety of conventions! I've seen every genre of book (not just fantasy) for sale at ren faires, and I've seen book booths (more speculative fiction, comics, and graphic novels--but also the occasional cookbook?!) at comic/pop culture/anime conventions. I've even seen book booths at more "work" or "career" oriented conventions!
In short, if you do a LOT of market research to find venues that may work for you, this is totally a viable path to getting your book out there in physical form. Good luck!
I'm a kindle/ebook read solely for practical purposes. I live in Tokyo, having space for books is a luxury. I would love to have a library, not even a big one, full of tactile texts. I always love the MMP sizes as well. When I was publishing my novel, I wanted to have it printed in that size. Alas, the trends and standard practices imps got to me and printed in a larger more "acceptable" trim.
Toward the end of his life Edward Gorey experimented with the form of his work--I don't totally remember what all he tried, but a pop-up book was one of the more normal ones. Apparently there was one that worked sort of like a Viewfinder??
Anyway, the main thing this post made me think about is how much I love the way books start to smell. That foxed smell, autumn leaves and whiskey: no Kindle could ever.
One of my first and favorite experiences with a “book as art object” was finding a copy of House of Leaves at my second-hand bookstore. There’s nothing quite like the sense of, on one hand, claustrophobia and mania induced by the crammed marginless pages of unbroken paragraphs — and then on other pages, isolation; a single word, or a few words.
I'd been hearing this idea about people craving more authentic/communal activity, in light of AI, but the whole idea seemed kinda whimsical and abstract until seeing how you put it here. even the mmp from your jacket pocket on the train...it doesn't seem quaint or romanticized. and the appreciation of trim and texture. just a bit more mindfulness about the craft of things -- that'd be a nice result from the deluge of generic slop!
Thank you! I agree this topic can make people a bit whimsical or romantic. I think there is an even less romantic notion here, which is that people (for better or worse) expect digital stuff to be be free or very very cheap. It's just how things have played out. The digital economy is largely a gift economy, where e.g. Substack subscribers are more paying to support someone they enjoy than feeling they are paying for a good they value. But people still value physical goods, at least if you give them a reason too.
I was lucky enough to get a special edition for my book via a subscription box as well, and the final version was extremely gorgeous. I do think there's a growing desire for books that are lovely to hold, as well as lovely to read.
I think of Brandon Sanderson's company Dragonsteel, which does leatherbound editions of his books. They sell out quickly, and fans are rabid over them. I do think a lot of people crave the feeling of a nice book in their hands.
I will admit, I read the vast majority of my books on my phone. Libby is my best friend. But I can be tempted by special editions of books I have already read, if they are pretty enough. I love foil, and sprayed edges, and little silk bookmarks, and all of those other touches that make the book just feel *special*. It reminds me of when I was a little kid and everyone wanted to check out the book with the holographic cover, or the built in bookmark. It's nostalgic and just generally nice.
This is where my head's been going. I mentioned in a reply to you on Twitter how we tend to underrate the sense of touch in discussing media. Books do have weight, and texture, and in some ways it's easier to flip through some pages and skim than to run a search on a Kindle. Plus, they don't require an external power source.
Personally, I've always liked the smooth, flexible paper, compact sizes, and slipcovers of Japanese paperbacks.
I've been wondering if this may be a factor in the vinyl renaissance. Everyone talks about sound quality supposedly being different, but surely it's the music as a physical object that counts as well. Being able to listen to any music I want on Spotify is nice, but I can see the appeal in a medium that you have to actually touch, lift, and place on something in order to function. And of course, now you have deluxe vinyl releases of certain albums.
There's even this message from Tom Petty from the CD/digital version of Full Moon Fever:
"Hello, CD listeners. We've come to the point in this album where those listening on cassette, or records, will have to stand up, or sit down, and turn over the record, or tape. In fairness to those listeners, we'll now take a few seconds before we begin side two. [pause] Thank you. Here's side two."
Yes, I think the quality of a book really does matter. Maybe a small paradox of books is that they are in one way distinct from the object (the same novel can be made in a bunch of formats and we still judge it as the same work) but also the experience is totally changed by the medium and object. There was a bunch of discourse on here about whether audiobooks are reading or not. I don't see why they aren't, but I definitely process an audiobook differently than a physical book (find them easier for history non-fiction, harder for narrative fiction). The physical object is definitely an appeal of vinyl. I imagine a lot of people buy the vinyl just to own it, and then listen with a digital stream most of the time...
Yeah, I've been reading Marshall McLuhan, and that's basically his core thesis.
One of the problems I see with reading online is that we're getting it through the same inputs--our eyes and fingertips--as everything else we can see on our computer. On one hand, that makes every form of writing seem in some way interchangeable; on the other, it also has to compete more directly with video, music, and gaming, plus everything else online. The Kindle at least brings a physical object and a more comfortable screen back into play.
That's an interesting point about genre in audiobooks. I've often wondered why nonfiction essays tend to have an easier time online than fiction (besides fanfic). I even seem to recall "Cat Person" going viral seemingly in part because it was fairly easy to mistake for an essay. I wonder if there's something similar going on?
My audiobook issue is a little simpler: I can easily drift off and not pay that much attention now and then, which causes major problems in something narrative but doesn't matter as much for a history book. "Kinda missed who that king was. Okay, onto the next king." You know?
Congrats! Also -- that's a great cover on Metallic Realms. Looks really good.
Thank you!
Thanks Lincoln. Physical books won't vanish. But e reading will continue to comprise a bigger and bigger share, especially on cell phones. Amazon Books, always ahead of the curve, is going big on phones, and they don't make many bad bets. Also expect to see (or rather hear) audio grow rapidly, with narration using AI.
What does this mean for writing? Authors need to take note. We're headed for a shorter, punchier age. Clarity and concision, always the hallmarks of good writing, will be held at an even higher premium. Those who can adjust will be the winners.
I agree we're in for a shorter, punchier literature. I certainly don't see ebooks going away but I do think the market is splitting apart in different ways. Ebooks ales for traditional publishers have been declining while the sales for self-published authors increase. My impression is these are increasingly separate markets where one set of readers reads predominantly physical books by trad publishers and another set of readers buys predominantly self-published ebooks.
Well this shoots my whole theory to hell : )
really cool to see these other projects come to life. if it’s alright, i also wanted to mention my recent book, which i (as an artist myself) envisioned as an art object:
https://book.korakwok.com/products/the-sea-sky-sun
To your list of pocket-sized books, allow me to add the small book series published by tRaum Books:
Corrupted Vessels by Briar Ripley Page
Query by Zilla Novikov
It Helps With the Blues by Bryan Cebulski
A + E, Read and Then Burn This, both by Ryszard Merey
All excellent!
I’ve spent a couple of years carefully crafting my book. Not only the story arcs, but the formatting and the overall presentation of the book as well. Even the cover. All this, knowing full well that the Damocles Sword of AI slop was omnipresent.
I’m well aware that agents and publishers have unfathomable slush piles of submissions to be read. So, how could my hand-crafted story possibly compete? Especially when submissions are required in ‘manuscript format’ (double-spaced PDF with no formatting – disregarding my careful page layout).
So, I’ve decided to go the delusional route and self-publish a physical book only. I’ll take it to a few local bricks & mortar booksellers to see if anyone might interested in reading it, but I won’t hold my breath.
"Time Stryder, the Hidden Storms" – the past has yet to happen, and the future haunts us all …
The first place I’ll try is the little store where I bought my copy of Metallic Realms.
Quick question: Is ‘Book Busking’ a thing?
Hi Jeff! I'm a little late to this thread but I'm able to answer your ending question. The answer is YES! Book busking is totally a thing, and I know it works (I've bought 3 or 4 books that way :) ). The hard part of it is finding the correct venue in which to try it.
I am lucky enough to live near a large artist collective, where people have permission to set up stalls some days (if they don't want to pay for a full studio). I have seen people sell their books to passers-by in that space, as it's already a space for unique experiences and handmade art, which I think helps a lot. (I bought 2 books this way.)
I've also seen people selling their self-published books at a surprisingly wide variety of conventions! I've seen every genre of book (not just fantasy) for sale at ren faires, and I've seen book booths (more speculative fiction, comics, and graphic novels--but also the occasional cookbook?!) at comic/pop culture/anime conventions. I've even seen book booths at more "work" or "career" oriented conventions!
In short, if you do a LOT of market research to find venues that may work for you, this is totally a viable path to getting your book out there in physical form. Good luck!
I'm a kindle/ebook read solely for practical purposes. I live in Tokyo, having space for books is a luxury. I would love to have a library, not even a big one, full of tactile texts. I always love the MMP sizes as well. When I was publishing my novel, I wanted to have it printed in that size. Alas, the trends and standard practices imps got to me and printed in a larger more "acceptable" trim.