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Ben Bova: I saw e-books (and related problems) coming

March 7, 2010 - 7:30pm — Bibliofuture

Excerpt from article by Ben Bova:

My novel “Cyberbooks” was science fiction when it was published in 1989. Today it’s coming true.

“Cyberbooks” was a satirical look at how the book-publishing industry will inevitably change from printing books on paper to putting them out electronically. My basic premise was simple: electrons are cheaper than paper.

The hero of my novel was an idealistic young Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) engineer who had invented a workable electronic book reader, a cyberbook.

Full article

Book: Cyberbooks

Comments

March 8, 2010 - 12:25pm — Walt

Pulling "facts" out of where?

Ninety percent of a publisher's expenses have to do with hauling paper around? Bullshit. Unsourced, unlikely, implausible. (Impossible, actually: Since royalties account for at least 10%--and that's of retail, not wholesale--that would mean publishers get copyediting, typesetting, publicity and overhead FOR FREE!)

When you start out with a falsoid like that (like a factoid, but false), the column's almost certain to head downhill. Bova wrote some pretty decent SF once upon a time...although I don't have particularly fond memories of "Cyberbooks."

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March 17, 2010 - 12:41pm — Anonymous

Actually...

The original definition of factoid says that a factoid is not true. I'm sure you know that, though.

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March 17, 2010 - 1:07pm — Anonymous

good to see that there is at

good to see that there is at least one prescriptive lexicographer out there. it must be lonely (and that's a factoid that you can take to the bank as the crow flies)/

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