The Philippine Online Chronicles

What is the fate of the paper and ink book in the digital age? With the rise of electronic books, e-readers, and the magnitude of information available on the Internet, fears have arisen that the old-fashioned book might go permanently out of style.

To address this, members of the local publishing industry came together on September 13 and 14 for the country’s first Philippine Digital Publishing Conference at the UP-Ayala Technohub. Entitled "the Future of the Book," the two-day series of talks covered the changing landscape of publishing, the rise of e-books, and how Filipino readers, writers and publishers can make the best of these changes.

Sponsoring the conference were the National Book Development Board (NBDB), Book Development Association of the Philippines (BDAP), Filipinas Heritage Library and Vibal Foundation, Inc.

An exhibit right outside the session hall also featured the evolution of e-readers through the years, from readers on the laptop, up until the recently-released Apple iPad.

Facing the unknown

“As we shift towards new ways of sharing ideas, many are asking this major major question - What will happen to the book as we know it?” asked master of ceremonies Toots Policarpio.

A rising demand for e-books and e-book readers (like the Amazon Kindle, smartphones, or the Apple iPad), as well as the availability of information online, have marked a shift in the market which some say herald the end of traditional books and publishing.

Electronic books can be downloaded quickly, an entire library can be stored in a single e-book reader, and these may feature search tools, or font change. In addition, e-books remove the need for warehousing and transport of books, potentially cutting down book prices.

Keynote speaker and BDAP president Lirio Sandoval said, “The public and private sector of the Philippine book industry are very much concerned about the future of the book industry in this digital generation, and it affects publishers, book sellers and readers alike.”

“Will it benefit our local publishers or will they be eaten up?” he asked. “Will readers benefit from lower prices and wider selections, or only those who can afford to take advantage of this technology?”

“Book sellers are even more concerned,” he added. “Do they still have a role to play in the book industry?”

“This conference is the latest in many such conferences around the world, asking what the future might hold for [books and traditional publishing],” he said. “Some say the digital age will be the end of the book, others say it will be another chapter in the long and illustrious history of the book.”

NBDB chairman Dennis Gonzales said that Filipinos should see the widespread changes caused by the digital age as a challenge and opportunity rather than a threat.

“[We] help market develop to ensure the Philippine public will be life-long learners and book lovers, not just readers,” he said.

“We publishers as authentic entrepreneurs should be risk-takers in the midst of new development,” Gonzales added. “It will sometimes hurt, but risk-takers who will take calculated risks are the ones who eventually succeed.”

International models

To gain perspective on how the digital age is changing publishing, the conference invited a number of speakers from big publishing houses in the United States, England, Germany and Canada.

Among these were President and CEO of the Canada-based Lightning Source J. Kirby Best, who discussed the opportunities in new services like Print on Demand in his talk "Service Innovation: The path to Book Publishing Success in the Digital Age."

"Print on Demand" is storing an electric copy of a book and just printing out as many copies as needed, as opposed to the current practice of printing out an entire run of books and then hoping these are all sold.

According to Best, Print on Demand is “not just about production but a whole new way to do business. It’s not just about inventory reduction but allowing new publishing models and products to flourish.”

He added that while such a system, which directly reacts to consumer demands, may hurt publishing houses that continue using the traditional system, writers and readers are likely to  benefit.

Founder and president of Flat World Knowledge Eric Frank, who gave his presentation via Skype, discussed the role of the Internet in creating a new kind of textbook. Instead of students having to buy books (which cost hundreds of dollars in North America), he said that new systems like Flat Earth Knowledge allows students to download textbooks for free. Teachers may also annotate these books to customize the learning experience.

Frank added that while Flat Earth does not generate revenue from their e-books, they can still charge for services like printing the book out on demand, offering supplementary educational tools, and tutorial services.

“We should experiment and experiment widely,” he said, about the emerging solutions to the situation of e-books encroaching on traditional books.

Other speakers included British-based Lynette Owen of Pearson Education, who talked about both the importance and difficulties of protecting and enforcing copyright laws in the Internet age, and German speaker Johannes Scherer, who highlighted the importance of traditional companies to be flexible to the changes made by the development of new publishing technology.

E-books in the Philippine setting

Local writers and self-publishers were also invited to share their views on the digital age from their perspectives.

Among these were panels on the importance of seeing digital books through the consumer’s point of view, with Carljoe Javier, Charles Tan and Edgardo Quiros; a look at the different kinds of currently available e-readers with Abe Olandres and Cocoy Dayao; and a look at how artists and independent publishers (in contrast to big publishers) can make use of the internet to flourish, with Angelo Suarez and Paolo Chikiamco.

There were also talks on how readers and writers may employ social media and online platforms, how digital products should be priced, and how journalism in the Philippines is changing with the development of the internet.

Keynote speaker Patricia May Jurilla said in her speech that despite the advent of new technologies that “alter, modify and transform the previous form [of books],” one cannot say that traditional books are on their way out.

According to Jurilla, the co-existence of digital and analog forms of the book is possible, especially as e-readers, which may cost thousands of pesos, have yet to become affordable to majority of readers. She added that although the definition of books may have to be expanded to include digital mediums, these still serve their basic function of “recording and transmitting human thought,” which is what the written word has been doing for thousands of years.

The program and a list of all speakers can be viewed here.