As you know, last week Apple presented the new iPad with a froth of anticipation in the media. How is this going to affect the publishing industry and our careers as authors and illustrators?

One of the most interesting features of the iPad is that you can read books with color pictures and it looks to me like a very friendly alternative to paper books. It’s true that this is not the first computer tablet computer and eBook reader on the market. But, considering Apple’s marketing powers, this will probably mark the beginning of a new “tablet” era. It’s very clear that nothing is going to stop it now, as there are other models from different manufacturers coming out this year.

To be frank with you, I’m not necessarily the target of these kind of devices so I’m not here to tell you to go get one. But I do want to share my reflections about how this new creatures are going to affect the lives and careers of book authors, illustrators and book readers.

Filling the living-room gap

During the last few days, there’s been a lot of talk about how cool or uncool the iPad is. To me, the real point is being missed here. I’m talking about how a new generation of devices is going to affect our lives and the whole publishing industry. If you think I’m going too far, just think of the way personal computers, mobile phones and iPods have already changed the way we live, socialize, buy and produce. No kidding!

Speaking of devices changing our everyday life, do you ever wonder about how they evolved during the last two decades? It’s strange! I can’t quite understand why the world of personal computers jumped from the work environment to the streets with mobile phones and iPods. I’m not a mobile phone user myself. My wife and I work at home and that’s where we spend most of the time so we don’t really need one, but I can perfectly understand how useful mobile phones are for many other people. It’s just that I can’t get the way music, movies, games and the Internet took over street life. It could be said that our civilization spends their entire lives out in the street. Definitely, there has to be something missing here…

The living room is the gap. At some point, the companies decided that money would come easier and faster by first introducing the computer world on portable devices. Probably because many people still associate computers with work and hard-to-handle technology and we all know that fun is usually a better selling point. Obviously, the next chapter in this race for the new technological way of life is to fill the living room gap. It’s been relegated for too many years to heavy laptops with battery limitations which usually get really hot and you can’t actually keep on “your lap”. Not quite a technology dream! So that’s exactly what the new tablets are all about and I bet you that in 5 years there will be one of these devices sitting at the couch of every middle class family. We will wonder about how could we live without them before!

Very soon, tablets and personal computers will be connected wireless to our huge TV screens and there you go: you have the Internet, movies, games, music and books controlled right from your living room couch. No remote controls, iPods, iPhones, Kindles, etc. Everything will be controlled right from a single tablet. One that it’s easy to use for all kinds of people, because what many detractors of the iPad don’t get is that they’re not even the main target of this new generation of devices. The main target is not just teenagers and computer workers who are used to new technologies like you and I are. The new “living room eCrew” are people of all ages who are probably scared of computers and don’t know what the hell a blog is. But they’ll be happy to control their whole leisure time from a little flat tablet just because that way it will be easier, better and funnier. In short: it’s going change the way the people listen to music, watch movies and TV, play video games, and read books.

So if you’re asking yourself what all this has to do with art, illustration and books, this is the picture: millions of people reading eBooks on their living room couch, in their favorite sofa and in bed. Think about it.

Analog Vs. digital

Ever since the Kindle was out, I’ve seen many people discussing this. To me, this argument makes no sense. Who says that we need to pick between apples and oranges? Let me give you an example: the MP3 has been out there for than a decade now. There was a lot of buzz about the loss of quality in MP3s. Many people predicted that vinyls would disappear, but they’re still around. I can tell you this because I’m a vinyl user myself. As a big music fan, I have a pretty large quantity of MP3s but I still keep a big collection of vinyls too. I know that I’m not the only one who loves listening to his favorite albums on the turntable and going out vinyl hunting. Well, it’s exactly the same with books. Paper books and eBooks are not supposed to kill each other, the will co-exist and grow together. But the most important: they will support each other.

Paper books are unique to establish a special relationship between the artist/author and the reader. They’re more expensive and slow to produce and deliver. They also need a lot of middle people in the chain until they reach the audience. But they have the quality of uniqueness because they are in material form, so there you have a plus. On the other hand, eBooks are not much of a personal item. They don’t have a material and sentimental value, but they don’t take any room to store. And here is the real good deal about them: they’re easier and cheaper to acquire and to produce.

Self-publishing is the future

The key about the eBook world is not in the coolness of the item itself. After all, a book is just a book. It’s in the new capabilities for authors to produce and distribute our own work without having to completely depend on third parties, such as agents, art directors and publishers. This is a wonderful opportunity for a real change in the relationship between authors/artists and readers. A real alternative to produce books in an affordable way and sell them directly to the readers. Looking at the state of the book industry today, God knows how important alternatives are! Especially for new authors who see every agent’s and publisher’s doors closed. So, who’s interested in this alternative becoming a reality? I’m 100% in.

This is the opportunity to take advantage of electronic formats and the Internet to reach our audience through web sites, social media, blogs and personal stores. There are millions of people out there who are just waiting to have the opportunity to enjoy our work. They don’t want anybody to tell them what they need to buy and what they like. We have the opportunity of taking the reins of our careers and create a relationship based in trust and authenticity. So if we open the right channels to reach our real audience there’s plenty of room for all of us. It’s an audience that may not be massive in all cases but will be willing to support us to do what we love to do. what we do at our best, which is after all to make them feel happy and alive.

Note: My forthcoming Kooky Pets book will be given away in eBook format on this web site. I’m open to finding other channels of free distribution.