The Publishing World Is Changing

It seems as if every day I hear of something new that has evolved in this digital world we now inhabit. I’m still trying to figure out how everything works on my cell phone and find myself asking my grandchildren for advice on what all the aps stand for. That’s embarrassing when one of them is in first grade. Even if I am a little slow in catching on to all the new technology that changes constantly, I’m thrilled to be living in such an exciting time.  

As a teacher and principal for many years, I saw our educational system go through a lot of changes. When I first started, textbooks and a chalk board were staples in every classroom. Now classrooms sport the latest in technology, and even pre-school children are proficient with computers. But what will the classrooms of the future look like?

From what I’ve read lately, textbooks are going to be a thing of the past. With the emphasis on ebooks, children in future classrooms may have devices for downloading the books they need. Parents are already purchasing Kindles and Nooks for their children to read the latest ebook, and the trend is growing. A search in the Kindle store for children’s books brought up a list of over 30,000 books. I thought I had done something wrong and narrowed the search to books for children ages 3-5. That search revealed 107 titles available. There’s even a list of free ebooks for children.

I for one am happy to see that children aren’t going to be left out when it comes to the latest trends in publishing. I’m a firm believer in having children read, but I also know many don’t like to sit down and read an entire book. They will, however, read a comic book filled with pictures and lots of action.

Publishers, ever mindful of growing trends, have taken notice of movies like Captain America that was number 1 at the box office in July and have begun to move into action-filled faith based comic books. At ICRS Kingstone Comics CEO Art Ayris said, “We want to become the Marvel (Comics) of the faith market…Adding to Kingstone’s current 25 titles will be a series that will build towards a complete graphic Bible.” Can you imagine that?

There are many changes taking place in the world of publishing. Digital books are being touted as the future. How do you feel about the growing trend toward ebooks? Will you purchase a digital reader and download books, or will you insist on holding the actual book in your hand?