It’s been a week of proofs, previews and photos which don’t quite fit the page in my publishing world. It’s also had a touch of the multinational: celebrating American Independence Day, organising a Chinese translation, finishing my read of ‘The Italian Wedding’ (Nicky Pellegrino) and attempting to learn a little German for the upcoming Frankfurt Book Fair. So far I can say: “I’d like a glass of wine. I have brown shoes. Where is the soap? It is cold and windy”.
All this after eight hours of a singing German audio CD.
So, I’m a poor auditory learner. This confession leads into another: I have never listened to an audio book. I see their place and purpose. I just….don’t see how I could be enthralled in the same way as that addictive page-turning joy of the “traditional” book. A book is more than the words: it is the size, the feel of the paper stock, the spacing of typography, the font combinations. I have been known to bore many an unsuspecting dinner party audience with this passionate discussion.
However I am captivated by the way multi-media formats will shape the future of the book. I may cling to my paper stock and debossed covers, but I welcome the opportunities digitalisation offers. I am a firm believer the “book” as we have historically known it will never become extinct in it’s entirety. There is too much history, status and meaning. But there is also space to utilise technology and turn the book into a truly interactive experience.
That said, my missions for the next week:
- Read ‘The Book is Dead: Long live the Book’ by Sherman Young
- Listen to an audio book
- Learn a few German phrases that extend beyond wine, the weather and footwear. (As essential as these topics are).
And by the way, ‘The Italian Wedding’ by Nicky Pellegrino is well worth a read. I easily fell into the world of the Martinelli family and the drama and discoveries that procure as they piece together where they all come from and where they all stand. A book to curl up with under the winter duvet. I am now pining for a trip to Italy to indulge in melanzane alla parmigiana and lounge about the piazza.
Einen schönen Tag allerseits…
Renee
