There's a new kid in town.
Traditional paper books aren't the only choice any more.
And a writer must learn to adapt to the new world to prevent becoming obsolete.
There are a number of differences between the eBook, Kindle and the traditional paper book which the writer must take into account.
Here are just five of those differences: 1.
Use of color.
Traditionally books were printed using blank ink.
To emphasize or separate text you were restricted to bold, underline or italics.
Sometimes, you could use different type styles but you were at the mercy of the typesetter.
Only expensive books could afford to use colors other than black and white.
The advent of the eBook released a writer and book designer from the tyranny of the typesetter.
Now colors were available for emphasis, separation, ease of reading or just for show.
However, the Kindle and its cronies are not capable of color display.
Even an expensive book cannot use color in its display.
So the writer must rely on the traditional techniques once more -- the use of underlining, bold and italics.
And more importantly on the writing itself.
2.
Use of font size.
Traditionally books were a creation of three people, the writer, the art director, and the typesetter.
Each could influence the size of type.
Generally, the art director determined the preferred type size.
The writer indicated where they needed a different, usually larger, type size.
And the typesetter chose the actual type (obeying their decisions or not as they wished).
With the advent of the eBook the writer selected the font size based on the recommendation of the art director.
This gave the writer unbelievable control over the book's look.
Words could be manipulated by their font and size alone.
Only if the writer chose to give up control (by hiring an art director after the fact) would this change.
However, the Kindle and other readers have given the control to the reader.
The reader can now control the font and size.
Neither the author nor the art director has final say.
3.
The size of the book.
In the distant past books were sized based on the cost of printing.
There were standards -- 25,000 words, 50,000 words, 75,000 words and 100,000 words -- based on the cost of production and the market demand of the reader.
eBooks changed that.
Because the eBook was difficult and tiring to read, the size of books shrunk considerably.
While 100 pages was considered almost too short (executive length) in the traditional world, 60 pages was considered very long for an eBook.
In fact, most eBooks run only slightly longer than a single traditional chapter! The portable reader such as the Kindle has adjusted the normal book size yet again.
Many books are the same sizes as traditional books (100, 200, 300, 400 and 400+ pages plus a 10% overage).
However, short eBooks are also available.
The market is still too new to determine what size will be preferred.
However, while the Kindle et al.
are not as hard to read as an eBook, they are more tiresome than a traditional print book.
So most likely the preferred book length will be less than a traditional book, but more than an eBook.
4.
Use of graphics.
In the past, graphics or pictures were more expensive to print than words -- even if they were black and white.
Color pictures put a book into a whole new class.
With the advent of the eBook, color pictures became an easy way to break up and provide variety to an eBook.
However, the digital readers are not capable of color display -- at any price.
As a result, the ability of a writer to use graphics has been set back.
This is especially true when displaying numeric data using a graph.
Graphs are no longer an easy way to display multiple columns of numeric data.
5.
Use of sidebars.
The tradition of sidebars is a trick used originally by magazines.
They allow related information to be inserted into the article without damaging the flow of the main writing.
Many of the new how to books have borrowed this technique.
While eBooks use this technique only sparingly (it takes a bit of effort and knowledge) it can be used quite effectively.
Unfortunately, digital readers allow the reader to adjust the size of the font.
As a result sidebars may disappear from the view.
Although sidebars can be used, their use needs to be minimized and adapted to the new display.