More than 20 years ago, when I was writing about the rise of the Internet for Wired and Rolling Stone magazines, I wrote a column about what I called “the new book.” I imagined that digital technology would alter the form of the book – hypertext, which linked the text to other texts, video, which presented the story in a literal form, and still images – animation, digital photography, easier and cheaper than film. In my mind, the new book would come to life, no longer be static, text only, still. A completely new way to tell stories.
The digital culture has spawned a great outpouring of new kinds of books – e-books, holographic books, gaming stories, vivid animated and graphic novels. Decades later, I am living my own vision, experiencing my own dream. On Monday, my new kind of book “The Story Of Rose: A Man And His Dog” will be published by Random House for $2.99 in regular form and $3.99 for the enhanced version (for sale on Amazon, Bn.com and Ibooks, Nooks, Kindles and Ipads).
It is smaller than most full-sized paper books, 40,000 words, but larger than most e-books. It is a real book, a gorgeous book, a manifestation of my idea of the new book. I am not stopping writing regular books, but on Monday at 6 p.m., Connie Brooks and I will get together at her bookstore, Battenkill Books, and talk about “The Story Of Rose,” and what it means to writing, publishing, bookstores, and most importantly, to readers.
Some people feel they are being excluded from this book because they don’t want to buy Kindles or Ipads. I believe many people have long been excluded from publishing because they can’t afford books and can’t always get to bookstores, or want to. Bookstores are important to people like me, and so many others, but many people do not go to bookstores or have the money. Digital books and tablets are opening up whole new avenues for reading and ultimately, for writing as well. If this has hurt bookstores, it has also hurt writers. My income has fallen dramatically in the past few years as hardcover sales have declined. But I believe anyone who loves books or stories will ultimately benefit from the rise of the e-book. It is a golden time for reading, unnerving as it is to have written a book that sells for less than a bran muffin at Dunkin Donuts.
I consider it my obligation as a writer to follow my readers, to survive as a writer and grow, to tell my stories in the most creative and accessible way. “The Story Of Rose” is, for me, a dream fulfilled. It goes on sale Monday, August 6. Connie and I will be at Battenkill Books to talk about it at 6 p.m. Monday. You could only have this conversation at an independent bookstore. I’m bringing Red and Lenore to help organize things.
One reason the book is priced so low is so that everyone can afford to buy and read it. That is new ground for me, and I hope it is true. If so, my dream will have been quite worthwhile.