More than any other time, it is the subject of e-books which brings to my mind the paradox of art vs science. It all ties down into formatting, implementing elements other than the printed word, diagram, chart, illustration, or photograph.
Why formatting should be so great a concern to an author of e-books may not be so clear to a writer of contemporary fiction. If, for the sake of argument, an author wishes to convey his thoughts in the form of printed words, then a PDF document would seem the most rational format, given that PDF is for all practicality a standard in business document format (and with upgraded software even text becomes somewhat searchable in an array of massive technical documentation). The e-book writer, however, will come across a number of limitations in each format.
Consider some of the elements which go into some of the best selling e-books. Writers who earn a living as an Infopreneur often include video, animated graphs or charts, interactive icons, and so on. One example of these electronic books which implement video or animations is the shear number of get rich books, coupon writer programs, real estate e-books, and commercial property investment books.
In order to implement these various elements into ebooks, the author typically will format the ebook as an HTML file, so that the book may be viewed on a browser. Yet, this route can lead to book returns due to a number of readers who were unable to digest the full content of the ebook. And why? Because the ebook may not have properly displayed in one browser or another.
So here we are at a stand off it would seem... Which elements shall I include in my ebooks? What browsers support my content? What browser is most popular among those more likely to read my ebooks as a stand alone web page (off-line)?
The real question is whether or not the author will take the time to learn about technology. Certainly, it is something of a nuisance to learn a new science. However, it is really only a learning curve if we look at ourselves straight. In many ways the author today must become somewhat of a technically savvy writer. Once the author realizes the learning curve or road block in publishing his indie craft, he can turn the entire process of learning into a game of research (something authors must do anyway). The author can implement new elements into the content of his work in the way of creating puzzles to be solved by the reader. In this way, the science of e-books returns once again to the art of creation. Literature, after all, is really an art form intended to move the muscle of the mind in one direction or another. The new ebook of tomorrow is simply a more complex language compiled into an electro-magnetic package...
For those who have some difficulty with technology, keep in mind that science is really an elaborate philosophy of exploration which distinguishes itself from the arts by avoiding subjectivity the best that it can (I say 'the best that it can' because we have learned through timeless trials that the observer does project some influence over the subject). Realizing that to some extent all things are in their own right an art form, the author will have far less bias toward adapting to the variant ebook formats. Authors will then have a far greater reach across mediums for the written word, graphics--or whatever form of language intended to provoke a spark between the synapses in the minds of the reading audience.
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