By Richard Jay Parker
Today it's been announced that Ray Bradbury's novel about a dystopian future where books are outlawed is to be published as an ebook.
Its title, FAHRENHEIT 451, is said to refer to the temperature at which paper burns although it's since been estimated to actually be somewhere between 424 to 474.
This seems like a very apt title to release as an ebook. If you believe one side of a familiar argument it appears to be contributing to the death of the paper book - the very entity the story celebrates. If you're on the other side it appears to be contributing to its evolution.
Bradbury himself is said to have resisted the Internet and been dismissive of it in the past. Now he has his ASIN number this is probably the ultimate example of what the future will most definitely mean for writers.
I wonder at what temperature a Kindle burns at? I'm sure there are lots of people in the industry who would cheerfully 'take a reading.'
Visit Richard at: www.richardjayparker.com
I actually think the dystopian version of publishing's current future is much worse. In order to "get rid" of ebooks, all a publisher/book seller/program (Kindle, etc) must do is stop your access. This can be done digitally with the click of a button. You can't store your ebooks like you can your paperbacks; there is no sharing from one person to the next by the light of a candle. In my opinion, a dystopia based on the current market is much more bleak. We are dependent on the internet and digital comforts, and we can be removed from access very easily....should the powers that be desire it...
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