Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ In defence of the book and other thoughts on the digitalization of knowledge

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community
If I had the time, I would write a book, and if I thought I could make a living off it, I'd find the time. But the reality (despite the assertion that 'authors need to be paid' found in this post and many others) is that making a living off a book you write is a longshot. So while I am well-disposed toward Tony Bates and wish him all the best in book publishing, I simply don't think his defense of the book really scales. That said, this post is a nice analysis of the argument, and I especially like the way it looks at a 'defense of the book' through several dimensions:
- the 'book' as a long form piece of writing, as opposed to short
- the 'book' as a print publication, as opposed to electronic
- the 'book' as a commercial product, as opposed to open content
Related: Blue Skunk Blog, 'Do you work for your publisher, or..?'

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Dec 22, 2024 11:04 a.m.

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