Seth Godin Abandons Books, But Is He Going Too Far?

Bestselling author and marketing whiz Seth Godin made a bold statement this week, announcing he was abandoning traditional book publishing altogether, in favor of the digital alternatives.

According to Godin, in his interview with Mediabistro, “I like the people, but I can’t abide the long wait, the filters, the big push at launch, the nudging to get people to go to a store they don’t usually visit to buy something they don’t usually buy, to get them to pay for an idea in a form that’s hard to spread…”

Godin is a brilliant marketing mind, but I think he’s missing the point. Yes, you can reach larger numbers of people easily online, but there’s an emotional element missing that only books can satisfy. If you love a book, you dog-ear the pages, highlight passages, and read it over and over. You just don’t get that kind of interaction on an e-reader or through a blog. Books may be old-fashioned, but they can certainly inspire loyal and engaged audiences like no other medium.

Books aren’t going anywhere. They induce a certain charm and fill a need that no website can satisfy. Personally, I enjoy holding a book in my hands, feeling the tactile nature of the paper, the bind, the smell of the new pages – that’s a hell of a sensation.

I couldn’t disagree more with Mashable’s assertion that “Paper books aren’t a particularly elegant way to spread an idea in the age of blogs, e-readers and social media.” Books are about as elegant as it gets!

Being a digital girl, I completely understand the importance and amazing value of e-readers, social media and other forms of communication – but nothing’s gonna put books out of business. There’s room for both the tactile and the digital worlds to co-exist. After all, you can’t fill a bookshelf with a stack of Kindles.

Similar Posts

None Found

Comments

About Author