Platform games: The writer, the publishing industry and debates over non-print book formats in the twenty-first century

Abstract

The twenty-first century has seen significant evolution of publishing platforms. Since the publication of the first commercial ebook in 2000, much of the public discussion around the ebook’s place in English-language publishing has cast it as a rival to printed books and a threat to the industry, rather than an alternative vessel for content delivery. At various times during that seventeen years, both ebooks and paper books have been declared a spent force, with the other seen as on the brink of triumph. During this time, audiobooks have evolved significantly, and other narrative platforms have arisen. This paper examines the ongoing debates about platforms, the selective use of, and extrapolation from details that has occurred as part of it, and the framing of the predictions that have characterised it, many of which have proven to be inaccurate. It argues for a writer-centred view that understands this debate, but sees all formats as a way to reach readers, and worthy of consideration in a writer’s publishing plans.