Cory Doctorow,Patrick Hayden Nielsen, Interzone reviews editor Paul Raven and Gollancz editor Jo Fletcher hosted a fascinating discussion on electronic publishing.
Sunday’s panels included a topical discussion about electronic publishing.
Cory Doctorow argued that trying to restrict the dissemination of art via mechanisms such as Creative Commons Licences is all but immoral. This isn't a new argument. When the panel moderator asked what could be done to convince doubters of the advantages of publishing on-line, Patrick Hayden Nielsen argued that no-one needs convincing; that “It’s inevitable.”
Jo Fletcher mooted that while it’s inevitable, her main concern is how to ensure that authors still get paid for their work, in the same way that they get paid today. But Doctorow argued that looking to ensure that authors get a guaranteed income for life as a means of engaging a solution to the e-book question is the fastest way to ensure that there is no solution.
Paul Raven stated that he sees the role of publisher is to act as a filter to weed out work that’s sub-standard. Doctorow disputed this. “There are already people out there filtering already.”
What seems clear is that for readers and writers alike, the future is going to be very, very different.
