Publishing’s Black Hole of Creativity: The iPad

By Bob Hughes - Nov 29 , 2010

The problem with the iPad, apparently, is that it offers too many opportunities to be creative. Really, that must be the reasons that publishers aren’t stepping up to the potential of this product, and the opportunity it offers to build something new for readers, and a new generation of readers. It’s been a problem for publishers: how to surmount the “problems” of new technology and utilize its power.

The challenge for publishers is that they still think along old lines: words.

Today’s audience loves words. But they also like to experience them in different ways.

And today’s audience has embraced new technology faster than publishers seem to.

It’s a question of listening to the audience, of course.

It’s also a question of acting on what you hear.

Books can be interactive. And not just children’s books. Interactive books of all types can be doorways into a greater reading experience from Dr. Seuss to Lewis Carroll – and, one hopes, contemporary authors. Of course, “War and Peace” might not need additional content. But then again – wouldn’t it be great to have interactive maps of the Napoleonic campaigns? Wouldn’t it be great to imagine the characters and to see the landscapes – one can do both.

Sure, the Kindle, the iBook application, and a few other readers work well on the iPad. But they don’t take advantage of the potential. They don’t think outside the page.

There are a lot of ways to approach this. With an iPad app, readers have a chance to give instant feedback to creators, if they view the comments section. Most app makers do, but do most publishers?

Sure. Right.

But that would mean rethinking. The artist David Hockney has used the iPad to create a whole new series of paintings. He’s in his 70s, and this great contemporary artists gets it. He understands the vast potential of new technology. But then – he’s creative. He’s not a publisher.

Publishers are still wondering how to monetize electronic books. One way would be to take advantage of electronics. Electronics allow an interactive experience, and the iPad is perhaps the most sensual of electronic products: imagine sliding your fingers along the text and visualizing something, or even emailing a comment immediately, as you can with online newspapers.

It’s the rare magazine that allows this. And do you know of a book that does it?

No? Maybe not yet. But surely – if you are listening to your audience, you know what they want. They want you to be present.

A good way is to be present via current technology – and to anticipate what your audience wants. You can do that by listening to them – when someone listens to his audience, and really responds, it’s as if he can read their minds. It doesn’t mean you have to be a slave to new technology – it’s just that you have to be aware of it, and harness it. It’s called being present.

You don’t need an iPad to figure that out.