El libro digital en su laberinto: evolución y revolución, nuevas propuestas

The popularization of e-book is the next stage of the digital revolution, that originally began with reference books and continued with scientific journals. Ebooks are joining the same path but much more slowly, although with definite and decisive steps, as corroborated by all indicators. This process is having a significant impact on all levels, and is changing some of the basics that had prevailed for over 500 years with the advent of printing. For instance, the concept of author is being modified by desktop publishing. Many authors are getting an enthusiastic response from the public, selling hundreds of thousands of copies a month without being supported by an editorial group. Something similar happens with the concept of editor, that has traditionally been limited to one language and one territory, and that with the advent of the electronic book is led to globalization, disappearing territorial coordinates. Large multinational companies such as Amazon and Apple have already landed in Europe. In this context one might ask whether the advent of e-book is only part of a mere transcript from analog to digital, or really it is having a significant impact on the way we edit or consume, and on our reading habits