Sunday, December 4, 2011

A metaphor from days of yore

In today's New York Times, Robert Miller at Workman Publishing is quoted on the topic of nicely printed and bound books, which he feels will be a key characteristic that will help conventional book format to survive the advent of e-books and audio books.  "When people do beautiful books, they're noticed more.  It's like sending a thank-you note written on nice paper when we're in an era of e-mail correspondence." 

You can picture many of his readers nodding yes only because it sounds like something good, because they themselves have not received a handwritten note that they can remember.

Those of you who do still send handwritten words through the mail--there really is something about paper that adds a crucial dimension to what you say.  Paper is part of the picture; look for it, use it, and appreciate it when you read and write.

The article, "Selling Old-Style Books by Their Gilded Covers," is on the front page of Dec 4, 2011.

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