Clearly this is about prestige rather than number of potential customers because nobody knows how many iPads will be sold during the first 60 days.
In a poll, more than a third of prospective buyers said they'd use the device to read magazines and newspapers, but of course they can use it to access the internet's multitude of free offerings. It's also likely to rival and probably out-do the Kindle as a book e-reader.
So what does all this mean for writers? Here are a few possibilities:
1. It may revive the fortunes of some magazines and newspapers, which means more opportunities for journalists and feature article writers. However, it does not solve the free vs. paid conflict, just extends it.
2. It provides an additional distribution channel for self-publishers. Obviously e-books and e-reports are easier to create and distribute than self-published hard copies of books.
3. It makes the sales of parts of your book easier and more likely. In the United States, individual chapters of my book,"Focus: use the power of targeted thinking to get more done" are already being sold individually for $1.99 each and UK publishers undoubtedly will be looking at the same kind of option for non-fiction books. Authors will have to look more closely at their contracts to be sure they're getting a fair deal on such sales.
4. It creates a demand for new formats. The device allows the easy mixing of text with images, video, audio, hyperlinks, and various types of interactivity. Some of the early efforts will succeed just because of their novelty but long-term only the new formats that add value will survive. It's an opportunity for creative authors to experiment and generate new ways of interacting with readers/consumers.
5. It offers a great opportunity for the authors who get in early with material especially configured for such devices. The first truly innovative formats and projects will get lots of media attention, just as happened with the first apps for the iPhone.
You can create interactive material and multi-media material on your own fairly easily these days using relatively inexpensive software like iMovie, GarageBand and Photoshop Elements and digital still cameras and video cameras like the Flip or Kodak Zi8. However, it might make sense to approach publishers to partner with you from the start, both for some financial support upfront and a guaranteed distribution channel.
If you do anything along these lines, I'd love to hear from you and share your experiences on this blog and on my creativity podcast, "Creativity Rocket".
(If you want to come up with more creative ideas easily, check out my book, "Creativity Now!" published by Pearson and available from Amazon and other online and offline retailers. It helps you get into the creative state, generate endless ideas, and turn your ideas into reality.)
