I have advocated that you think inside the box. That is, you should think of a webbook as being in the format of a traditional printed book. Not casually but strictly. That’s what people expect. Expectations may change, but today people expect a traditional book format that they recognize as a book.
In addition, I have advocated that you think outside the box. That is, you should think of a book being a website (being published), as containing diverse media (e.g., voice-bites), and as being supported by targeted advertising (e.g., affiliate advertising).
Digital and network technology has changed the world in ways that amaze us already and will change it more in ways that we cannot imagine today. It has specifically changed books and publishing. But the day is young, and the rest of the story has yet to come. The webbook provides authors, small publishers, and self-publishers with a myriad of opportunities across the spectrum of the publishing industry: business model, format, media, publication venues, and connection to a world audience. What’s left is creativity. And that where you come in.
Take heed. The prior generations of authors and publishers down through the centuries have handed the baton to you. Take it and run with it.
