Technology has changed the way books are created and enjoyed.

The electronic book (e-book), invented in 1971 by Michael Hart, is emerging as the breakthrough that rivals Johann Gutenberg’s printing press. With the various reading devices and file formats available for e-books, and the ease of transmission online, e-books are becoming an increasingly popular medium for reading.

Digital publishing is set to be explored in ‘The Future of the Book,” the country’s first ever digital publishing conference, set on Sept. 13 and 14, at the UP-Ayala Technohub in Commonwealth, Quezon City.

Mounted by the National Book Development Board (NBDB), Book Development Association of the Philippines (BDAP), Filipinas Heritage Library, and Vibal Foundation, Inc., the two-day conference features talks by distinguished names from the international and local publishing industry.

ALL ABOUT THE E-BOOK

E-books are the electronic version of a printed book, read on reader devices such as tablets, personal computers, laptops, PDAs and cellphones.

Convenience is the highest draw of e-readers. They can be purchased online anytime and they never get sold out. It is transmitted in minutes, no need for shipping. Thousands of titles may be stored in the e-book reader.

E-books are also easily searchable, with digitized indices, cross-references, tags, and hyperlinks. They are affordable because the overhead costs for producing them are cheaper than printed books.

They’re also environment friendly – no trees are needed to create e-books.

While it is still premature to say Awardsthat there is a shift from print to digital media, e-book sales are increasing, and there is a sizeable market for digital publishing.

On the publishing side, e-books are cheaper to produce. The printing cost does not limit the number of copies of an e-book. Revisions are easily keyed in, and new editions can be published more frequently.

Digital rights management software can also limit the use or transfer of e-books, a safeguard against piracy.

THE FUTURE OF THE BOOK

Find out more about the various aspects of digital publishing – from authoring, editing and lay-outing to distribution and consumption – at the “Future of the Book” conference, with the theme: “Book Publishing in the Global Digital Arena.”

On Day 1, publishing professionals will tackle the business aspect of digital publishing in the Philippines, while digital publishing as a lucrative business will be discussed in plenary sessions.

On Day 2, 18 unique tracks will be discussed simultaneously, among them, on digital textbooks; pricing digital products; new reading habits, new distribution models; selling in mobile markets, etc. There will also be workshops and roundtable discussions on other topics relevant to digital publishing.

Registration fee is P4000 for Days 1 and 2; or P500. for Day 2 only. Students with ID may avail of the discounted fee of P300. Registration starts at 8 a.m.

For specific conference topics and speakers, e-mail future.book2010@vibalfoundation.org or call 416-8460 or 0906-2437714 and look for Karen Lucero.