The Bookseller.com

11th May 2008

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Rebuck: the book will never die

11.03.08 Benedicte Page

Random House chair and c.e.o. Gail Rebuck last night welcomed digitisation as a liberating force for books—but said it was inevitable that it would transform the book publishing industry.

Delivering the Stationers' Company's annual lecture in London on Monday, Rebuck compared current digital developments to the advent of moveable type in the 15th century, and argued that book publishing faces a time of great challenge but also "unprecedented opportunity" which will free the book to reach new audiences in new ways.

On the topic of online sales, Rebuck said that publishers' opportunities to sell direct to consumers via their own websites were intrinsically limited.

"Consumers are not interested in publishing company brands; people buy books because of the author or topic, not because it is published by Random House, but because it is written by John Grisham or Jacqueline Wilson. Only aggregating sites such as Amazon or Waterstones.com can offer the range a serious book buyer is looking for."

Rebuck warned against complacency around e-books, describing them as a phenomenon that traditional publishers must take seriously. She also stressed the need for vigilance over copyright, not just in the interests of publishers but most especially for writers.

However, she said that ultimately it did not matter if, in 2050, a writer is read in a traditional paperback or a hand-held device. "As a publisher, I am happy to supply either to customers, and the essence of what I am selling will be the same, whatever the technology transmitting it. I think there is an irreducible quality to reading that means the book will never die."

Rebuck was only the second woman to deliver the Stationers' Company Annual Lecture, following historian Eiluned Rees in 1992.

 

Gail Rebuck's speech in full

Benedicte Page Gail Rebuck digital Random House