My interview with the readers of NJOE.com is up, and it contains further thoughts on the future of printed books in an age of Wikipedia, Wookieepedia, and The Pirate Bay.

This is a continuation of my observations from this post, and reinforces my belief that print isn't dead, it's just different. From the interview:

If the entire contents of an encyclopedia are available online as a Wiki, or even as .pdfs, does that mean that there's no desire for a print version? For some people, sure - if you just want to know the number of guns on a Star Destroyer you can find the info quicker online than in the Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels. Also, as you note, online sources can be dynamically updated.

On the other hand, there's still something about print. Writers who've published books online (for free) have sometimes subsquently released a print version (for money) to satisfy the demand some people have for a physical book. That won't apply in every case, but I think it's more likely to apply to Star Wars fans (or comics fans, or birdwatchers), because geeks already have a stake in those specific worlds and want to invest in them.

So what can printed encyclopedias provide that online resources can't? First off is their official seal of approval. This shouldn't be underestimated, but in my experience wikis are generally as reliable.

Second would be the physicality of the thing: its heft, the paper stock & sheen, the book's layout. There's something luxurious about having a book these days, and the physical attributes of books have gone up accordingly. (Compare the original Essential Guide to Characters with any of the recent Essential Guides.) The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia is a good example of tangible luxury, as are the DC and Marvel Encyclopedias. Books that exist solely as fast & cheap references, such as the old Guide to the Star Wars Universe, aren't likely to be reprinted. They can't replicate this particular advantage that books currently have over bits.

Finally, there's the difference in the browsing experience. I've spent a lot of time browsing Wikipedia and the Marvel Database Project. I've also spent a lot of time with the Marvel Encyclopedia and Who's Who in the Marvel Universe (a series of guidebooks from 1987). The browsing experience is completely different between the two. I might never stumble across Orka while link-clicking online, but if I have a printed source, darned if Orka doesn't show up when I'm flipping, or opposite another entry that I was looking up. There's something pleasurable about that and it can't currently be replicated online.

The full interview can be found here.

Dan
(writing projects and current releases)