eBooks and the Race to Publication

Of the many benefits to come from digital publishing, the reduction of seemingly unnecessary delays and hold times has been one of the most popular for authors, publishers, and readers alike. Where books on current events or notable figures would often take months to reach the market, long after the fervor had died down, ebooks are reaching consumers’ bookshelves within hours of an event.

Digital publishing platform Vook announced last week that Newsweek eBook released author David Frum’s title, Why Romney Lost, via its technology only two days after the election. Even if the book had been sitting in storage on the off chance that the Republicans did not take the White House at this year’s elections—and some commenters did seem suspicious of the speed to publication, wondering if there was a similar ebook at the ready entitled Why Obama Lost—the time to market for this title is incredible when compared with traditional print publishing.

While Frum’s title is not a piece of long-form journalism like those digital titles published by platforms like Atavist and Kindle Singles, the popularity of those platforms can be found in this ebook. Now and Then Reader, another long-form journalism digital platform, released several current events ebooks within days of their notoriety. Titles on key public figures and events surrounding the capture of Osama Bin Laden found their way to readers’ devices within a week of their making headlines, a feature of digital publishing that consumers appreciate.