Music and video publishing industry makes products that we consume pretty much in a single linear manner. Whereas the text consumption (perhaps less in trade books) is more complex. We search. We research. We refer. We relate or hyperlink. We reflect and in so doing carry out number of analyses.

We consume music and video products several times (more music than video). Whereas for text we need to keep reading new stuff continually to increase our knowledge or do our research or even to get entertained.

If the text publishers can build business models around these differences then they need not go down the same route as music publishers.

Though it is a happy situation that authors (and readers) do not have to depend on the judgement of a few to see their work published and read. Vive indie publishing. But also vive traditional publishing values. Vive la difference. Vive publishing.