The Washington Post recently printed a piece by publisher Jonathan Karp about how book publishers are heading in the wrong direction by printing too much junk too quickly. He starts off his commentary by noting that most authors want to remain ignorant of the fact that many of their books are simply “mulched” in this society’s quest for new “information” or entertainment every five minutes. Much of what he says makes sense, although I don’t expect publishers to abide by it anytime soon.

To see the complete story, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/27/AR2008062702868.html

Here is an excerpt, though, focusing on what Karp says publishers should LD focus on: 

Publishers might be able to compete with news media, but we’re foolish to try. Newspapers, magazines and electronic media can fulfill the needs of the moment far more effectively than a publishing company ever can or will. Journalism has long been regarded as the first rough draft of history; lately, however, books have too easily been thought of as the second rough draft, rather than the final word.

There might be good news on the horizon, though. Perhaps the age of disposable books won’t last much longer than the books themselves. Here’s one scenario:

The barriers to entry in the book business get lower each year. There are thousands of independent publishers and even more self-publishers. These players will soon have the same access to readers as major publishers do, once digital distribution and print-on-demand technology enter the mainstream. When that happens, publishers will lose their greatest competitive advantage: the ability to distribute books widely and effectively. Those who publish generic books for expedient purposes will face new competitors. Like the music companies, some of those publishers may shrink or die.

Many categories of books will be subsumed by digital media. Reference publishing has already migrated online. Practical nonfiction will be next, winding up on Web sites that can easily update and disseminate visual and textual information. Readers of old-fashioned genre fiction will die off, and the next generation will have so many different entertainment options that it’s hard to envision the same level of loyalty to brand-name formula fiction coming off the conveyor belt every year. The novelists who are truly novel will thrive; the rest will struggle.

Consequently, publishers will be forced to invest in works of quality to maintain their niche. These books will be the one product that only they can deliver better than anyone else. Those same corporate executives who dictate annual returns may begin to proclaim the virtues of research and development, the great engine of growth for business. For publishers, R&D means giving authors the resources to write the best books — works that will last, because the lasting books will, ultimately, be where the money is.

That’s my hope, at least. As I said, publishing is a business based primarily on blind hope.

Jonathan Karp is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Twelve, an imprint within the Hachette Book Group.