Mr. McKissack Tackles A BIG Question

Dear Mr. McKissack,

I would like to know if you think computers will replace regular books.

Sincerely,
Mary

Mary, sorry for the delay, but I've been out of town on vacation. I wrestled with this question for years, and only within the last year have I come to see that the electronic book is not going away and as a writer I have to embrace the future. Some cultural critics and philosophers are already predicting the "end" of the physical book within five years. As more companies enter the e-book marketplace, particularly Apple's I-Pad, the barriers (financial, technological, psychological) to using electronic books gets smaller and smaller. The drop in price is one reason why Kindle books are outselling hardcover books. As a writer, this is an interesting time because we should study what it takes to create great work for that space. Is it simply text? Is it a combination of text and multimedia? My great fear is how libraries will be affected in such an environment.

Do you have a question for Fred McKissack, Jr.? Send it to me.