Digital Inc.: From Print to E-Book—Inside the Transformation of the Book Industry

The digital transformation of the past fifty years has been widely chronicled, but the story of how the book industry went from print to digital has never been adequately told.As a widely admired literary agent and the founder of one of the very first e-book publishers, Richard Curtis was present at the creation. He knows the whole story as only an insider can. Digital Inc. is the first book to recount in detail the conversion of printed books to digital and the struggles of publishers to embrace a new business and creative paradigm after five hundred years of dedication to print on paper. The upheaval changed not just books but the people who write, read, and publish them.Digital Inc. blends a thoroughly researched history with an account of how Curtis and a team of hotshots built their electronic book company from scratch and turned it into a multimillion-dollar company in the vanguard of digital transformation, pioneering innovations that still shape the book business today. The story of how the e-book morphed from an idle fantasy into an industry-shaping powerhouse is told against the backdrop of decades of tumult in publishing, from the birth of international media conglomerates and the explosion of social media to the rise of Amazon and the emergence of new business models unimaginable a generation ago.In the tradition of Hackers, Fire in the Valley, and Soul of a New Machine, Digital Inc. explores the personal, social, and creative complexities—as well as the daunting technical and economic hurdles—that the progenitors of the e-book revolution had to overcome. Curtis’s wise and witty voice brings to life the colorful characters who revolutionized publishing and continue to transform it in the rapidly-dawning age of AI.For everyone who cares about books and their continuing impact on our culture—from writers and publishing professionals to countless avid readers—Digital Inc. is an absorbing, eye-opening guide to today’s new world of books and how it came to be.“A stimulating and in-depth chronicle of publishing’s digital revolution. . . . Publishing professionals will find this fascinating.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)“An engaging narrative of an industry embroiled in unpredictable change . . . lively and definitive.”—Kirkus Reviews“Curtis’s sharp observations illuminate questions that still echo today . . . Readers with an interest in publishing, content creation, or the future of media will find this a thoughtful, practical case study of real-time literary innovation.”—Publishers Weekly BookLife“Digital Inc. is really astonishing. I'm sure no one else will ever attempt what Curtis has done here, giving the entire history of the e-book with this level of detail. There are details that are great fun and sentences worth savoring throughout. It deserves a serious place on the physical (and digital) shelf.”—Bob Miller, CEO of Phaidon Press and former President of Flatiron Books“A fascinating and informative trip through perhaps the most transformative period in book publishing history. When the gun went off to start the digital revolution, Richard Curtis was at the starting line!”—Jack Romanos, former CEO of Simon & Schuster“For anyone who lived the e-book revolution in publishing, this is a must-read. For anyone concerned with how book publishing may cope with future changes for which it is never ready, Richard Curtis’s account is an essential study.