Smart speakers are becoming a staple in the average household and changing the way we interact with technology. Publishing companies are taking note and looking at their use of the digital space in order to attract a more tech-savvy crowd. The industry is no stranger to surviving a digital upset, but the question is how they will respond to it. Looking closer, we can already see what challenges publishers face and the innovative ideas they have brought to the table in response.
Digital
Writing Alt Text for Ebooks
By Megan Crayne @megancrayne
Alternative text, or alt text, is different from including a caption for an image in your book; it is a clear description of what is taking place in the image so that readers who use voice-to-text software can understand its context. Used commonly on websites, alt text can be easily built into your InDesign document for all of your images before you convert your book into an EPUB—and here is how to write it.
Where to Get Your Book Fix
By Rylee Warner
With all the closures due to the coronavirus pandemic, we have lost physical access to libraries as well as chain and local bookstores. Our access may be diminished, but our need for entertainment—or if we can’t be entertained, at least some kind of distraction—has wildly increased.
Authors at Home
By Amanda Fink
In light of the stay-at-home orders that most of the world is currently following, authors have brought literary salons––places to explore ideas, share stories, and gain insight into the writing process––to Instagram. By allowing us into their writing spaces, these authors are giving us a rare, uncensored look into their lives. Sharing these spaces allows us to refill our creative wells through conversation and a shared love of books and writing.
Media Literacy: The Potential of Video Essays
By Giacomo Ranieri
During the summer of 2016, the United Nations declared internet access a human right. While quality content and accessibility are both taking big strides toward an educated global populace, there is one major problem with video essays on sites like YouTube and Vimeo.
In Defense of Instapoetry
By Michael Shymanski
Often referred to as “fidget-spinner poetry” due to its brevity and its targeting of younger audiences, Instapoetry is frequently dismissed and even insulted by critics. But does Instapoetry have anything to offer—especially for us quick-scrolling younger generations?