The Growing Accessibility of Digital Publishing

Every morning on my way to work at MMC I join other straphangers who have learned to finesse reading the New York Times on the subway. Afterwards, I throw the paper away. Before you judge me, I do recycle. But it’s still a waste of paper and energy no matter which way you slice it.

That’s starting to really bother me. Like many others, I am increasingly concerned about the environment. And, as much as I love reading all the other daily, weekly and monthly periodicals I get, I am increasingly concerned about how much paper I waste every month.

So I am anxiously awaiting new technology like wi-fi in the subway and better quality downloadable e-readers.

That time may come sooner rather than later.

In a tumultuous week for the publishing industry, Condé Nast has pulled the plug on four magazines: Gourmet, Cookie, Modern Bride and Elegant Bride. Already there is talk of enhancements to the digital versions of these magazines. And in several weeks, a partnership that includes Time Inc., Hearst, Condé Nast and several other major publishers, will launch a joint initiative to create a new digital reader that is more newspaper and magazine friendly than Amazon’s Kindle. They also plan to create content compatible with Hewlett-Packard and Sony devices, and the new Apple reader when it is available.

I say, “bring it on.”

It’s inevitable that magazine, newspaper and book publishing will go digital. And when it does, I will feel so much better about my voracious reading habit because I won’t be constantly wondering about its environmental impact. I will be willing to pay for the content, as I do now. And I will be far more loyal to the publications I read.

So…let’s get going publishers. I’m ready. And I know a whole lot of other folks who are ready too!