Bianca Iboma
Chairman, Senate Committee on Environment, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, has tasked stakeholders in the book publishing industry to raise the standard to digital publishing.
Tinubu, at the 2019 edition of the Nigeria International Book Fair conference in Lagos, recently, with the theme “Optimising New Technology in Book Development and Distribution for the Promotion of Book Trade in Africa,” stated that the industry has been creating enabling environment to discuss and proffer solutions to the challenges encountered by authors and publishing firms.
“It is observed that, over time, book publishing industry has enjoyed shelving patronage which somehow has metamorphosed from traditional paper printing to new evolving digitized technology called e-book.
“The new trend, which seems to dust the paper print process, has been characterized with surmounting authors’ dilemma.”
She emphasised the need for stakeholders in the industry in Nigeria to upgrade publishing and distribution networks using technology.
Admitting that technology has taken over every facet of life, Tinubu said technological advancement in publishing would amount to getting ready not to be left behind by the rest of the world.
“With the advent of tablets like the iPad and the Kindle, which make electronic reading easy and convenient, we cannot continue to only publish in hard copy,” she said.
She added that some of the issues that pose a challenge were the digital selling rights that will keep the authors informed about laws and infringements associated with digital books. Also, the senator called on the federal government to reduce the huge tarrif on educational and printing materials to boost the publishing industry.