Abstract:

Over the last few decades publishing has done a tremendous job moving from paper to digital publishing formats.In trade and educational publishing paper books still trump digital forms of publication,but especially academic and referencing publishing have been digitising at a tremendous rate.By this strong focus on digitisation as a technological and economic process we threaten to miss a much less obvious, but ultimately more important larger social process: that of the literate mentality of the younger generation changing from a paper-based one to an online one. The‘Online Generation’s life principles are’What can be done online must be done online’, and‘What can be done without intermediation must be done without intermediation’.To understand the mentality of the Online Generation,and to discover how to cater to its needs and wants represents the next major challenge,in particular for trade publishers.