Autography: Is It Wise Dotcom?

First we had Pen and the distance author signature, now we have Autography which allows authors to insert an autograph or salutation directly into eBooks.



Autography transmits the author’s signature onto the customer's eReader device, along with a personal message. Customers merely request any of the author’s books from the selection menu, with the appropriate autograph appearing once they make their purchase. The autographs can be retrieved and replaced at no extra cost if you happen to lose your eBook.

Fine the author doesn't need to leave their desk and can do it remotely, but is this really the same as fans actually pressing the fresh and meeting the person? The readers may still connect with the author over the internet and be able to sign a book with dedication remotely, but who owns the reader and what does the reader value? Can you imagine an internet booth where the consumer merely selects from a list of authors who are online and pays a premium charge to chat with them? It reminds us of some of those less reputable XXX sites none of us have ever seen.

Then there is the question as to whether an ebook holds that same collection status of its print version? After all the ebook is basically a licensed rendition with no ‘first sale’ rights so a signature has little future value.

Digital and print are different and trying to shoehorn some print practices into a digital shoe would appear to lack joined up thinking. In the words of are Shaman friend Duke Redbird, 'is it wise dotcom?'