Our Vision for Publishing's Future

A Necessary Reckoning: Beyond Device-Centric Publishing

Full disclosure: I am an author, a digital publishing entrepreneur, a parent, and someone deeply committed to ecological and spiritual well-being. My journey has led me through the intricacies of ebook development, the joys of creative collaboration, and the sobering realities of our planet's limits. The digital publishing community is brimming with talent and dedication, striving to craft beautiful experiences within often restrictive, device-dependent ecosystems.

But it's time for a candid conversation. It's time to declare our stand.

The relentless cycle of manufacturing, consuming, and discarding single-purpose e-reader devices is no longer tenable. We live in an age where the climate crisis demands urgent, systemic change. The resources extracted, the energy consumed, and the e-waste generated by an ever-expanding universe of gadgets run counter to the future we must build – a future my children, and yours, will inherit.

Furthermore, the materials that constitute these devices often come at a devastating human and ecological cost, from conflict minerals to landscapes scarred by extraction. As creators and enablers of digital content, we cannot remain indifferent to the supply chains that underpin our work.

Our Proposition: Embrace the Portable, Living Web

kaOS stands for a paradigm shift. We believe it's time to channel our collective ingenuity away from feeding the device beast and towards cultivating a portable, accessible, and vibrant web-based publishing model. This isn't just a technical preference; it's an ethical imperative and a creative opportunity.

We advocate for:

Sustainability and Consolidation: Reducing our reliance on specialized e-reading hardware by focusing on the powerful, multi-functional devices people already own – their smartphones, tablets, and computers. Let's make content that thrives in the browser, accessible to anyone, anywhere.
True Portability and Accessibility: Leveraging open web standards (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and the EPUB specification) to create "Living Books" that are not shackled to proprietary platforms or restrictive apps. This ensures longevity, adaptability, and reach.
Empowering Creators, Not Gatekeepers: The current model often leaves authors and developers grappling with buggy, outdated codebases and the whims of device manufacturers. By embracing web-native publishing, we reclaim creative control, unlock multimedia potential, and can build direct, transparent relationships with readers.

kaOS: Where Our Stand Takes Form

The "Living Books" pilot program and the kaOS platform are the embodiment of this stand. We are building:

Tools for Immersive Storytelling: Our online creation suite is designed to make multimedia integration (sound, animation, video, interactivity) intuitive and seamless, allowing stories to breathe and engage in ways static facsimiles of print never could.
An Ethical AI Companion: Our AI is a sincere assistant, designed to enhance discovery and learning, and to support authors – never to exploit their work or supplant human creativity. It's trained responsibly, with full respect for creator rights.
A Commitment to Open Standards: By championing EPUB 3.3 and W3C principles, we ensure that the digital literary heritage we build together remains open, accessible, and adaptable for generations to come.

Beyond the Facsimile: The Soul of Digital Content

For too long, ebooks have been treated as mere imitations of their physical counterparts. But a "book" and a "digital book" are fundamentally different experiences, each with its own unique semiotics and potential. A physical book offers tactile intimacy; a digital "Living Book" offers dynamic interactivity, immediate global reach, and the fusion of diverse media.

Let's honor both. Let the tree grow and the wind blow.

The perceived "decline" of ebooks is, I believe, a decline of cumbersome, single-use devices and clunky, siloed apps. People haven't stopped wanting to read or engage with digital content; they've simply outgrown the limitations imposed by an outdated model. They expect their content to be as fluid and accessible as the rest of their digital lives.

This is Our Craft, Our Destiny

The path to a truly portable, sustainable, and creator-centric publishing ecosystem has its challenges. It requires courage, collaboration, and a willingness to question old assumptions – to have a low threshold for innovation, as Malcolm Gladwell might say.

kaOS is our step forward, our "booksite" for this new era. It's an invitation to fellow authors, developers, artists, and publishers to join us. Let's not wait to adapt to a future dictated by others. Let's shape it ourselves.

This is more than just building better ebooks. It's about aligning our digital practices with our deepest values – for the planet, for human dignity, for the authors who entrust us with their stories, and for the readers who seek connection and understanding.

This is our stand. This is our moment to build the future of publishing, consciously and together.

Image: Entanglement I, 2019, by Bev Butkow