The Changing Definition of a Book?

What's the Definition of a "Book"?

The rules and definitions in the book world continue to change at the virtual speed of light. As eBooks become more popular, the very definitions have changed.

On one of the huge LinkedIn author/writer groups, the perennial question - What's the difference between a writer and an author? - was asked.

Not long ago, an author was one who wrote a book that was published, printed and bound. A writer wrote anything shorter, and a professional writer got paid real money for those words. Simple enough.

But it made me wonder just what qualified as a book these days. So instead of smugly typing in the  old definition, I went to the Bowker* website for a what I was certain would be a quick, crisp answer.

           *Bowker is the company that sells and tracks all of the ISBN numbers used
            in the United States and would theoretically be THE authority on books.

There I clicked the Contact Us link and asked for the current definition of a book, thinking the reply would be 49 pages or more for a book. Oh, but I wasn't considering eBooks.

After carefully checking their database, the Bowker person couldn't find a definition by either pages or work count. Now, an 8 page, half-size booklet a "book" may look like a Hallmark Greeting, but the writer could call it a "book" if he or she chose to.

But wait! That doesn't seem fair. Doesn't "book" imply substance and depth of content? Only Rumi could produce a short paragraph that carries that kind of substance. A booklet or brochure doesn't.

So, my friends, I'm afraid we'll have to be very cautious about how we toss around the term "book." Even the rules makers don't know anymore!

Happy reading ~

Lin