‘Twas the night before eBooks, when all through the House
Every intern was stirring, and starting to grouse.
The print books were shelved in the warehouse with care,
in hopes that big orders soon would be there.
Editors were nestled all snug in their beds,
while visions of best sellers danced in their heads.
Prices were stable, their lists were a snap
So they’d settled their brains for a long winter’s nap.
When out among blogs there arose such a clatter,
I leaped to my desk to see what was the matter.
To Smart Bitches and Booksquare I flew like a flash
And learned that new formats would soon make a splash
Bloggers had written for years in the know
That the coming of eBooks was much, much too slow
when, what to their wondering eyes should appear,
but a digital reader with a screen all too clear.
The reader’s inventor, so lively and quick,
I thought for a moment it might be St. Nick.
As Kindle debuted, in numbers they came,
And market by market knew Bezos by name
“Now Sony! Now Kindle!? Now, iPad and Samsung!
On, iPod! On, iRex!? (That last one found hamstrung!)
In this holiday season, devices to all!
Now read away! Read away!? Read away all!”
Communities clamored for eBooks they could buy,
and the IDPF chart soon tickled the sky
So many new players, a digital zoo,
A market gone global, but what should we do?
Publishers balked, as sales broke through the roof
Looking they were for additional proof
That eBooks would do more than just stick around
And in a flat market they might even abound
But as eBooks grew, a burr in the foot
Would libraries abscond with all of the loot?
And as readers asked for options to borrow
Some publishers left them little but sorrow
Still reading persists, the options keep growing!
Like Readmill! And GoodReads! The seeds they are sowing!
ReadSocial, Small Demons, the promise of more!
Now 24 Symbols has come to the fore.
While publishers survive by the skin of their teeth
The future uncertain, no holiday wreath
From the north comes a vision, Canadian gusto
Hugh McGuire has edited our own Manifesto!
Still, Bezos could be a right jolly old elf,
I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself.
Could a wink of his eye and a twist of his head
Deliver us from this moment of dread?
But Bezos spoke not a word, went straight to work,
filled all of his readers, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
Denied us good data, though his stock price still rose.
He sprang to his website, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
“Happy reading to all, and to all a good night!
