Editor’s note: Roger Ebert died in Chicago on April 4, 2013. He was 70.
The future of print media seems dire, and people are struggling to make money from Web reporting. You’ve even said that the Chicago Sun-Times probably won’t make it to its 50th anniversary. Where will your writing live if the Sun-Times doesn’t survive?
Since it has survived bankruptcy and been purchased, I am no longer as pessimistic. But I do own the rights to all my material, and could doubtless find a home for it.
In your own experience at the Sun-Times, what are some of the business model problems you’ve seen as the newspaper transitioned to the web?
The same as everyone’s: Monetizing the site. You’d think I’d have more movie ads, but one studio actually told us, “We don’t advertise on Ebert’s site because he’s too influential.” Many studios prefer fluff sites with gossip, screensavers, premiere photos, etc.
You’ve said that you don’t particularly enjoy experiencing a novel on an e-reader. Who is the e-reader for? Why would they prefer a digital experience to a tactile book?
I don’t know. I’m just finishing Dombey and Son. I experimented with it as an e-book on my iPad, but I simply couldn’t read it. The experience was maddening. My eyes kept slipping off the page. I go into another room from the computer, sit down, and lose myself in a book.
You’ve recently confirmed that you’re working on a memoir, your first book of the iPad and Kindle age. Were there any notable differences when you negotiated this new contract?
eBooks are now part of contracts. I personally don’t use them, but a lot of people do. A friend of mine in London, one of the most avid and widely-read people I know, says she prefers her Kindle to a book. Whatever rocks your boat.
Are books headed towards the same path as newspapers and magazines? If so, how can writers make any money doing what they love?
There will always be books, newspapers and magazines, and people will have to write them. I think Nicholas Negroponte at MIT was right in Being Digital, his book at the dawn of the Web, that we will move toward two models: A free web, and a micropayment web. Some people will pay a fraction of a cent for my review rather than read a free review from Joe PropellerBeanie. Of course, I could be wrong…
Blake Eskin, the New Yorker’s Web editor, describes magazines as a meditative experience – something you “sit with” – and the Web as a “distracted” experience. Where do your reviews and your online journal fall? How much time do people want to spend with your reporting?
I agree with him. My average review is around 700-1000 words, and for that you don’t need to be meditative. My blogs are longer, but judging by the comments, a lot of people read them.
What are some of the newspapers or magazines you like to “sit with?”
The [Chicago] Sun-Times, The New York Times, Discover, The Economist, The Spectator, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, Sight & Sound, MacWorld, Scientific American, New York Review of Books, McSweeney’s…
Here at Sparksheet we’re always interested in the way people consume media and content when they’re in transit. Having recently returned from the Cannes Film Festival, what were you able to observe about your own media consumption habits when you’re on the move (and, incidentally, on a borrowed computer)?
I spent most of my time online. I read the daily trade papers (in print), and such newspapers as the International Herald-Trib and the Independent.
What about when you’re on a plane. Do you prefer to read or watch inflight movies?
I’ve never watched an in-flight movie. I take a novel, magazines and newspapers.
Read Part II. We speak to Ebert about personal branding, film criticism, and his exclusive Ebert Club.
Didn’t know Ebert was a Mac fan. Just read an interesting article on how media must adapt to change to remain profitable. Monetizing…I think with the younger generation, the book and traditional media will never even play a role. The traditional media is/will disappear before we know it. I should say evolve.
I find it very hard to believe that a movie critic like Roger Ebert who must have millions of air miles, has never watched an in-flight movie. Oh, wait…I forgot, the selection. Last time I flew, they had that tooth-fairy movie on the main screen.
I was surprised by this, too. But if he doesn’t feel an eBook is the right format for reading a novel, I can’t imagine he thinks much of watching a (heavily edited) movie on a little screen. At least he didn’t feel the need to swear, David Lynch style!
Well, I went about this back-asswards (I read part 2 first), but great interview, Olivia! Nice job all around. And thanks to Roger for making himself available to share his insights. 🙂
We love Roger Ebert. RT @spafax_arjun: Great Q&A with @ebertchicago about "speaking through the internet" (Part I) http://bit.ly/bjBPWL
In Part I of an exclusive interview, Roger Ebert speaks about the future of print, e-readers, & his memoirs http://bit.ly/a9kzZX [New Spark]
Speaking through the Web: Q&A with Roger Ebert @ebertchicago – Part I http://ow.ly/1Yi3J Talking Media, Journalism, eReaders and more
Been storing this for a while now, but here it is. My interview with @ebertchicago! http://bit.ly/a9kzZX (via @sparksheet)
The future of books, mags and newspapers according to @ebertchicago. Plus why he doesn't watch movies on airplanes http://bit.ly/bjBPWL
What @ebertchicago has to say about the future of print publications, and which ones he won't be reading on iPad: http://bit.ly/a9kzZX
an interview with Roger Ebert by one of our "waiters" http://bit.ly/9xpA1y
Excellent interview with @ebertchicago (Roger Ebert) re; future of print media (great job @Olivia_Collette) http://bit.ly/9xpA1y
RT @spafax: Excellent interview with @ebertchicago (Roger Ebert) re; future of print media (great job @Olivia_Collette) http://bit.ly/9xpA1y
I had a chat with @Olivia_Collette about "speaking through the web." Timed for the Webbys. http://j.mp/d47yVl
RT @ebertchicago: I had a chat with @Olivia_Collette about "speaking through the web." Timed for the Webbys. http://j.mp/d47yVl
RT @ebertchicago: I had a chat with @Olivia_Collette about "speaking through the web." Timed for the Webbys. http://j.mp/d47yVl
RT @sparksheet: Speaking through the Web: Q&A with Roger Ebert – Part I http://bit.ly/cnvVMj
Thanks Mr. Ebert RT @ebertchicago had a chat with @Olivia_Collette about "speaking through the web." Timed for the Webbys http://j.mp/d47yVl
RT @ebertchicago: I had a chat with @Olivia_Collette about "speaking through the web." Timed for the Webbys. http://j.mp/d47yVl
RT @neilvogel: RT @ebertchicago: I had a chat with @Olivia_Collette about "speaking through the web." Timed for Webbys. http://j.mp/d47yVl
Delta’s SkyClub Site Reimagined To Be Less Barf Bag Worthy http://bit.ly/aKoZuF
RT @ebertchicago: I had a chat with @Olivia_Collette about "speaking through the web." Timed for the Webbys. http://j.mp/d47yVl
Speaking through the Web: Q&A with Roger Ebert Part I http://tinyurl.com/28tjqmq
Roger Ebert has never watched a movie on a plane (@sparksheet continues to impress w/ great Q&As) http://bit.ly/9xpA1y via @raymondgirard
RT @tatvictoria: Roger Ebert has never watched a movie on a plane (@sparksheet continues to impress w/ great Q&As) http://bit.ly/9xpA1y …
What Does Music Look Like to Our Brain? http://bit.ly/ak3X70 by @Mark_Changizi
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RT @tatvictoria: Roger Ebert has never watched a movie on a plane (@sparksheet continues to impress w/ great Q&As) http://bit.ly/9xpA1y …
[…] Read Part I. Ebert talks about his forthcoming memoir, eBooks, and the future of print. […]
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