BANKING ON THE BACKLIST.

O'REILLY, Tim; PRIOR, Robert

The article discusses how publishers are promoting their opposite, concept-based titles independent of the latest software release or product development. More likely to attain classic status, these books take longer to develop. Less noticeable in the mix are application-specific books, especially those geared to programmers and IT specialists. Tim O'Reilly, founder and CEO of O'Reilly Media, agrees that "a lot of emerging trends are being driven by the digital media explosion." Just over the horizon are books explaining how to modify PC hardware and how to create interactions between home computers and other electronic components and devices. With computers more ubiquitous, it makes sense that users are becoming more savvy. This year's bibliography attests that programming and security, once the domain of computer nerds or professionals, are being tentatively explored by the rest of us. Conversely, computer professionals and technicians may find fewer choices on the shelves owing to offshore outsourcing. The U.S. economy is at fault for a drop in demand across the board, says Bill Pollock, founder and publisher of No Starch Press. As a result, he says, we "need to be more selective." Rather than gamble on fads-e.g., books on digital photography-the independent house publishes books that have lasting appeal, such as those on Macintosh computers or the Assembly language, as well as web programming, network security, and open source. At MIT Press, the social, political, ethical, and legal issues of computing and technology take precedence over short-term technological developments. Computer Science executive editor Robert Prior predicts that the interaction of computers and computer science with biology and the life sciences will continue to grow, as will books on open access.