New Way to Show Off Books

Normally at a convention like Norwescon, authors display their books on the table in front of them as they speak at panel sessions.  This year I saw an author do it differently.

Shannon Butcher displaying her books

She set her e-tablet to cycle through her book covers, changing the display every few seconds.  A publisher who sat down next to her saw what she was doing, and said, "Wow, I can't be outdone."  He set his iPad to show one of his author's books.  Since he didn't have it set up to cycle, he would pick it up every few minutes, swipe it, then a book by another author would show.  This is obviously going to be the new way to display books, instead of lugging big rectangular blocks of paper around.

In the future, the books will probably display on any smart phone or tablet in the room, if the device owners okay the display.  Or, what will happen when you walk into a mall or department store?  Remember The Minority Report, when Tom Cruise's character walks into a store, and advertisements instantly display in mid-air in front of him.