--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't know what will happen to the…" description: "\"I don't know what will happen to the physical book and what it will mean for authors. I worry whether it will mean people can still make their careers ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faa/edwidge-danticat-2559_able_i-don-t-know-what-will-happen-to-the-phy_1837585.jpg" --- # I don't know what will happen to the physical book and… ![“I don't know what will happen to the physical book and what it will mean for authors. I worry whether it will mean people can still make their careers this way. Will whatever comes next allow people to be able to own their ideas and be able to take time to develop them?” quote by Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faa/edwidge-danticat-2559_able_i-don-t-know-what-will-happen-to-the-phy_1837585.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faa/edwidge-danticat-2559_able_i-don-t-know-what-will-happen-to-the-phy_1837585.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faa/edwidge-danticat-2559_able_i-don-t-know-what-will-happen-to-the-phy_1837585.jpg) > “I don't know what will happen to the physical book and what it will mean for authors. I worry whether it will mean people can still make their careers this way. Will whatever comes next allow people to be able to own their ideas and be able to take time to develop them?” [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote expresses uncertainty about how digital shifts will affect physical books, author careers, and control over ideas. **In simple terms:** Concern about future of books and author livelihoods. Key Takeaway Adapt and protect creative ownership. Themes publishing technology author rights career sustainability Mood anxious hopeful reflective Type cautionary inspirational When to use this quote - writing a book - self‑publishing - negotiating contracts - building a platform - securing rights Key Concepts digital disruption intellectual property creative autonomy Questions to Reflect On - How can authors retain control in a digital age? - What strategies protect creative work? A Different Perspective The quote may overstate risk; many authors thrive in digital models. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Mean people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean-people/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“Good authors worry about genres great authors don't.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gaspar/good-authors-worry-about-genres-great-authors-don-t/) Frank Gaspar > [But anyone can write, right?'" Conner asked. "I mean, that's why authors get judged so harshly, isn't it? Because technically everyone could do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-colfer/but-anyone-can-write-right-conner-asked-i-mean-that-s-why-authors-get/) [Chris Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-colfer/) > [I very much love a physical book myself. I think people who have had this experience of also seeing a book come together, from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/i-very-much-love-a-physical-book-myself-i-think-people-who-have-had/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [“The act of true reading is in its very essence democratic. Consider the nature of what happens when we read a book - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/the-act-of-true-reading-is-in-its-very-essence-democratic-consider/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [“when i say i want to read this book i mean i want to buy this book :)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ghada-mohsen/when-i-say-i-want-to-read-this-book-i-mean-i-want-to-buy-this-book/) Ghada Mohsen > [I put my thoughts in a book, which must mean I don't want anyone to read them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-mahajan/i-put-my-thoughts-in-a-book-which-must-mean-i-don-t-want-anyone-to/) [Karan Mahajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-mahajan/) > [My mind has become somewhat like a book. What I mean by that is that when I look at the world, I see it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avi/my-mind-has-become-somewhat-like-a-book-what-i-mean-by-that-is-that/) [Avi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avi/) > [“When you sell a man a book you don’t sell him just twelve ounces of paper and ink and glue—you sell him a whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-morley/when-you-sell-a-man-a-book-you-don-t-sell-him-just-twelve-ounces-of/) [Christopher Morley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-morley/) > [“These fragments of book mean that I work in ruins.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarice-lispector/these-fragments-of-book-mean-that-i-work-in-ruins/) [Clarice Lispector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarice-lispector/) > [“What are you, beyond the collection of the things you've done, said and thought? Happily, much comfort is to be found in the Good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/belle-dejour/what-are-you-beyond-the-collection-of-the-things-you-ve-done-said-and/) Belle Dejour > [Whenever people say they didn't like the main character of a book, they mean they didn't like the book. The main character has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-bank/whenever-people-say-they-didn-t-like-the-main-character-of-a-book/) [Melissa Bank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-bank/) > [“I won't stay in with married men any more said the wise girl they're too agreeable, it's a little too much like curling up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/i-won-t-stay-in-with-married-men-any-more-said-the-wise-girl-they-re/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [“will wear you out in a hurry. But because I make my living writing books, I would really like to ask your help. Book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subjudica-house/will-wear-you-out-in-a-hurry-but-because-i-make-my-living-writing/) Subjudica House > [“I do not believe that all books will or should migrate onto screens: as Douglas Adams once pointed out to me, more than 20…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-do-not-believe-that-all-books-will-or-should-migrate-onto-screens/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [The book has very specific qualities. Let's say in 2300 they discover the physical book, after having lived with the digital book for several…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-spiegelman/the-book-has-very-specific-qualities-let-s-say-in-2300-they-discover/) [Art Spiegelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-spiegelman/) ## More by Edwidge Danticat > [“Medicare rewards doctors far better for doing procedures than for assessing whether they should be done at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/medicare-rewards-doctors-far-better-for-doing-procedures-than-for/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [I love the process of cracking the spine for the first time and slowly sinking into a book. That will soon seem old-fashioned, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/i-love-the-process-of-cracking-the-spine-for-the-first-time-and/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [I remember reading an interview with a writer who said that in nonfiction if you have one lie it sort of messes it up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/i-remember-reading-an-interview-with-a-writer-who-said-that-in/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [“Instead I dreamt of walking out of the world, of spending all my time inside with no one to talk to, and no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/instead-i-dreamt-of-walking-out-of-the-world-of-spending-all-my-time/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [“Then what do you want with me?'... 'The pursuit of happiness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/then-what-do-you-want-with-me-the-pursuit-of-happiness/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [I wanted to raise the voice of a lot of the people that I knew growing up, and this was, for the most part,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/i-wanted-to-raise-the-voice-of-a-lot-of-the-people-that-i-knew/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [Creating these messes that go from administration to administration and then you swoop in and clean them up - with that heroic Delta force…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/creating-these-messes-that-go-from-administration-to-administration/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [“Nineteen Thirty-Seven”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/nineteen-thirty-seven/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [“From her experience working with the weak and the sick, she'd learned that the disease you ignore is the one that kills you, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/from-her-experience-working-with-the-weak-and-the-sick-she-d-learned/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [I'm not saying Cubans don't deserve asylum, but if it is a national security issue, there are people who are coming from Cuba on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/i-m-not-saying-cubans-don-t-deserve-asylum-but-if-it-is-a-national/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [“I owe Oprah and that show a tremendous debt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/i-owe-oprah-and-that-show-a-tremendous-debt/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [The greatest gift anyone can give to a writer is time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/the-greatest-gift-anyone-can-give-to-a-writer-is-time/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [I think it is important to reach people through arts and literature, because then you establish a connection that's not an instant crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/i-think-it-is-important-to-reach-people-through-arts-and-literature/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [All anyone can hope for is just a tiny bit of love, like a drop in a cup if you can get it, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/all-anyone-can-hope-for-is-just-a-tiny-bit-of-love-like-a-drop-in-a/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [I very much love a physical book myself. I think people who have had this experience of also seeing a book come together, from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/i-very-much-love-a-physical-book-myself-i-think-people-who-have-had/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) [Explore all 161 Edwidge Danticat quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) Greg Perry > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't know what will happen to the physical book and what it will mean for authors. I worry whether it will mean people can still make their careers this way. 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