Printed matter format for the age of rapid change

If printed matter were people, we could draw the following comparisons:

A book = an expert
In-depth knowledge.
Strongly focused on specific and clearly delineated subjects.
Slow to access. Requires dedicated study.

A magazine = a generalist
Short, light, “that’s interesting”, bites of information.
General, diverse knowledge. Like flipping through TV channels.
Quick to access. Does not require a significant investment of study time.

Neither offers the ideal combination of: Just deep enough, expert, and easy to access knowledge.

A chapbook seem to fit nicely here. It is not as time-investment-heavy as a book, but more focused than a magazine.

Businesses are super busy these days. Change is constant, and crosses different disciplines. When faced with a challenge, businesses want just enough expert information right then.

Is a chapbook the new format for this century? An expert quick reference guide. A small, succinct collection of expert knowledge, in a hyper-distilled, and easy to access format. This can be a small printed booklet, a fully searchable e-book/PDF book, or even a mobile/iphone application.

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