“Don’t Fight the Things You Can’t Change or Control.” That was one of the “koans” gleaned from Sunday’s digital publishing in America seminar by Publishers Lunch founder Michael Cader (in his role of intrepid correspondent attending the London Book Fair). And there is no better way to characterize the Kübler-Rossian way that the British have handled publishing industry changes blowing from America.

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross formulated the five states of death and dying, and whether it be hard-soft deals or e-books, the Brits have greeted American innovations with Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. Reading reports from London, I’m not sure how much acceptance is to be found toward the juggernaut of digital publishing that rolls inexorably toward the UK. The English want to keep their industry neat and tidy, but another Cader koan applies: “Paradigmatic Transitions Are Not Orderly.”

RC