Until now, most folks returning from the annual Tools of Change conference have come away inspired and energized as the flint of old thinking met the steel of innovation. But this time publishing industry blogger Don Linn reported symptoms of future weariness. “We are in the midst of a bucketload of ‘Future of Publishing’ conferences and there is an element of conference fatigue setting in,” he writes. “There’s not much new under the sun: In the 2 1/2 days I was there, I didn’t see or hear anything startling or revolutionary that hasn’t been discussed in other conferences or even at previous TOC’s.”

His weltschmerz may be shared by others who attended the Digital Book World Conference in January, TOC in February, and face an intimidating gauntlet of convocations celebrating the future. Their common theme is that the future has arrived.

Well, if the future has arrived, can we get a discount on our registration fees? They’re really starting to pile up.

Here’s Linn’s analysis which, in all seriousness, offers some cogent takeaways.

Richard Curtis