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LitNotes: Having It All
February 1, 2008
He Says We're Not Reading -- But We're Buying Books: As Randall Stross notes in this New York Times "Digital Domain" piece, Steve Jobs recently said “It doesn’t matter how good or bad the product is; the fact is that people don’t read anymore...Forty percent of the people in the U.S. read one book or less last year.” Stross corrects Jobs: "A survey conducted in August 2007 by Ipsos Public Affairs for The Associated Press found that 27 percent of Americans had not read a book in the previous year. Not as bad as Mr. Jobs’s figure, but dismaying to be sure. Happily, however, the same share — 27 percent — read 15 or more books." And we buy 408 million of those books each year.
And We're Buying Them Where?: I learned this during my time at AOL, and here comes the stat again: More books are bought online than any other product, and the number is growing around the world. "Polling company Nielsen Online surveyed 26,312 people in 48 countries. 41% of internet users had bought books online, it said. This compares with two years ago when 34% of internet users had done so." Working to find new ways to market books online isn't just smart; it's necessary.
A Novella Idea: In The Guardian Books blog, Jean Hannah Edelstein argues for more novellas in the publishing marketplace: "...an upswing in the publication of novellas would not confirm the prejudices of those who rail against the dumbing-down of literature: novellas require an intelligent author and an intelligent reader to appreciate the power of brevity." They'd be cheaper to produce, easier to finish, and perhaps often better for being brief. I'd love to see someone bring out an imprint especially for novellas...
Posted by Bethanne Patrick on February 1, 2008 | Comments (2)
