Where have all the good books gone?

Where have all the good books gone?

Books are an important part of our overall development. Books, printed or digital, reduce stress, strengthens the brain, and build vocabulary. The stories teach us lessons about the world, about ourselves, express feelings and thoughts of both information, and transport us to a new place in our imaginations with fantasy.

In a search for a few newly released books, I tried to locate a local bookstore to make a purchase. There is one brick-and-mortar bookstore over thirty miles from my house. That is right, I said one. I am concerned about the lack of presence of bookstores, so I have done a little research to satisfy my curiosity. Paperbacks and hardcovers are almost a thing of the past.

The sales of paperbacks and hardcovers at retail stores have decreased over the last five years due to the convenience of e-books by about 5.7%. These declines were further accelerated by Covid-19 forcing brick and mortar retail stores to close for a few months. Looking into the future, the forecast still points to even e-books plateauing off. Unfortunately, the one major force against all publishers is that people have less free time nowadays and have chosen electronic devices for entertainment, games, and hobbies.

Many factors can impact the product strategy of book publishing. First, is the change in how the consumers purchase the product. The increase in e-book demands caused a substantial financial decrease in the demand for physical books. Not those physical books were not selling, however, a larger population was choosing to use their electronic devices when enjoying a book anytime, anywhere. The electronic shift in reading books has also led to audiobooks for convenience for those that love the stories that books offer but do not have the time to sit for long periods of time, the multitaskers.

Second, the popularity of electronic publishing caused the publishers to convert classics into digital format making them more attractive to the younger generation. The electronic books are sold for less than the retail value and reduce storage space needed in homes, offices, and schools.

Thirdly, the national economy has another enormous impact on all purchases, yielding certain items to be obtained with a large discount or even free. Books were still circulating throughout discount bins, thrift stores, garage sales, and libraries but were not being purchased from retail outlets.

Lastly, self-publishing has allowed writers to publish their works quicker and for a fraction of the cost. The benefit of self-publishing is the control over the book and keeping more of the revenues from the sales. The downside is that publishers come with a large team of writers, editors, and proofreaders to ensure a better product is being presented to the consumers. If we do not have a team of experts and capital behind us, can we still create a book worthy of all our readers across the world?

The biggest disappointment in the situation is the lack of tangible books is affecting our children. For at least the last six years, the students are carrying tablets. Where are the textbooks? Remember when we were in school, we had a chunky, heavy textbook for each class. Our backs were sore, and our backpacks could barely zipper around the massive load of books and notebooks we shoved in there. Sometimes we even had to carry one of two because there was no way one more thing would fit.

So, now we publish on various platforms on the internet to introduce ourselves to our fellow readers and writers. We join communities to support and assist each other in our dreams to tell stories for support, entertainment, and healing. We draft stories, fiction, non-fiction, romance, funny, etc. to share with an internet-based audience.

The one last thing I pledge to do in hopes of saving the printed book is to visit and support my local library frequently. To regularly exercise my need for a physical book to read and encourage my knowledge to grow. The comfort of holding a book could never be replaced by an electronic device.