Do Readers Care That The Book Industry Has Some Issues?

 

 

Talk to most employees and freelancers at a book publishing company, and they will say they are overworked and underpaid. Just ask the striking folks at Harper Collins.

Talk to most writers seeking publication who can’t get a literary agent, and they will claim the gatekeepers are missing an opportunity to publish a quality book. Just ask the millions of writers with rejected submissions this past year.

Publishing’s workforce and the books it puts out don’t reflect the makeup of America. Just ask a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion activist.

There are challenges posed by right-wing book bans and by leftist woke cancel culture. Just ask anybody residing in the political extremes.

But if you talk to most book readers, they are as happy as can be.

There is an unfettered lovefest between bibliophiles and their books. And with good reason. Think about it. There’s lots of choice, easy access, and lower costs for consumers.

There may be real and perceived problems within the book world, but to consumers, all is terrific.

Books are available 24/7 and in all formats: trade paper, e-book, audio, hard cover, and mass market.

The price of books, relative to inflation and other forms of entertainment and information, is a steal. Books are cheap, and in many cases, free.

They are plentiful in terms of choice. There are more genres and sub-genres today than have ever existed.

If you say you can’t easily find a good book for a low price you probably can’t get yourself dressed in the morning.

So, why is there a disconnect here?

Readers are very satisfied; not so much those responsible for creating, curating, and producing books.

Do readers really care about the issues surrounding the book world?

Consumers of any industry want to be willfully blind, save for a tiny proportion of dedicated activists, to controversies or problems related  to their favorite product. Many consumers just don’t give a shit how they get what they want.

I don’t blame consumers from just wanting to read and enjoy books without having to figure out the bigger issues of the publishing industry. They know the world is unjust, imbalanced, and morally bankrupt. Just keep the noise down. Someone’s trying to read a book here.

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Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors promote their story, sell their book, and grow their brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

 

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About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on Twitter @theprexpert. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2023. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.3 million pageviews. With 4,400+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and two jobs at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America, and has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. He has been featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald. For more information, please consult: www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum.