Where Are Our Gen Z Book Readers?

 

“Twenty years ago the National Endowment for the Arts reported that 43% of 18-24-year-olds had not read a single poem, play, novel, or short story in the preceding 12 months,” says the New York Daily News. Have things changed much since that pre-social media report?

 

They likely have gotten worse.

 

Access to books, by virtue of the Internet, is greater than ever in the history of civilized society in America, but Gen Z readership is unique BookRiot cited how Gen Z prefers print books over digital books, saying:

 

“Gen Z readers vastly prefer physical print books over ebooks. Only 14% of sales in their age group were ebooks last year. When interviewed about why this is by Business Insider, the usual bookish reasons cropped up first: loving that beautiful book smell that can’t be replicated on an ereader; the ability to curate a physical book collection and acquire special edition copies; the growing practice of annotating and tabbing books in creative ways.

“The reasons don’t stop there, however. A number of Gen Z readers are citing digital eye strain as something print books give them relief from. Print books also make it easier to focus on the narrative, instead of the built-in distractions of your phone, ereader, or browser. More and more, young adults aged 16-24 are also participating in digital detoxes to decrease their exposure to social media.”

 

So, what will it take to get more young adults to read more books and shorter pieces of literary delight?

 

Whether things are consumed usually come down to one or more of these factors:

 

* Time

* Money

* Education

* Need

* Desire

* Awareness

* Availability

* Emotional Mindset

* Options

* Upbringing

 

Do younger people have:

 

1.      Time to read books? 

An hour a day will lead to a finished book in a week.

 

2.      Funds to buy a book? 

So many are free online or at a library.

 

3.      The knowledge and ability to read?

Our literacy rate is quite high.

 

4.      A need to read a book?

Not always, but sometimes a book is better than surfing the web.

 

5.      A desire to read a book?

If they need a break from Netflix, social media, or work/school, try a book.

 

6.      An awareness of books?

They are everywhere!

 

7.      An availability to read?

It is up to each of us to be available for things we value.

 

8.      Are they emotionally open to reading?

So many have anxiety and stress; reading should relax them.

 

9.      How were they brought up?

Gen Z is a product of Gen X and some older Millennials, and books were valued by those generations, so Gen Z should have been inculcated with the book value.

 

10.  How do books stack up against other content options?

This is where we hit a brick wall. Blogs, podcasts, videos, social media, websites, texting, apps, news feeds, streaming services, cable TV, music, video games, radio, magazines, newsletters, movies, plays, webinars, seminars, speakers, concerts… it is a long list of distraction and competition. Books are fighting for the young American mind.

 

My two teens are Gen Z. My daughter is a voracious book reader. Paper books at that. My son reads a lot — just not books. I guess one out of two ain’t bad, but we can do better. 

We need to.

 

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About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.9 million pageviews. With 4,900+ 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 director of publicity positions 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 hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, 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. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.