How Do We Increase Book Readership?

 

How Do We Get More People To Become Book Readers?  

How Do We Get Book Readers To Read Even More Books?

These are two questions that book publishers, bookstores, and authors desperately need to answer. Librarians, teachers, literacy experts, and society as a whole will have to play a big part in growing book readership across the nation.

We know when more books are purchased it is good for the economy and book industry. But more importantly, when readership is up, everyone benefits, from the readers to corporations to government to the world at large. 

Time magazine reports:  “According to a 2021 survey by the Pew Research Center, 23% of adults in the U.S. didn’t read any part of a book over the previous 12 months.” This is unacceptable! Almost one in four American adults no longer engage society, and rather than being leaders or even self-sufficient, these people are a drain on society. We must reverse this.

If we believe books provide information, ideas, entertainment or inspiration to readers, and that as a result, we see a brighter, more engaged, better balanced and more productive society, then we must do everything in our power to boost the total number of books read by our citizens.

1. Improve Literacy

— Hire more teachers and tutors.

— Train people to be better teachers and tutors.

— Get early intervention reading support to all kids.

— Make books available to all so that economics are not a factor.

— Have public service announcements to encourage all people to read.

2. Encourage Reading

— Show why books are unique and better than reading blogs, sites, articles, social posts.

— Incentivize people to read books — pay them; give access to free books; offer discounts.

— Show books as being powerful ways to experience a story.

— Highlight the longer-form reading virtues and advantages a book offers.

— Show the psychological, intellectual, financial, and physiological advantages of reading books.

— Develop more book clubs and increase chatter about books on social media, by the news media, and in friendly conversations.

— Make it fun to read in school — and out of it.

— Encourage people to read about anything they desire — any genre in any style, from children’s books, poetry, short story, and essays to novels, non-fiction, and graphic novels.

3. Learn the Language

— Bring in more English-speaking immigrants.

— Quickly and mandatorily teach English to everyone.

4. Diagnose and Treat Learning Disabilities

— From ADHD to Dyslexia, diagnose everyone and get them treatment.

5. Everyone Sees An Eye Doc 

— Millions suffer from vision problems. Get them diagnosed and make corrective lens and treatments readily available .

6. Make Reading Books A Fun Competition

— People seeking to lose weight may have a biggest loser competition that wills participants to lose more weight. Do the same with books. Have a 30-day challenge on who can read the most books. 

7. Showcase Your Books 

— What you read being on display can serve as a powerful statement of pride, status, and influence.

8. Reward Readers

— The prize for reading a book should come from the book itself. It brings joy or useful information or inspiration to the reader. But in addition to that, do we need to incentivize readers? 

— Should parents or schools compensate kids after reading a book? Perhaps we pay them, trade in exchange for not doing a chore, receive free movie, theater, concert or sporting events tickets, or get some type of extra credit? Can donors support a fund to motivate more book reading? 

9. Make Reading Social

— form more book clubs and encourage people to join.

— Discuss books when socializing with others, such as with a friend at dinner.

— Join online discussion groups that cover books and participate in book communities on Goodreads, LibraryThing, and StoryGraph or on major social media platforms like Facebook.

There are around 260 million adults in our country. About 60 million will not read one book this year. We need to do something about that. And for the other 200 million, not many of them are reading at least a book a month. They need encouragement, too.  

Can you make a difference and encourage or help those who don’t read many books or any at all?

Do You Need Book Marketing & PR Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over four million page views, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your 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!

 

About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over four million pageviews. With 5,000+ 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.”  Copyright 2025.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity 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.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully).

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, 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. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

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.

 

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.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum