Winning The Book Reading War

 

All that said, don’t get discouraged or give up. Traditional publishers released over 550,000 titles last year — 12 times their output of 35 years ago. They want good books that sell well. If you feel you can offer that, keep pushing. 

I was watching a sci-fi dystopian film, Paradise, about a time in the world where a medical breakthrough unearthed a means to harvest years from one person and give that extended life or youth to another. All kinds of ethical issues arose — Is it right to do this if it only benefits the rich? What if people, like prisoners, are forced into this? What if the system overseeing it becomes corrupt?

Good stuff.

What if we could do something like this when it comes to reading, where one person can buy a greater reading speed and a bigger capacity to consume more books — and analyze and retain them? Would people with a high natural capacity give some to illiterates or low-grade readers — or would people who don’t read many books sell their capacity to those seeking to accumulate more knowledge and build on their thirst for more stories?

Perhaps the battle to win the AI wars is akin to this. The company or individual who can consume more knowledge — faster — and analyze it best, can end up controlling many things and making tons of money.

We say “reading is knowledge” or “reading is power.” Certainly this is becoming true with AI and technology.

Luckily, the power to read is not a zero-sum game. One doesn’t have to get dumber for another to be smarter. But it takes resources to upgrade people’s reading abilities: teachers, tutors, books, translators, and librarians. There should be no question about it. Resources need to go here so that the population becomes educated and in turn, self-sufficient and productive.

Leave no reader behind!

 

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