The AP reports The publishing industry continues to put out more books than the public is prepared to buy, according to a report issued Monday by the Book Industry Study Group.
The number of books sold dropped by nearly 44 million between 2003 and 2004, even as the annual number of books published approaches 175,000.
“People are reading less, so what you’re seeing is the same phenomenon that has hit magazines and newspapers, a massive shift toward home video, DVD, internet and cable,” said Albert N. Greco, an industry consultant and a professor of business at the graduate school of Fordham University.
The big publishers
I wish in a way that the big publishers would all disappear into a time warp (where they can plug and sell their bestsellers to their hearts content), and that the small and independent publishers, who struggle to find the funding to publish one or two carefully researched and thoughtfully written books would inherit the market. Nice daydream, huh?
Re:The big publishers
The glut of instant books and other reactions to perceived demand used to be trees. I love freedom of expression and shit but there are way too many books out now that suck. It’s a form of information warfare. By providing so much chaff, the truth avoids radar detection.