I didn't think I'd post again so quick but I read this and was astounded.
Who is Reading Books (and who is not)
One-third of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives. Many do not even graduate from high school.
58% of the US adult population never reads another book after high school.
42% of college graduates never read another book.
80% of US families did not buy or read a book last year.
70% of US adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.
57% of new books are not read to completion.
--Jerrold Jenkins.
http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/resources/statistics.cfm
6 comments:
And yet people keep writing and writing, and writing... So who is doing the reading - more like who's doing the buying? Must mostly be pastors trying to find a good illustration for next week's talk...
I'm not much of a reader, so I guess the survey includes me!
Very interesting! I enjoyed all the statistics through the link.
I have heard many times that people are reading less and watching TV more. I guess it looks like it is true.
Your stats listed number of books read, I wonder if other types of media (magazine, Internet, newspaper, etc) have as few readers? I know I don't read very many books, but read a lot of magazines and newspapers. I actually had a well educated boss once that everyone that read a novel is wasting their time. He continued to tell me everyone was stupid that read anything for leisure (non-educational). I didn't know what to say.
I found the information about the publishers interesting. I know my mom found to publish her autobiography most publishers asked 5 or 6 times more money than others.
I love reading books - like crazy! However, by the time I actually get to read a book....even brand new ones on the newsstand, the author's thoughts are old. Let's say a year or two of writting, the editting process, publishing, and then shipping it off to retailers. Pretend you don't buy it for the first 6 months and then you read it a month later....what are you getting? Old thoughts.
Granted....some are timeless.
However, I can also follow certain author's blogs and see what they are thinking and writting right now; today, this moment.
Maybe people are not reading books because they are becoming obsolete?
Wow. Books becoming obselete is an interesting thought.
I also think that writers are writing fewer books because of blogging. Malcolm Gladwell is a case in point. BTW, his blog os very good.
It would be interesting to compare Canadian stats with the American ones that you quoted. I like to think that we are more literate up north. It gives us something to do on the long cold nights in our igloos.
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