Prompt 10: Books From the Past to the Future
How have reading and books changed since you were a child, for you specifically?
I was an AVID reader from the time I could read on my own. My mom tells everyone about how she would call me to dinner and I would yell back "I can't right now, I'm reading!". While I am still an avid reader, my frequency of diving into a book has changed - I have responsibilities that cause short periods of time where I am not reading much. However, I just read while I am eating now. :D
The formats that I enjoy a story through have changed as well. Even though I still prefer a book in my hands, I do love the convenience of an eBook (I would have been blown away by this format as a kid). I've even been known to have the same title in both formats so I could switch back and forth. I am slowly getting into audiobooks as well which really gives me the ability to do other things while I read a story. Dishes calling my name? No problem! I can listen while I take care of things. In fact, I just realized that since I started using audiobooks a few months ago, I have managed to read multiple books despite working 50+ hours a week and taking three classes at a time! Yay me!
What do you see in the future for reading, books, or publishing - say 20 years from now. Will we read more or less, will our reading become more interactive? What will happen with traditional publishing?
This is a big question! The reader in me strongly believes there will always be readers that do not want to go without a book. I'm sure there are plenty of things that only 60-70% (average numbers from Le Guin's essay) of people buy. Does everyone buy a dog leash or a board game? No, that does not mean that it's over for those things, and the companies that make them should just throw in the towel.
I do think that publishing itself will change - I am seeing more and more authors publish their own works. Through Amazon or publishing houses, it is easy for people to put their work for sale and not have to jump through the traditional publisher's hoops. I even have a friend that has a publisher but she is forced to do ALL of the marketing, meaning her book sales really fall on her own shoulders. Publishers could stop taking a gamble on the everyday writer - forcing them to prove their worth through their own sales first.
Until the technology gap closes, I have a hard time thinking that traditional books are a thing of the past. And even if everyone had a smartphone or laptop, some of us just want a book in our hands! From my very informal discussions with patrons, there are a lot of us left! Somehow swiping my finger on my phone is just not the same!
Whatever happens in the future, I cannot wait for all the stories I will read - no matter where I have to go to find them.
Side note - it was wonderful getting to know you all through this class! I wish you all the best of luck and hope we talk again!
Hello, Bobbi.
ReplyDeleteYes, I used to read all the time myself. Unfortunately, life left little time for that over the years. I don't know how I would respond to audiobooks, personally. I tend to put most of my focus as to what I'm doing, so I think I would have a hard time.
Besides becoming a librarian, I would like to be a writer one day. I sometimes wonder if self-publishing would be the way to go or if I'm good enough to be chosen by a legitimate publishing company.
Keep up the good work. Good luck to you, too.
James
James,
DeleteI have definitely had to work on using audiobooks. Some people use them so naturally but for me it was a skill I had to work on!
That's awesome! Good luck in your writing!
I also agree that it is difficult to assume traditional books will become a thing of the past.
ReplyDeleteI was interested to hear about your friend who has a publisher but must do her own marketing! It seems like that would be a large part of the reason you would want a publisher - to help you market at scale and sell more books.
I wonder about people publishing more of their own works and if it is really a positive trend. I read a blog post by an author once who said that she was hesitant about self-publishing. She said if she had self-published her first couple of novels, she would be embarrassed now, and that they were rightly rejected by publishing houses. The rejections got her to work on her writing more and up her game, and she felt that she is now writing more and better material because of it. I think I tend to agree with this assessment, but I also know that it is really difficult to break into traditional publishing even with a great story. It will be interesting to see how this develops.
Amber,
DeleteShe has definitely felt like they are not helping like they should. Unfortunately, she has a contract with them. So despite not getting the support she thought she would she has to write a third book with them before she can switch. It was a real learning experience to hear about what she has been through!
I am honestly torn about self-publishing. Our library has a policy against buying them because the quality is not always the same. This was in place before I started and I have not tried to change it. We do accept donations but do not spend library funds to purchase them. Perhaps, as you say, the rejection letters help people get better. I also think the professional proofreaders probably help too. I understand that publishers do not always take a chance on a new writer, but I also wonder about the quality of the books... I cannot decide about self-publishing.
Hi Amber and Bobbi,
DeleteI think you bring up an interesting concern about self-publishing, it's also interesting to hear about an author who is glad they didn't originally self-publish. I've seen this issue come up across the arts in our internet and social media culture- people self-publish every blow-by effort and it hurts the overall impression of their work, or maybe it's just forgotten the next day when its off the feed (I'm thinking artists and Instagram here specifically). But I also think plennnnnnty of bad books have been published. And other worthy books have taken a long time to find a publisher- Harry Potter was famously rejected 12 times before finding a home.
I think you should encourage your library to reconsider their self-publishing policy. I know it can be hard to guarantee quality but there are a lot more tools available to make that judgement now and I anticipate there will be even more in the future. In particular, I think looking to independently published books is a good strategy to find diverse authors, particularly in genres like Romance that traditionally marginalized these authors and stories.
Hi Bobbi,
ReplyDeleteI like that you pointed out there will always be people who want a book in print. I think more people will become accustomed to eBooks but still like reading a physical copy. I know I go back and forth. Right now I have been interlibrary loaning graphic novels because we don't have many and I don't like reading them on a screen.
I am looking forward to seeing how libraries change with the people who use them and if print collections will become second to online materials. I think where I work there are too many people without internet to rely too heavily on eBooks for a collection. It's not that they cannot afford the internet, they cannot get it out in the country. Where I grew up we only had one internet provider and it is still super slow.
Good luck with being a new director! I hope someday we can talk again or meet at a library. It's been fun reading your ideas and thoughts. :)
Abby
Abby,
DeleteI agree! 20% of our community does not have internet access. Some due to the inability to afford it and some due to the inability to get it. Either way, these people rely on physical items. And others just prefer them!
Thank you so much! I hope we can talk or meet again as well! It has been a pleasure to get to know you in class! Good luck to you as well!
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ReplyDeleteCongrats on finishing up your degree! Good luck with your director job - that's huge! Full points!
ReplyDelete