Do People still read books?

[ewomack]

Used to be that a person could write a book, sell it to a publisher, and make a decent living even off of modest sellers. A report I read from the industry (sorry I don't have the link; I'll try to find it) stated that the average annual salary for a writer sits at an underwhelming $5,000 a year. And that's for books that sell. Obviously, J.K. Rowling and Dan Brown have cashed in, but they, and a scant few others, remain extreme exceptions.

Do writers' plummeting salaries provide a reflection on the number of books people buy and/or read? The internet age has diverted a lot of our attention online, not to mention gaming, increased time for work and family, double wage earning families, and so on. In a good year I read more than 40 books (20 when I was in Grad School).

Do you buy and/or read books? How many a year? Do you want to read more but can't find the time?

[suzjor]

I'd say I read about 5 - 8 a year. I love to read but honestly I just don't have time. I read a lot of news online - but they are quick reads that I do every morning and then once before bed.

[watley]

Very sadly I don't read nearly as much as I used to. Most of the books I read nowadays are one page long (well four if you count all sides of the box) and contain breakfast cereal.

[Costin Trifan]

I don't quite have time for literature but I download and read a lot of e-books.

[Julie]

Hm. I think it depends on the kind of book. But yea, bestselling writers like them obviously make a killing. I don't think its ever been easy to cash in though in writing. But it probably has gone down. Its apparently tougher in the non-fiction market, especially in tech cuz tech changes so often, so a much smaller number of books sold is consider a success.

[StrongInTheArm]

Ah a books thread ...

Internal body temperature rising ...

Perspiration increasing ...

Thoughts crowding my head ...

So much to say, cannot formulate sen ...

Internal cranial pressure mounting ...

Thought overload imminent ... ...

Vision blurring, synapse cascade predicted ...

Cranium fissures appearing ...

SPLURGWORWCH !

I'll be back when I can get myself together again.

[Costin Trifan]

We'll be here, SITA

Just come back in one piece!

[Domestic Diva]

I was always a big reader, but now I don't have time to actually sit and read. I used to rent audio books on cassette, then came the i-Pod! Now I download whatever books look good on iTunes, and I listen to them while I do not-so-riveting things like - clean, fold laundry and exercise.

[Brian]

I can read upwards of 10 a month.
I usually settle around 4, though.

[Cricket]

I read nearly every night before I go to sleep, an average of 20 books a month.

[robert s.]

i love reading -and i am looking forward to the last harry potter!!

[StrongInTheArm]

Yes I buy books, sometimes I even read them, sometimes I tease myself by seeing how long I can just let an unread book lay there on the shelf.

Once I read a whole book in the time it took me to walk home from school, distance 1.5 miles, I was quite surprised not to have been run over when I came to think about it, it was So long and thanks for all the fish by D. Adams.

I sometimes just hang out at bookshops pretending to buy books but secretly reading them.

I lost several pounds in weight reading Lord of the Rings the first time around cos I kept forgetting to eat.

I got so engrossed in reading one of the Dune books I forgot about my girlfriend and how we would be apart for nearly three months. That caused no end of trouble. Fortunately now she knows not to bother me when I got my head stuck in a book.

Reading is not for fun, I read with my mind, imagination and heart. It is for me a need. So when I say I haven't read a book in over a year, I am saying something.

[Moxie]

I read as much as I can. Being a teacher, most of what I read is related to my work, but I pick up a book every now and then when I have time. I would say I read about 5 books in the summer, and about 5 books combined the rest of the year.

[jxb10]

People still read fiction and entertainment books I think. Most people pick a few authors and read only their books. Also, I think less and less people are going to books for information because information is found so easily on the internet.

[Missie]

I love reading and that's how I learned English too! (double benefits for me)
I usually read while I wait for my son's football training to finish in winter and swimming in summer... lol

[jo_cstd]

I've been busy lately and haven't read a single book in 4 months. I used to read about 1-4 books in a month.

[lloyd.velarde@gmail.]

time is my main problem right now, that's why I can't read books. but I'm interested in reading books especially historical and mythological type of book.

[astrovineet]

I dont read books normally

but if its a good book or a gifted book, I would love to read.

If I feel interested in the content, I try to read in one go.. or I wont read it .

The books I like are usually based on fiction, romance, occult, marketing, autobiography, real life incidents, poems etc.

I definitely try anything for a try .. since everything got something to learn.

Viineet jain

[Hahh]

Yes, I absolutely love reading, and now my interests are mainly focused on psychology, sociology, and stuff like that.

[Julie]

I don't read a whole lot anymore. I've been slowly getting back into it, reading a couple here and there. College kinda ruined it for me, and then when I was taking all those masters degree courses in info & library science, wow that killed my desire to read even more with all the books we were forced to read.