Authorgeddon

refers to the hypothetical date when the number of books published in a given year will exceed the number of people who have read a book that same year.

A 2004 survey conducted by the National Endowment for the Arts reported that the percentage of Americans who read books has declined over the last 20 years and that only 57% -- 164 million Americans – had read even one book that year.

(And we all know what one book they are reading.)

The writer Gabriel Zaid claims that a book is published every 30 seconds somewhere in the world.

Guttenberg would be proud but Lulu.com, a print on demand company, published a survey that suggested we should be afraid because the year 2052 will be the year of Authorgeddon.

Using stats published by R.R. Bowker. Lulu.com worked out that if we keep publishing at the rate we are publishing now, in 2052 148.4 million books will be published -- but only 129.4 million Americans will actually read a book.

Do the math. This means 19 million new books will not find a reader.

Even if this is an exaggeration, those of us in the industry know that the challenge we all face is how to keep people reading and how to get more people reading. With the internet, cell phones, iPods and other listening devices, laptops, cable television, netflix etc there is no lack of competition for the book.

One thing we know is that when encouraged by people we trust (Oprah in the US, Richard& Judy in England) readers not only buy they flock. What we need are 100,000 little Oprah’s.

What I mean by that is we each have a sphere of influence and we each can suggest titles to friends, family, co-workers and so forth. We can each buy books instead of bottles of wine when we go to a dinner party. We can give bookstore gift certificates instead of flowers or candy or cigars.

And we can all take a stand with those millions of writers who want to get published one day, who live, eat and breathe getting published, but who barely read.

We’ve all gone to bookstore readings and had a dozen not yet published authors there hanging on every work for advice and yet when it comes time for the buying the book part, they disappear.

Don’t wait for it to happen. Explain how important bookstores are and how important it is for writers to read.

We can let writers who ask for our help know that we are totally willing to do what we can but first they have to prove to us they are readers. When a writer asks for an introduction to an agent, write back and say, I’d love to but first, tell me what you read.

The simplest thing we can do, each of us, is to encourage reading as much as we can.

To that end, knowing summer is coming, I’ve asked a wonderful group of writers and some other publishing pros for their summer reading lists which I’ll be peppering with their looks at what works in terms of buzz as well as what ballsy lies the industry perpetuates.

So come back tomorrow when we kick off with one of my favorite writers, Lee Child’s summer reading list.

Comments

[Lorra Laven]

I say, don't look back, look forward. Like an appreciation for the fine arts, a love of reading must be instilled during childhood.

The NEA should concentrate all of its resources on instilling a love of reading in children. Instead of a community read for adults, why not have a designated month where children read age-appropriate literature (or adults read to them) coupled with games, contests, book clubs -- anything that will create a community of readers who are all excited about the characters/story line in the books they are reading?

I belive the "Harry Potter" series is proof that children will read if a book intriques them. The NEA should look to this example and learn from it.

My advice to the NEA: think outside the box. Once children learn that reading is fun, they won't stop.

[Louise Ure]

Hi MJ,

I think your guests Summer Reading Lists will finally topple my TBR pile. Nothing wrong with that. I can't wait to see the lists.

Louise

[Libby Hellmann]

I couldn't agree more, MJ. It scares me how little my own kids read, compared to what I used to do.
But what scares me more is the thought that all the kids who read Harry Potter today will get sidetracked surfing the net, plugging into MySpace, IPods, blogs, etc, as they age. I'm not confident that "once a reader, always a reader.."

[Steve Clackson]

I'm afraid I agree with Libby. The new reality is that there is just so much in the way of entertainment that kids and adults for that matter are bombarded with alternatives to sitting down with a good book.Those that do don't always continue, the peer pressure is on whats hot and unfortunately books are not often high on a younger persons list.

[Lauri]

I just read in "Leave Me Alone: I'm Reading" that 59% of Americans don't even own a book - not even a bible or a cookbook.

I almost always give books for baby presents, and often for holidays and graduations.

One of the things I know I've done right as a parent - I've raised three readers - kids who want more books at the library than they carry, and who sneak in reading at night.