ARE BOOKS FACING EXTINCTION?
That may sound like a ridiculous question or an hysterical overreaction, but as an avid reader and a novelist, it’s a thought that burns in my brain.
People don’t read books like they used to; the attention span of the average American is approximately that of a gnat. When I was growing up, I didn’t experience nonstop notifications from cellphones or short-form media like TikTok or YouTube shorts. I wasn’t multitasking between apps or being bombarded by algorithm-driven content demanding my immediate engagement. I feel sad and angry about the realities young people are faced with.
I have created audio books and E-books. I read books on Kindle but prefer the feel and smell of real books; holding, touching, the sight of beloved books on my bookshelves. Not everyone shares my love of books and reading; our current President doesn’t read, with the exception of his own poorly-written posts.
On the subject of government, no discussion of today’s literary landscape would be complete without addressing the scourge of book banning; in 2025, 6,870 books were banned in U.S. public schools. 80% of these bans happened in just three states: Texas, Florida, and Tennessee. Since 2021, nearly 23,000 books have been banned in our schools. I find this to be particularly horrifying - Harper Lee’s classic, To Kill a Mockingbird, banned because of racial content and language. Insane.
As of now, books are still being published, but self-published authors are in dire straights. Self-publishing allows for creative freedom and ownership, but for self-published books, 90% sell fewer than 100 copies. After failing to land a publisher, I published my new novel, The Yoyo Years, on Amazon a month ago. I have sold a grand total of five books. If I want to get my books seen and sold, I realize that I have to wear two hats; writer and marketer. Unfortunately I am not a natural marketer and I am a tech luddite. So I simply have to learn and practice, and that’s what I’m doing - my mission. In the meantime, I continue to read and write; a tiny act of resistance to the tidal wave of ignorance and neglect.