Long Live Books!
Book Sales Up
For years we were told that reading is out, book sales are floundering, hard copy books will die soon. Guess what? Book sales are up, up, up! Book sales have seen an increase every year since 2013. Printed book sales rose 1.9% in 2017 and over 10% since 2013 according to publishersweekly.com. Young Adult books are having the best outcomes, along with children board books. People are buying printed books, and buying lots of them. Audio books are also seeing an increase in sales, with a revenue increase of 30.2%.
Thank You Social Media
Readers are buying physical books. What is leading to this surge? Social media, of course. More people are trying to limit their screen time, this means favoring physical books instead of electronic. At the same time, everything needs to be documented for social media, right? Readers are taking photos and book blogging like never before. Updating all their friends of their latest reads with Instagram photos and facebook posts. Book bloggers are thriving on social media, with hashtags like #booksofinstagram and #100booksin2019. Readers like to share their thoughts and opinions on books, and the best way to do that is post pictures of hard copies.
Audio Books Too
Audio books are also a popular option, and we can see why. Convenient, easy, and hands-free. Audio books just make long car drives or grueling workouts so much more bearable. More and more authors are turning their stories into audio books for listeners everywhere.
Book Stores Benefit
Book stores are also benefiting from this spike in book sales. Although big box book stores like Barnes and Noble are seeing a slight decline in sales, indie book stores are reaping the rewards. People are favoring their local independent book shop for a relaxing place to browse the newest books. Indie bookstores have seen their revenue increase by 5% in 2018.
It’s exciting to see books thrive and book sales flourish, let’s keep it up by supporting new authors and visiting local book stores.
