Books are back
: Tied to the start of BookExpo, the publishing convention (where I’m doing the blogboy dance today) The NY Times says that books are back with sales increasing (while movie ticket sales are declining). Could it be that the internet is making people read again (for now). Or could it just be that movies suck? Or could it be divine intervention:
In fact, for all the talk about the death of “old media” – that is, printed material like books – and the ascendancy of the new, digitally fueled media that rule the airwaves and cyberspace, Americans still spend more buying books than they do going to movies or buying recorded music, video games or DVD’s.
Consumer spending on books rose 8 percent, to nearly $21 billion, in the three years that ended in December….
The rebound has been fueled largely by the expanding popularity of religious-themed books like “The Purpose-Driven Life” and the “Left Behind” series of novels, as well as a new breed of mega-best-selling novels, some with religious overtones, like “The Da Vinci Code” and “The Five People You Meet in Heaven.”
