Web reading impacts book publishers, too
Posted on August 21, 2007 by Melissa Worden
I’ve been focusing my attention so much on what’s going on with newspapers, that I hadn’t thought about its effect on books, as shown in an Associated Press-Ipsos poll:
The typical person claimed to have read four books in the last year — half read more and half read fewer. Excluding those who hadn’t read any, the usual number read was seven.
That choice … is reflected in book sales, which have been flat in recent years and are expected to stay that way indefinitely.
Analysts attribute the listlessness to competition from the Internet and other media, the unsteady economy and a well-established industry with limited opportunities for expansion.
If the root of what newspapers are doing is telling print stories, it’s wise to look at what’s going on with comparable industries. People clearly are changing the way they’re consuming information (not just news).
It also underscores how important it is for newspapers to redefine their business as information providers. If people identify a newspaper as being only a “paper” we could likely start hearing quotes like this, as they apply to news video:
“If I’m going to get a story, I’ll get a movie.”
Tags: future, online journalism, storytelling
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