The Printed Word : 3100 BCE to 2017 CE?

Why haven't physical books gone the way of the dodo? Will we ever see the death of print?

Hello all. It's Matt again and I have another few questions about the industry I have found myself in. As you know I'm an author and keeping my eye on current trends is very important, as I've stated before.

The current question is: Should I publish digitally or physically?

While that question is ultimately up to the publisher and the agent, it isn't a bad question to ask and analyze.

People have been speculating the "death of print" since the advent of the radio in the 1920's. And while there has been a steady decline in value of the newspaper pre-Internet and a rapid decline post, the newspaper is still alive and littering the sidewalks of America; for now.

According to this report by Ross Dawson, America could finally see the death of the Newspaper by 2017. That's only next year! What does this mean for other print sources such as books and magazines?

Sales for physical printed books in 2015 were up by about 2% but according to Nielsen Bookscan (a report that shows numbers on the book market) a majority of those sales were from adult coloring books, not novels. This kind of figure doesn't help out someone like me who wants to make a living on writing fiction.

Even more reports done on Amazon sales of E-books and Print books show a lose in the print market on a monetary scale. As we all know digital is cheaper, quicker, and easier to promote. You can access a digital book from anywhere (if you have a phone or tablet that is) and you can carry every book in your collection on your device.

It's simple economics.

So I should go digital right? It's not that simple.

In 2014 tablets showed a decline in sales for the first time since 2010 according to a report by the IDC despite a general upswing for the whole year. There has also been a substantial collapse in the E-book market as well according to reports by Author Earnings.

A decline in E-book and tablet sales, an upswing in print (sort of), a fluctuation of the life cycle for print vs digital.

While it's hard to say which one will win out in the end, we must start to look at our own lives. Where I'd like to look is the library.

While most libraries cater to not only book readers by having audio books, movies, video games, and online resources, they do still carry in their majority, books.

"But Matt aren't libraries on their way out too?"

Not at all. In Lexington, Ky they are building a new 33,000 sq ft library with a drive through and will house 30% more books than the current branch library in the area.

In the whole US there are an estimated 119,487 libraries of all kinds across the nation. So it's safe to say that libraries are still needed and used by many people.

However, how do I answer my first questions? Will the book die out?

From a personal standpoint, I don't think so. There is something about holding a book in your hands that can't be replicated by a tablet or smart phone. You can't get an e-book signed by your favorite author. You can't book note a digital copy. And while browsing online might be easier, browsing in a bookstore is an experience you can't find anywhere else.

Physical books might fluctuate in sales and become something of novelty over time just like Vinyl or VHS but I don't think it will ever truly become obsolete or outdated.

What are your thoughts on the print vs digital battle? Should we drop physical print for having costly antiquated methods? Or will it stay a positive reminder of our pasts?

As always.

Keep reading. Keep learning.

Why don't boys read more?

Why is it that 9 out of the top 10 books for teen males are made before 2005, when 8 out of the top 10 books for teen females are made after 2005?

Why aren't there more writers making books geared towards teen males?

Hey guys and gals. I'm Matt and I've been wanting to comment on this issue for a while now. I am an author and am currently seeking publication for my book Dreams of Machines. As a writer I have to look at current trends in the writing market and make sure that my endeavor, while fulfilling on it's own will be something the world will want to actually read.

I used to work at a library and one of our sections that always perplexed me was the YA section. For those of you who don't know YA stands for Young Adult and is a section separated out for patrons from the ages of 13-18. The section for younger than 13 is juvenile and after 18 is adult fiction. The problem I have with the section is this: Almost all the titles are geared towards girls.

When I was young my mother used to give us all books to read and if we finished it we'd get a toy and the next book in the series. I was 11 when she started this and I was reading The Seventh Tower series by Garth Nix. A good series, that I really enjoyed and fit my demographic. When I got a little older I obviously wanted to keep reading so I looked and looked for more books but nothing kept my interest. At least anything that was written within the past ten years. I read Ender's Game (on the list I have above) and The Hobbit. While both are great books I wished there was more out at the time.

When I got a little older, around 14, I went to the library to look for books with samurai in it as I watched old samurai films every Saturday and wanted to read some books. I came across Bridge of Sparrows and was immediately hooked. Only problem was, it was a book for adults. Something I probably shouldn't have read or at least something that wasn't intended to be read by a 14 year old. It was full of sex and gore and adult themes I couldn't possibly understand. What else was there for me though?

Before you ask, I was a 11 in 2001 and yes I did read Harry Potter. But one series isn't enough to compete with the saturated market of books geared towards girls. I'd peruse the shelf and come across two things: title after title about magic/vampires/school woes, titles with female leads with no perspective for a teen boy.

While I'm not saying a boy can't read and enjoy a book with a female lead (The Hunger Games is forth on the list above) a boy or girl or anyone wants to read a story that speaks to them with characters they can relate to and be in the shoes of.

I don't know about any other guy's I was in school with but I can't relate to Tris from Insurgent, Bella from Twilight or even Katniss Everdeen. I wanted male characters, since being a young man I wanted to read about young men and their struggles. Sadly the titles are few and far between. The list I provided above includes books suited for the low end of that age range and not much for the far end. I wouldn't even consider Lord of the Rings a series intended for teens.

So I ask, Why aren't there more authors writing books geared towards boys? Or am I asking the wrong question? Are there books out there and I'm just not seeing them?

In this report by OECD Observer , girls read more than boys for pleasure. Spending at least 30 mins a day reading. Why is that?

In this article in Great Schools! they talk of the issues with academic pressures on boys and the growing gap of achievement between boys and girls. Citing that although there seem to be more alternatives to reading for boys, this issue is long running. They also talk about how the gender inequality of titles and pressure from female role-models make the boys shy away from reading as being a thing for "girls".

I personally felt the same was a teen. After failed attempts to find books I liked to read and wanting more than what the Fantasy section gives, I stopped reading for pleasure for years. Was it mostly because of my societal formed disposition towards reading or was it the fact that there just aren't any books for boys outside of the sci-fi/fantasy realm? Or was it a mixture of both?

Perhaps society needs to change before more authors will start writing for that demographic. Or perhaps if more books existed for that group of boys and it wasn't stigmatized for boys to read the market will see a new point of sale.

Only time will tell. In the meantime I'm going to keep writing what I think I'd want to read as a young man.

Keep reading. Keep learning.