THE STORY SO FAR: PART 198

THE BOOK BUSINESS IS BEING TURNED UPSIDE DOWN AT A TRULY ASTONISHING SPEED

IN NOVEMBER 2012, 28 PERCENT OF ALL BOOK PURCHASES IN THE U.S. WERE IN E-BOOK FORMAT—A DRAMATIC RISE FROM SIX PERCENT IN NOVEMBER 2010

When I was first published back in 1991—which doesn’t seem that long ago, as far as I am concerned, but is pre-history to many people—the book chains ruled the earth, and Barnes & Noble dominated the book chains.

Just over two decades later, the second largest book chain, Borders, is gone, and Barnes and Noble is looking sickly. What is more is that e-books—scarcely heard about until Amazon introduced the Kindle in 2007—have seized a truly significant market share.

Let me quote from mediabistro which is, in turn, quoting from Bowkers:

According to a new report from Bowker Market Research, U.S. chain bookstores lost 13 percent of their share of book purchases in 2012.

Overall, chain booksellers saw their share decrease from 32 percent to 19 percent of volume. At the same time, Bowker recorded some dramatic gains in U.S. eReatailers and digital book growth. Check it out:

In the U.S., e-retailers accounted for 44 percent of book purchases by volume in 2012, up from 25 percent in 2010. In the U.K. the rise has been somewhat less dramatic but still significant, up from 25 percent in January-November 2010, to 38 percent in the same period in 2012 … In November 2012, 28 percent of all book purchases in the U.S. were in e-book format — a dramatic rise from six percent in November 2010.

 

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 193

THEMOTH.ORG—TALES OF THE MOTH—REPRESENTS THE HUMAN CONDITION, AND THE POWER OF RADIO, AT THEIR FINEST.

IF YOU ARE NOT MOVED BY SUCH TRUE STORIES, YOU ARE MADE OF STONE

I commented some time ago that, as I have been getting older—within the limits of being a member of a different sex—I have been turning into my much loved grandmother in terms of beliefs and lifestyle. Would it were so, in many ways, because she was an admirable human being with a big heart, but I fear my flaws exceed hers.

Nonetheless, there are similarities to our lifestyles—quite a few, in fact—apart from the fact that we both lived, or live, alone. One of them is that we both share (or shared) a passion for the radio. It’s informative, companionable, thoroughly entertaining, and remarkably inexpensive. Here I am referring to NPR in its various forms—not corporate radio (which has pretty much trashed a great medium).

One of the most impressive programs is TALES OF THE MOTH. These consist of nothing more that a single person telling a true story from their own experiences to a small audience—which is then recorded and transmitted. Many are extremely funny. Some are desperately sad. All are moving.

Stories are innate to the human condition. They give us identity, make us laugh—and give us hope. TALES OF THE MOTH represents the zenith of storytelling.

They make me proud to be a teller of stories, part of a fraternity that may just be—though the competition is formidable—the oldest profession.