Good news for e-books AND p-books: Uptick in fiction reading, says National Endowment for the Arts
Could fiction reading finally be increasing again in the U.S.—after years of declining interest in it?
Yes, says the National Endowment for the Arts. It credits Oprah (photo), hits like Harry Potter and Big Read-type programs.
The survey included Net reading. But NEA chairman Dana Gioia didn’t think that online literature was the main reason for the increase.
Still, I’m curious how much of a factor e-text could be. I agree with Pat Schroeder, head of the Association of American Publishers, who said that some of the respondents may not have counted Kindle-style e-reading.
If the survey is correct, and if focused efforts can help grow literacy, then we have yet other justifications for a well-stocked national digital library system carefully integrated with local libraries and schools. And along the way, let’s not neglect recreational reading as a literacy-promoter.
Related: New NEA report in PDF, New York Times article, Washington Post item, Google round-up, and David Nygren’s essay on how e-writers could reach larger audiences—plus E-text: A threat to concentration? Also see AAP’s not-so-cheery sales stats for p-books for October and some happier news from the International Digital Publishing Forum, which promotes e-books (above chart).
January 12th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
I’m doing my part. I got four books for Christmas, and spent Christmas money on more.