“There are three difficulties in
authorship: to write anything worth publishing, to find honest men to publish
it, and to find sensible men to read it.” ― Charles Caleb Colton
Presently publishers and authors are
struggling for their survival globally. Publishers are concerned about the
declining sale of books, and authors are worried for not getting royalty for
their published books. Some of the eminent authors are struggling to publish
their books. The situation is worse for the upcoming and ambitious authors who
are passionate about authoring books. What are the reasons for the present
scenario? Is it due to the declining interest in reading books? Is it due to
the availability of free online content? Let us look at the present global
scenario objectively and analytically.
First of all, the reading habit in
people has not declined as opined by a few section of people. People read books
due to various reasons including to acquire knowledge. Some people read books
as a pastime activity. For some people, reading is a passion.
One of the main reasons for decline in
sales is the rapid changes in technologies. The digital era has changed the
face of the publishing industry. People prefer reading books online. There is a
shift from physical books to e-books globally. Secondly, too much of information
is available through online resources. Hence, people read free content
available online. There are many blogs sharing knowledge apart from LinkedIn
offering their members to post their ideas and insights through articles. People also share their knowledge on Facebook and
Google+ and other free websites including various forums. Therefore, when information
is available free, readers don’t spend money on buying books. Readers have
become very choosy in selection of topics and content. However, the authors who
have credibility and visibility need not to worry about the availability of
free knowledge online since they have a fan following globally. They must
strive hard to write books that are innovative and relevant in the present
context. They must reinvent as per the expectations and aspirations of the
readers. They must write simple and short books rather than bulky books as the
readers don’t have time and patience. The readers want the essence in a distilled
format. They can read it while travelling or during their leisure time.
The upcoming authors must be more
careful while writing books as they don’t have any fan following. They must
build their brands gradually by posting articles on their blogs and sharing
them on social media. Over a period of time, they can enhance their visibility
and build their fan base.
The publishers must reinvent in the
digital era. They must emphasize more on publication of e-books. They must
change the means and methods of marketing.
Remember, only when the publishers
survive, authors can survive in this world. Hence, both authors and publishers
must work together to ensure quality content to the readers to ensure sales
successfully. They must trust each other and promote and market together to
provide value for money and time to the readers. There must be synergy between
the authors and the publishers.
Marketing is not the sole task of publishers. Authors must also take
keen interest in promoting their work and books on social media and various
forums to help publishers achieve the desired objectives.
Conclusion
To conclude, there is no death for
reading and no dearth of readers globally.
People enjoy reading books. Only thing, the present condition is only a
correction for both authors and publishers to reinvent with changing times and
technologies to add value to the readers who invest their precious time and
money.
“To read a book, to think it over, and
to write out notes is a useful exercise; a book which will not repay some hard
thought is not worth publishing.” ― Maria Mitchell
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Good Article! Still there are so many readers who loves book reading rather than e-book reading.
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