Where are Books Going?

Being a novelist, I've been having an up close and personal time with the publishing industry. It has been a sobering experience. Did you know there are more people in the US who don't read books than those that do? I was shocked. There are millions and millions of people in this country who don't enjoy that wonderful satisfaction of losing yourself in a story. It's one of the great joys of life - up there with sex, sports, games (poker), learning, nature, movies, music and socializing. Especially as you age and sex and athletics are not as accessible, you need as many of those other things as possible to enjoy. When I run out of things to enjoy, pass me the cyanide tablets.

The industry is suffering as a result. Small and medium-sized publishing houses are going under or hanging on by their fingernails. Even Random House is reorganizing itself. The convoluted literary agent system is falling apart. New authors cannot get any traction because the large houses only want to invest in less risky books such as Stephen King or Nelson DeMille (the author whom many of my readers say my style is most similar too). Who can blame them, they need to feed their kids.

Its always been a business, of course, but now its been taken to a new level. Editors want you to have a diverse set of characters to attract a larger pool of likely readers. They want you to set the book in cities that have a larger reader base such as Seattle. They want very happy endings. They want the book to mimic some past best seller. And I understand all this. But where is it leading? Unfortunately, to boring sex -- mediocrity between the covers.

Now if some new, talented and clever author publishes a great novel with a small press, it is almost guaranteed to be the tree falling in the forest. It won't get reviewed. It won't get promoted. It doesn't really exist because no one will read it because no one will know about it. The author won't write anymore books because she'll have to feed her kids as well. A sad, sad state of affairs.

But I'm an optimistic person and I think things will shake out for the better in time. Its hard to predict what will happen, but it is clear that all books will eventually be "published on demand." Why spend big bucks on large printing runs when those books have to be inventoried (more $), They need to be shipped and returned if not sold ($). Plus they use trees and energy in large quantities. You will also select the form you want to experience the book. "Download to your Ipod - click here." "Download to your eBook reader - click here." "Print a copy and send - click here." Hey, I do it myself. But I'm a pioneer. My ancestors where pioneers from Latvia. It's in my genes.

I just hope a clear way materializes that allows good books to rise to the forefront. I'm so tired of seeing these "lowest common denominator" books on sale everywhere. If some alien came to this country and perused our book scene they would probably think that only a few hundred books are published a year. But in fact, 300,000 are published.

Oh and you guys out there. Start reading! Women make up 75% of the book buyers (and presumably readers) in this country. Poker and football are great, but sometimes there is nothing better than reading a good story that you just can't put down. Not as good as great sex, but believe-it-or-not, its close.