Monday 1 December 2008

The economic downturn and books

Hello AJ, a question if I may. Some friends are anxious about the economic downturn we’re facing. What do you think it mean in terms of selling books, or getting published? Are we condemned?


  • Hi Andrea, I'm no economic expert, no-one can know beforehand but let's be realistic. Do people really stop reading because of lack of money? They might cut back on some luxuries, but reading…. people still read. I know I do. Don't you?

  • I suppose there'll be restraints and it might be that advances on royalties reflect a certain fear, but historically, books tend to do well during downturns in the economy. Maybe it's because people need extra release from the reality of a depressed state of life, but books still change hands.
  • Publishers will still need to publish new stuff. The industry is not condemned, we authors are not damned. If you dream of being published, don’t give up on it.
  • Next post on Tell Me a Story - Fuel.
  • My other blog - Bedlam.
End of post - The economic downturn and books