No one buys books

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Book Buying vs. Reading: Has the Medium Just Shifted?

  • Many argue “no one buys books” is exaggerated: people still buy, but relatively less than other media.
  • Time and attention have shifted to streaming video, games, and social media; fiction consumption moved heavily to TV/film.
  • Others note you can now spend multiple lifetimes just on existing classics; new work competes with a huge back catalog.

Ebooks, Audiobooks, DRM, and Ownership

  • Ebooks and audiobooks are significant but, in trade publishing, often not clearly dominant over print.
  • Strong dislike of DRM: fear of platforms shutting down (cited Microsoft’s ebook store), account bans, silent revisions, and loss of long‑term access.
  • Some rip DRM and manage libraries with tools like Calibre; others only buy DRM‑free or physical copies.
  • “Spotify for books” exists partially (Kindle Unlimited, technical‑book subscriptions, web serial platforms), but reading time is long, so subscription economics and behavior differ from music.

Libraries as “Netflix for Books”

  • Many frame public libraries and the Internet Archive as the real all‑you‑can‑read service.
  • Counterpoints: selection is often mainstream, holds and licensing limits for ebooks introduce artificial scarcity, and access quality varies by region and funding.

Economics of Publishing and Writing

  • Discussion centers on Big Five houses relying on:
    • Celebrity memoirs and “franchise” authors.
    • Evergreen backlist (e.g., religious texts, children’s classics).
  • Midlist and niche titles often sell under ~2,000 copies; for many authors the effective hourly rate is below minimum wage.
  • Advances and marketing are heavily skewed to a small elite; most authors are expected to self‑promote and may get little to no marketing.
  • Self‑publishing and web serials (plus Patreon, Kindle Unlimited) can be lucrative for a tiny minority; for most, income remains small but creative control is higher.

Print vs E‑readers vs Screens

  • Strong split:
    • Pro‑print: better focus, spatial memory, tactile/nostalgic value, easy lending, no interruptions, durable and DRM‑free.
    • Pro‑e‑ink/tablet: adjustable fonts (especially with aging eyesight), portability, space savings, instant access, highlight/search/export tools.
  • Many use a hybrid: ebooks for disposable or travel reading; print for reference, art, or sentimental/rare titles.

Cultural and Social Dimensions

  • Some see book reading as increasingly niche compared with dopamine‑rich feeds (Instagram, TikTok).
  • Others report buying/borrowing more books than ever, especially for children, and emphasize modeling reading or reading with kids.
  • Libraries are praised as vital public, social, and even homelessness-support infrastructure, but also described as underfunded and uneven across regions.