A few things + more books in the news

I finished 3 books (an amazing feat for me) in the past week, so I have some posts to catch up on. Look for reviews coming on these books: True Colors by Kristin Hannah, Live First, Work Second by Rebecca Ryan, and What Remains, an amazing memoir by Carole Radziwill.

I found an interesting article the other day (I've been doing that a lot lately - thanks to Twitter) called "10 Awful Truths about Book Publishing." Some interesting findings:

• Bowker reports that 560,626 new books were published in the US in 2008. (Is it really a wonder all of our TBR piles are growing rapidly?!)
• The average book in America sells around 500 copies (Publisher's Weekly, July 17, 2006)
• A book has a less than 1% chance of being stocked in an average bookstore
• Most book marketing done today is accomplished by authors, not publishers (even that I didn't know)

Isn't it interesting to think what may happen in the book world in the future due to the digital age? It didn't take long for e-books and the Kindle to be born - what's next? What do you think? What do you predict for the future of books?

Book burning in the news

I found an interesting article on CNN today, that some controversial young adult novels are creating a huge rift in a Wisconsin town. Read the entire article here.

I agree that books including graphic sex and/or rape and incest are indeed not appropriate for all teens, but who's to say they should be removed from the library? Some teens are having babies, but they're not allowed to read about sex? Some teens are headed to college, but they can't read these books? I graduated high school and completed almost the entire first semester of college before I even turned 18. If books were removed from my library when I was 17, isn't it safe to say that college situations and incidents could have provided more harm than reading fiction?

Sound off on this...I'm curious what other readers have to say about it!

2009 Book Marketing Trends

The other day on Twitter I was pointed to this article about 2009's Book Marketing Trends. I have to agree with a lot of what was said, including that "hot" items will include anything green or eco-friendly, entrepreneurs and business coaching, social networking and home/decor and DIY projects were the items that especially caught my attention. All of these topics are important to me and provide me with inspiration this year, and not just in the book category.

The concept of green isn't new, I'd say that it's just picking up speed. Fast. I've been much more aware lately of my habits (such as plastic bags, recycling, etc) and have been trying very hard to curb them. The entrepreneur and business topic will always be near and dear to me, as I aspire to have my own business someday, and I just think entrepreneurs rock. Social networking - well, you already know that I recently purchased The Social Media Bible. I have also recently gotten into the interior design/decor and DIY on my other blog, and it's been providing me with non-stop inspiration.

What do you think of these trends?