4 MILLION new books are published EACH YEAR

What do we do with this staggering piece of data? How can it be possible that four million new books are published yearly? What does that MEAN?? I can't say I have answers but we are going to talk about it anyway. Also...sorry my audio burns out a few times in the vid, tried a new audio setup. It didn't work...sooo lol
Chapters
00:00 - Intro
02:58 - The DNF of it all
03:52 - The bookstore of it all
07:36 - The niche/quality of it all
08:55 - the tiktok/aesthetics of it all
10:07 - the conclusion of it all
Some Booktok/aesthetic vids:
‪@merphynapier42‬: • Reading Is Different Now
‪@libraryofaviking‬ : • Is TikTok and Booktube...
Socials
bookborn.reviews

[@darenihill]

To me it feels like KZbin content. There is so much published every day that even if I only watch what is super interesting to me there isn't enough time. But I prefer having to many options than too few

[@Antonio-oc8ub]

These numbers, I find them both overwhelming and calming. Like yes, it’s very sad that we are not going to able to read everything we want to read, probably not all of the things that we would like or love. But I also think that that same thing is actually something that gives me peace. Like yeah, you are not going to read everything you’d want no matter how much you try, then why bother to try to read as much as you can but not enjoying the things you read? These things make me understand that I should keep reading and enjoying each novel and not think about the thousands that will come after, just try to stick to the small amount I will be able to experience while I live

[@Bookborn]

That's sort of where I fell. Like, being on here, there are a lot of books people want me to read that I'm not sure I'll enjoy. It makes it easier for me to say "nah". There's so much out there, there's so much GOOD stuff, I'll be fine even if I miss a few (or...a lot, obviously)

[@nathanielanderson6356]

I always thought I was buying too many books, in the grand scheme of things I'm hardly buying any at all compared to what is being put out. Looks like it's time to buy some more!

[@Bookborn]

I love being an enabler 🤣

[@jcmberne]

This is exactly why you're so important (I mean, it's one reason). The only way to find the books we want to read out of all those millions being released is to have a reviewing community (including booktubers, but also bloggers, instagram people, and other bookfluencers) that helps funnel us toward the books we're going to actually enjoy. As to your question - I grew up in the 70's (and 80's) and the options were definitely limited. I had no choices beyond what my local bookstore decided to stock.

[@MetalGildarts]

The fact that there's so many books out there now proves that you can genuinely write what YOU want to write, tell the stories and approach them the way YOU want to, and you'll find your audience. This will also push people to be more creative with their stuff. That gives me hope as an aspiring fantasy author myself.

[@pushista9322]

Books are meant to unite large social groups, to express their shared experience and shape a shared perspective for the future.

[@sublime053]

It makes me sad that I will not live long enough to read all that I want to, and of course things I don't even know I want to!

[@genghisgalahad8465]

What you don't know won't hurt you....but how do you know it won't? The worse scenario is not finishing a book or series you have started and won't know the end! Read on 📖 📚 and be well! 🎉

[@kietus]

Booktok by default is driven by a younger demo. And since stores are starting to fill their shelves with these books, the books for us older readers get more and more pushed out forcing us to find our books online. Out of habit, I love going to my local bookstores with a list of authors recommended from booktubers or reddit or word of mouth. They almost never have these books. This just leads me to give up and buy online. Maybe bookstore chains will eventually be completely relegated to young readers. If you stop and take a look at your bookstores now, count how much of it is targeted to 18 and younger. If you're looking for more mature books like any specific non-fiction, good luck. The toys, childrens, YA, manga, and book tok combined take up at least 75% of the places I go. Leaving about 25% to cater to everyone 18 and up.

[@Hrothlac1]

I feel like with all those publications it's going to make it harder for good authors to be discovered or recognized. It will be harder to break through all the noise. Make me wonder how many new classics on the level of Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings are out there that are having a hard time being discovered.

[@Bookborn]

I actually lightly addressed this in my video about "the next big thing" - one theory I hypothesized is that we might NOT see another Harry Potter in our lifetime, for what you stated - there's so much, it's much easier to spread out, so to speak. Not sure that sort of world-wide phenomenon with a book will happen again. But I hope to be proven wrong, tbh, I want my kids to experience that!

[@mchlle94]

Yes. People forget that a level of gatekeeping and selection mechanisms have a purpose. Not that publishing houses always chose the best books- it's often those that they think sell well- but still, there are people there who are passionate about literature and carefully selecting. I'm all for small indie publishing houses and such, but this is not about that. I feel like the only "gatekeeping" mechanism right now is social media and branding (because right now, publishing a book does not mean it will reach an audience- and that's the point), which hinges largely on how trendy a topic is atm or how brandable a book is. Or how much you're willing to spend on advertising/working the algorithm. This does not necessarily produce the best books or authors. I actually think becoming an author depends, more than ever, on your funds, popularity and/or skills outside of writing altogether. And that makes me a little sad.

[@pushista9322]

What makes Harry Potter a classic book?

[@liamwhalen]

@@Bookborn I was thinking about Taylor Swift and the Super Bowl the other day, and we might be seeing something like what you are referring to in terms of music rather than books at this very moment.

[@simonbouhadana6333]

The vast volume of books published is great if you're interested in a specific genres such fantasy or science fiction. Ironically we're in a golden age for book readers at a time where people are reading less. The negatives is the the sheer volume published does make it difficult for new authors to stand out. It is overwhelming for readers wanting to get started in series. There are two reasons for the increase in new books. The first reason is the shift to online shopping rather than going to book store or library. Online shopping is easier, convenient and widely accessible. The second reason is the move to become a global economy rather than economy centralize in North America or Western Europe has allowed certain books to published where before they would get rejected.

[@tw7998]

That is astonishing, i do read a lot of books, maybe a dozen new books a year but tend to go back to the same books for re-reads quite often (i am currently re-reading wheel of time and just finished a re-read of the stormlight archive). The truth is i 'DNF' quite a few books. If it hasn't caught my interest within 4 or 5 chapters i quit it as life definitely is too short to read books i do not like.

[@NonAnonD]

And now we have AI to pump up that output even more, unfortunately. Quality is going to get harder to sift through.

[@Bookborn]

Yeah, I'm extremely nervous about that trend. I'm really hoping we see an influx and then it die out over the course of a few years. But...we'll see.

[@johanjoseph4802]

There are just too many Movies, TV, Books, Anime, Manga & Graphic Novels that which I'll most probably love that I won't have time to experience. Wish I had a time pausing device.

[@Aviv704]

Saw another (un)fun fact a couple of years ago: take your age, substract it from your expected life expectancy (lets say 83), multiplay the number by the number of books you read a year and thats the number of book that left for you to read. Did that, wasn't very happy with the number.

[@danjamin905]

Going from thinking I read all the good fantasy books I could find in the 80s/90s, to knowing I will not be able to read everything I would like to in my lifetime is both awesome and a bit of an existential crisis.

[@Bookborn]

Exactly. EXACTLY.

[@kimbarbeaureads]

Yes. A double edged sword

[@af8604]

The important thing, I think , is to read GOOD books. I'd rather reread all of The Wheel of Time or The Lord of The Rings than the vast majority of garbage that is getting churned out today.

[@bookdmb]

I think human creativity is like a vast ocean, swelling with waves and movements, currents that ebb and flow, each singular work but a drop. It is not for us to possess that ocean, but to experience the sensate resplendence of that part which we but briefly inhabit.

[@pushista9322]

This is a beautiful comment

[@liamwhalen]

The LIS field has a theory about search relevancy that can be translated into this discussion. In first year we learn that the number of relevant results in a search is inversely related to the number of items returned by the search. A charitable translation suggests that increasing the number of published books increases the total number of book esthetics possible. Depending on what people want to search for in their book stores, having more books available produces numerous esthetic shelves. The expert store owners and employees will arrange those shelves using inventive methods that encourage people to find esthetics that complement and challenge their reading tastes.

[@KrystalGamer]

As a writer, these numbers are frightening. It’s very easy to have your book overlooked if you’re not already famous. As a reader, it means more choices. But I see errors in books that I never saw when I was growing up in the 80’s, and I think there are a lot of poor quality books published nowadays.

[@Thecatladybooknook_PennyD]

THIS!!

[@AndreDeSimone-dy1cz]

A few thoughts -I'm the same as you on DNFs, never done it on a single book. Reading is meant for comfort most of the time, but it's also good to get out of your comfort zone and figure out what/why you don't like something by powering through. Reading a book is a contract between me and the author, they tried their hardest to put out something worth reading and spent hundreds of hours doing so, I can give them a few more hours and at least see what they were trying to do with the book. -I read a few genres, mainly fantasy, horror and classics, and about 100 books a year, and sometimes have the thought of "Man, I really have read all of the best fantasy series." Then I go to Barnes and Noble and don't know 90% of the stuff on their fantasy shelves and realize how many stars there really are in the sky

[@Bookborn]

I read less than you every year and I have the opposite problem: I never feel like I"ve read it all, I always feel like there's something new to read and it always feels overwhelming 🤣

[@AndreDeSimone-dy1cz]

@@Bookborn For me, it could be the booktube bubble making the genre feel smaller than it actually is. Once you've read the like 20 series that everyone recommends, you feel done, when you're actually only at like 1%

[@chelsealiddypivtorak9282]

I've had fun calculating my average number of books read per year X my estimated years left on this earth - choose wisely, DNF judiciously With the sheer volume of books being published, I think it makes booktube all the more important to sort through the clutter. I find most of my new fantasy reads through booktube these days

[@Bookborn]

I find the books I get recommended are the books I tend to enjoy most anyway: the people who know my tastes are more likely to give me things I love!

[@michaelortiz9359]

I jus sent a meme I saw yesterday to my friend. It said this: You will die with books unread, it’s not morbid. Just a fact. So buy what you want get to what you like when you can. This isn’t a school project, a book report isn’t due. You’ve supported an author and collected art you love. A library of unread books is a beautiful thing. This made me feel better, because I sometimes am sad at all the books I won’t be able to read lol

[@Bookborn]

I love that!

[@pushista9322]

"You will die unfinished", yes

[@mistaree8394]

I used to read a ton of books but that number has gotten smaller and smaller over the last couple decades due to many factors like other hobbies, cost and increased responsabilities. I often feel disappointed in my reduced literacy. This video makes me interested but sad. I still appreciate your work.

[@Joshua-sd1cb]

It gives a different perspective for best-sellers! Marketing must be vital in helping bigger publishers.

[@TheYellowcrush]

The deluge of content has definitely made me more apt to DNF things. Partly because I know there IS something out there I will love regardless if the thing I'm currently reading is or not; and partly because I do think there has been a decrease in editing quality (if not writing quality) to explain why it feels more "okay" to DNF. The abundance of books too, has also meant I'm guilty of niching down, or at least honing in and defining the types of writing/plot/tropes/arcs I typically enjoy.

[@kimbarbeaureads]

I was born in 79 so I grew up on The Bernstein Bears and Babysitters Club. I mostly got my books through Scholastic and Apple book orders. As a teen I loved classics and anything to do with mental health, i e. Sylvia Plath and Edgar Allen Poe. I have no idea what other people my age were reading and I didn't care. I just read what I liked or was interested in.

[@Emanon...]

It's the same with everything else: Music, art, travel, knowledge. We don't have time for it all. It's also what makes it beautiful.

[@lieslherman]

Like everybody else, I feel really conflicted about this! I'm happy for all the authors that get to have their work out there, and pleased consumers get so many options, but I'm working so hard to just try to catch up on backlist stuff I'm interested in that I feel like any new publications piling on are drowning me. I still can't force myself to DNF readily because 3 star books (or even 2 stars) still deserve to be read and add to my experience, and the FOMO really gets me... But if I follow every read along or jump on every new release, then I probably lose out on time spent finding the things I'll REALLY love. I feel like I cant win, lol! 😆

[@liviajelliot]

This was a very interesting video! Something I wanted to mention is that the ISBN numbers can be tricky - you can have multiples of the same! Like for example, translations, different editions (paperback, hardback, mass-market paper, special editions) all accounting for the same book/story. That said, it is an overwhelming number and likely enabled by Amazon. I don't think this pushes the aesthetic of reading, but it does create trends about perceived aesthetics of specific topics/settings that are actually very different from reality (e.g., dark academia), and thus may gloss over the real issues behind that. In any case, it was a great point to discuss!

[@Bookborn]

Oh yes I actually knew that! But this article *claimed* it was unique titles and it formats. But yeah, that’s why I side eye the info so much because none of it seems very reliable 🤣

[@Tinahgirl83]

This is really interesting! I, like you, try to buy in a physical store as much as possible. The problem is that there’s so much they just don’t have. If it’s indie, they almost never have it. But sometimes, even something that should be there (based on their stock) isn’t there. For instance, Christopher Ruochhio’s books are FINALLY being printed in trade paperback form. The first one just came out, and not one bookstore in my area had it on their shelves. They have the mass markets and the most recent one (I think it’s the 5th) but not the older ones. I’ve often noticed that with manga as well, or any series books. They will frequently have all the later releases of a book/manga series and no first (or even second and third) volumes. It makes it hard to try new things because you can’t sample the first volume. I do also think that politics are seriously affecting the number of indie book sales vs the number of traditionally published sales. More and more traditionally published books are beating readers over the head with political ideologies and feel more like checked-off lists than pieces of literature. Indie authors can do what they want, and so the stories will almost naturally be more varied. Also, I grew up in the 80s/90s.😊

[@dailycarolina.]

What bothers me is that a lot of those books seem they are not going through the editing/correcting process. Many books have misspellings, grammatical and printing errors, weird translations either into English or Spanish, margins are too small, and becoming more and more expensive.

[@Bookborn]

That is a risk with Self-published always, which is why competitions like SPFBO and SPSFC are so helpful!

[@dailycarolina.]

@@Bookborn not only with self-published but also with publisher houses.

[@MariaMightReadThat]

The bookstore portion is so true. I’m often struggling to find various books in series in-person. They usually either have only book 1 or everything but book 1 😂

[@MariaMightReadThat]

Also I do think there’s been a recent rise in aesthetics of reading (even just with all the special editions being made) but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. We readers still love the inside of a book just as much as a pretty outside.

[@EhsJaySaunders]

Absolutely there are more books of lower quality being published, but there are also more books that might not otherwise have ever been published finding an audience in the self-pub space. I think it's more than an even trade.

[@sanjna7570]

Firstly, A+ thumbnail I think the "aesthetics" shift is maybe partly due to more books, but I attribute it more to 1) more video content (as opposed to blogs or magazine reviews) and 2) the shift towards ereaders makes paper books more of a "luxury" item. Since ebooks are generally cheaper than your average hardback, I think people want to show off their hardbacks and have more premium versions of books, so you get a loop of people showing off fancy editions --> more fancy editions --> people showing off fancier editions. But I also don't have BookTok, so what do I know

[@Bookborn]

Oooh, okay, I think both of these are EXCELLENT points. The shift to visual mediums in general makes sense that the focus will also shift to the visual of the book. And I didn't even consider the physical book as a luxury item - I'm also thinking an added thing to that is the *space* a physical book vs digital takes up, and space is at a premium as house prices climb ever higher...

[@readbykyle3082]

I'm just here for the One Piece opinions! Anyway yes this number is overwhelming. Ebook readers are inundated; I have 875 unread ebooks because of daily deals, arcs, authors sending me them, and just finding free books I'm vaguely interested in. The choice is overwhelming. It does help a LITTLE with my ability to DNF but largely I still always wonder if THIS specific book will become a favorite if I keep going, like with Grace of Kings

[@shadowoflugia]

Honestly being a casual reader that became a more serious reader last year, I’ve never cared about trying to read _everything_ or even most things. There’s way too many books to read even half of all the books there are. I just want to read the books I happen to come across that I’m interested in. Even THAT may not be doable in one lifetime lol.

[@rg-wj6rm]

One thing that the increase in books also impacts is the concept of discovery and critics. Compare to say movies or games. More or less, people know what is mostly being released. One critic will cover most of that content, and so the focus is about trying to determine if X release is worth the time of a very general audience. This is not true with books. Most reviewers can only cover a small percentage of the releases within a subgenre, let alone fantasy as a whole. Maybe it goes into the niche-ness of it all as you said, but i think that it does highlight that the biggest challenge for authors is finding the right audience for their book. It's not about trying to make the broadest appealing story or review because it will get buried regardless, but to focus on cultivating the audience that is looking for what you're specifically writing or talking about

[@Frozenfrog18]

Bookshops look like art museums because of how colorful books are nowadays. Regarding the question, despite the number of books being published, I still could not decide well on what to read and buy. It's like Netflix; you have thousands of contents, but it's still hard to decide what to pick. It is harder in books because of money and time.

[@Bookborn]

Time is the big thing; even if there are a lot of shows and movies, those take less time investment in general than books do

[@ceinwenchandler4716]

As a writer, I felt pretty overwhelmed at the thought of how hard that number would make it to market my stuff. Then I looked up what percentage of those 4 million (if that number's accurate) are fiction. The answer I got (admittedly probably sketchy) was about 11% - 440,000, which seems more manageable, espcecially considering a lot of that is probably taken up by, say, the romance genre. I don't know what percentage of those books are fantasy, the genre I write, but no matter what it is, that has me competing with far less than half a million new releases. So... I feel less overwhelmed now? I don't know... I kinda wonder how big the market is, anyway. What percentage of Americans consume fantasy books? There are 330 million people in the USA. As a writer, you only need a tiny percentage of those people to like you to make a career. How many of those people are actually potential consumers? ...dang, that sounded cynical. Oh well.

[@jameswitts3793]

I've stopped buying brand new books from book shops as I love browsing through second hand bookshops and bookshops like Waterstones have very conveniental books for sale. Saying that if I can't find a book or version I'd prefer as I 100% prefer hardbacks, I'd buy online from Amazon cause it's usually available there Or hold out to finding that book in a private or second hand bookshop

[@Bookborn]

Second-hand shops are the best. Cheaper, and since I never mind a book looking well-loved, it always feels nice. I'm just not always patient enough lol

[@af8604]

Because I don't go to bookstores any more, I tend to rely more on apps like Goodreads and Audible to help me find the kinds of books I want to read. I actually don't care about book covers at all, although I do avoid certain books because of covers (when it looks like a romance novel or with too much masculine energy that tells me it's militaristic scifi). The algorithms are helpful, because they know which authors I read and what kinds of books I like. But it can also get redundant (I have to try harder to read books outside my comfort zone). I find it annoying that so many BookTubers and Book Tokkers talk about the same books, with heavy leaning on YA fantasy and romance(I DNFed Fourth Wing). I read a lot of book synopses for "coming soon" books to try to gauge if I'll like something or not. Also, 4 million books, but so, so many clones. So many of the books look the same and have similar plots and covers, which is only going to get worse with AI tools. The REAL challenge is finding things that are experimental and fresh, but book reviews help a lot (despite Goodreads' problems).

[@joshhickeysmoviereviews]

4 million books are published each year, yet Hollywood keeps remaking the same crap over and over

[@Bookborn]

I have questioned this lmao like do we really need another batman 🥲 just sayin....

[@wherespookie1]

This may be a personal thing but reading these metrics gives me some slight anxiety any time I decide to read older fiction from the 70's/80's lol. The more I read books from the past the more I know I'm missing out on SO much in the modern day.

[@poodlemuffin]

Reprints (the sheer number of just bible and Agatha Christie editions published a year is not small), special editions, cookbooks, picture/ board books, comic books (individual volumes that then get bound up?), manga, travel guides, novelty books, poetry, dictionaries, textbooks, car manuals, maps. There are so many types of book that aren’t novels it’s probably not quite as bad as it sounds.

[@CharlesBHamlyn]

This is a topic I think a lot about, and it's truly a double-edged sword. On the one hand, wrestling power away from Big Publishing/Music/Film Studios and allowing everyone who wants to share their art with the world, able to, is an amazing achievement as a society. The flip-side of that is the inherent division it causes. I grew up in the 80s and yes everyone had niche/non-popular books/music/movies/shows they consumed, but you could strike up a friendship with a simple "Have you heard the new Guns and Roses album yet?" I watch my kids and adults today looking for that common ground and routinely not finding it. Now the conversation goes like "Have you watched One Piece on Netflix?" "No, it's on my list though; have you watched Ashoka on Disney?" "No, I'm working my way through every Futurama episode though, what was your favorite?" "Oh, I never got into that..." and so on. I think ultimately this much variety is very bad for local/regional communities, pushing people more and more to online communities to find common interests. One of the greatest times in recent memory for me was the Game of Thrones mania. At work, at home, at friendly gatherings, it seemed like everyone was talking about the show, the books, the differences, speculations, and so on. There are little bubbles like that still (summer blockbuster movies, surprise hit shows, hyped video game releases, etc.) but I think we could use more of that sort of thing to bring us closer as a society. One prediction I'm making regarding brick and mortar book stores is specialization. As you point out, one store can't have every book that any person may come looking for. But if you had an entire bookstore devoted to just fantasy, you would likely be more successful, assuming there are fantasy readers in your area. Not only would current fantasy fans come in, but I'd image people interested in starting the genre would choose your store over an "everything" bookstore for the better selection and presumably the hardcore fantasy employees' recommendations. You can kind of see this happening as "nerd" culture continues to dominate mainstream, with previously "stuffy" bookstores now sell toys, t-shirts, boardgames, collectibles and so on, trying to incite a reader into the store by offering other things they may be interested in. A genre-limited store is the next logical step (in my opinion). Anyway, thanks a lot for this video. I hope you found Clash of Kings finally. I know you're new to ASoIaF, but if no one told you, Martin's real ability as an author doesn't completely shine through until you re-read the series. I've listened to the audio versions of the series well over a dozen times and there's STILL hints and allegations I never noticed in earlier reads. Amazing stuff.

[@yangtze2000]

Interesting post! Just a few observations from my perspective: 1. Yes I agree, it's impossible to objectively measure the quality of art. If you like it, you like it. We can't even say that a book objectively "poorly" written (by the standards of the day) has low quality, as unintentionally poor writing might be part of its charm and allure for an individual reader. 2. TikTok is not just for the youth, there's a great deal of worthwhile comedy and entertainment on there for people of all ages. And besides, you still qualify as "the youth" from where I'm standing! :D 3. I tend not to concentrate on one decade when it comes to appreciation of art, rather I open myself to works from far and wide in time and space. Personally I've found music that I love in every decade from the 1960s onwards (with one or two classical outliers), and similarly with literature from the 1930s onwards. 4. We just have to accept that we will not, in a single lifetime, be able to see, hear, smell, touch, and taste everything that might be of interest to us, though quite honestly I think that's always been the case for everyone alive today. To lament the ease with which people's dreams of publication can be realised today, because it makes our job of finding what's right for us harder, I think is more than somewhat mean-spirited. Personally, I'm proud of the things I've self-published, and if you have ever had anything published by any means you're actually part of a somewhat rare and admirable crowd, despite the numbers! Creativity should always be applauded, whether it's your thing or not.

[@AndrewDMth]

Yeah, it's too bad there aren't better stats so we could see the "actual" numbers better. (Removing all reprints probably included in that number. Knowing which books are "non-impact" (such as books with zero effort on a cover: Just a words on a color.) It would give us a better idea of not only the actual number, but better numbers to process against "who is marketing and getting their name out there" as the "proof" of what total numbers have even a low-level shot of entering the public consciousness. Why do few find the online communities? Or even hear of SPFBO? If SPFBO is any indication of percentiles of "known entities" versus authors who drop-and-run. Outliers aside, it's those that keep "getting back up" that become known entities that gain traction.

[@jacknixon2812]

Im trying to get my foot into the door of an industry that will probably collapse under its own weight within the next 10-20 years. Fantastic.

[@jeroenadmiraal8714]

What I find strangely sad is that a few decades ago it was totally possible to have read all the classics in the genre and be totally up to date with the latest publications in the genre. Since like the 1970s that was already no longer possible because of the increase in number of publications, but there was still something like a single fanbase of people who all had at least heard of all the books in a genre that came out, even if they couldn't read all of them. What we are seeing now is a fracturing of audiences, in which some groups of readers may be familiar with new publications that another group of readers is totally not even aware of. With the loss of that unity comes a loss of a shared feeling of canon and loss of a shared feeling of impactful publications.

[@d.edwardmeade3683]

A coworker asked me the other day what I was going to do when I've read all the books in the library....🤣🤣🤣🤣 I said only someone who didn't enjoy reading would ask that 😂😂

[@poodlemuffin]

As an old timer, it’s always been obvious there are more books that can be read in a single lifetime. I have a fair chunk of books on my shelf that are long forgotten and no longer published in any form because not enough people read them to keep them in circulation. There were a lot more bookshops around in the 80’s & 90’s and a lot of them specialised in specific genres. You’d find some weird and wonderful things in the discount sections; it definitely wasn’t a case of everyone reading the same thing (at least no more than now).

[@matthewschwoebel8247]

I always feel behind on my reading. Only so much time and so many books. I think the aesthetics of book cases has changed. Trending towards how the books look together on the shelf, not the librarian in me organizing based on subject.

[@chayanika8155]

Feels kind of like the infinite library in Mark Lawrence's book, doesn't it? Hahaha I think it's actually really great. I mean this variety of stories was probably always there, except that writers didn't always have access to getting it out before the arrival of the printing press. It's of course true that we can never get close to reading all of them. But also, from the pov of a new author, I think, getting a book that's actually read by a lot of people also ends up being a matter of some luck, because it could just be so easy for that book to get crushed by the sheer volume of all the other books, so that it's only a lucky few, who manage to make it to the bestselling lists.

[@agnishom]

That was a long “See you after the jump”

[@svenningen]

It's been a minute since I've looked into ISBNs, but I believe that re-prints get new ISBNs etc. So if say a book has a hardcoveer and a pocket edition that's 2 unique ISBNs.

[@Bookborn]

yes, and also different formats do as well - but this particular website was claiming that the library ISBNs were for unique titles. Again, that's why this data is hard to trust - who knows if it's true!

[@theasianpersuasionk-g-s4912]

i have only every dnfed a book, which was daughter of the deep, i have ready all of the rest of Rick Riordans books though. i am poor at understanding science, but i do like to read most of the books i choose from beginning to end

[@TomOrange]

I'm really curious on if this number will grow even faster and higher with AI become much more available to people. Even if they are not using it to write whole books I could see people using it speed up the process a lot.

[@ashleyholbird4287]

I almost never buy books onlime because i value the "OH MY GOSH THEY HAVE IT" Feeling so much that you cant get from amazon. Its not to say that i wont EVER. But like i have the first 9 Malazan books. I plan on taking years to finish the series so why not leave the last one for me to dig through fantasy sections looking for it? Im insanely weird though so dont take what i do and make it yourself xD

[@Bookborn]

I agree in that it feels so good to go to a store and get exactly what you want. Of course, going to the bookstore is fun because you usually get a lot that you didn't plan on getting too 😂 Just no good way to "browse" online, imo.

[@limtea2688]

I would also add that in the bookstore you are able to see exactly the condition of the book before you decide to buy it. Whereas buying online there is always a risk you might get a copy with bent, torn, or missing pages.

[@WJRobbins125]

"I'm old..." ROFLCopter.

[@kelciilou980]

Im sorry if i missed this but what are the publishing numbers referring to? All works pub'd in English, all books of any language but pub'd in a specific location/i.e North America or US etc?

[@Bookborn]

I *think* it was all in English. I specified that in my search, but unfortunately these numbers just...aren't great, which is why I clarified that at the beginning.

[@aliciasorenson3807]

Maybe I missed it in your video but did the millions of books published each year include children's books? I feel like that could be a huge weight off our shoulders if we are feeling overwhelmed by so many books being published!

[@Bookborn]

The biggest problem with all this data is that it’s bad - it doesn’t tell you *what* includes. Is it just English or all languages? What does book mean? How many pages? Lol like that’s why the number itself is less interesting to me than the overall trend of it. But agreed - there are always so many children books being published lol

[@jimave]

Too many books to choose from. I am audiobook listener and I use Scribd and my local library to get audiobooks. I’m recommended all sorts of books, but I don’t know if I’d like it/them. One book that was recommended and I loved was your husbands. This is one reason why I watch Booktube videos like your. I also tend to re-listen to books. I don’t think more is better.

[@pollys6192]

Is this number... only in America/UK (as in English language)? because then the number of books published this year is considerably bigger, don't you think? I hope I didn't mess up with your head with this thought! sorryyyy

[@vincentdecooman]

Brandon Sanderson is writing half of them himself 😂😂😂

[@huskerfan-el4jx]

I think too many books is a great problem to have.

[@nicholasleonardbookedits-si9ng]

From on the moon let’s look upon our Earth where clouds as old as Zeus’s beard ballet. The whipped-cream stormclouds love to swirl and turn where couples could be kissing in their rain. Somewhere somebody wakes. Somebody sleeps and dreams of things they will forget about. Somebody in their window hugs their knees and lends the day a timeless thoughtful pout. Oh but it’s time to take our planet back. The globe you have to pay your taxes on? as slanted ruins long for people past who weren’t dependent on a soulless job. Why should we obey the rich anymore? let's burn our bills the way we've toasted smores.

[@BryanChristianNLC]

You're old? Whaaaat!

[@Bookborn]

lol I don't actually think I'm old, but I am *too* old for Tik Tok so... 🤣

[@VeganCheeseburger]

Sturgeon's law

[@genghisgalahad8465]

But theyre not ALL Sandos.... 😅 so how much of a "loss" is it? And thwt includes book by filks we call "least favorite" when they're not even one of our favorites, whatsoever. Even the worst person/s in history wrote a book.... my rant is listing beloved content as "best to worst" instead of least favorite. Like, worst is bad and not good, even if it's least favorite. Content creators aren't looking at their language. Looking at you, MCU movies rankings!

[@JamanMosil]

you say you're old and you're born in the 90s...how do you think that makes the rest of us feel. =D

[@Bookborn]

lol I don't actually think I'm old, but I am TOO old for Tik Tok. You can be too old for something at any age 🤣

[@JamanMosil]

yeah feel that. I thankfully have resisted the urge to get on the tik tok. As an 80s baby, I'm DEF too old for it haha@@Bookborn

[@rishellereads]

😳

[@memoriesofdrangleic9101]

Diversity is good. Don't be a perfectionist))) It is the same way that people can't be doctors, builders or cosmonauts at the same time. I will be more concerned about the fact that majority of people don't read books at all.

[@marklawrence8418]

so old... 🤣

[@Bookborn]

😅😅😅