Quote:
Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward
My point is that while there are more people to read, there is less aggregate time to read in. TV, videogames, surfing the Web (like what we're doing now), more available music, more available movies, ect., all cut into an individual's reading time. In 1939, most of those didn't exist. Reading was the prime entertainment. Now is way back in the pack, in aggregate. That's why newspapers are dying in the US.
When the market was larger, more money (in constant dollars) went into acquiring product, which led to better pay for writers....
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How true.
But you know, that's progress for you. I imagine the troubadours felt similarly about the printing press and raising literacy....
On the other hand, for SOME authors, it isn't all bad. J. K. Rowling made it to Forbes' billionaires list on seven books. And look at all the interest in LOTR's e-edition. For good stuff, there will still be a market for the foreseeable future, regardless of the format.