Statistically speaking, no one buys books. If 10 times as many people read as buy books, then almost nobody reads books either.
A really successful book in Canada sells over 1000 copies per week. If it really catches on it sustains that on average for a year or more. I'm talking The Da Vinci Code here, Life of Pi, The Lovely Bones, A Million Little Pieces, all those books your mom reads and recommends to you because there's a closet-case in her bookclub that reminds her of you. I'm not talking about your run of the mill international award winner. Think bigger than the Booker, exponentially more popular than this year's celebrated Pulitzer winner. People who "don't read books" have read this book.
So 52 000 copies. This is huge. Most "big" books will do a fraction of that business in a normal year. These numbers are freakish. Now this book, adored by moms and bookclubs, soon to be a motion picture, perhaps to be added to high school reading lists if it can stay around for a while longer, at the end of its very successful year, no let's give it 2 years, over 100 000 copies--at the end of this extraordinary run, that's two rounds of Christmas lists and probably the beginnings of buzz about its fruition in light and sound by the most skilled team of producers, actors, screenwriters, marketers, and directors you can shake a golden statue at, it will have been purchased by less than one percent of the population. 0.35%. Fill a room with 300 people and one might have bought the book. Get a hundred and one might have read it.
I'm speaking about a blockbuster of a book here. A behemoth of publishing. Huge. Unparalleled success. By all accounts a scenario north of the "best-case" on every sales projection chart imaginable. Results so rare it's safe to say that statistically speaking, it never happens.
The funny thing is, in spite of all of these broken records and warped sales curves, from the perspective of real mass culture, McDonald's, Tom Hanks, Chrysler, Disney, ketchup, Nike, it never did happen even if it occasionally does.
Reader, you are a minority.
What brought this on? A report on the impact of literary awards on book sales published by Booknet. Books selling a handful of copies per week, literally 1 to 5 copies, are nominated for awards and their sales double. Titles I assume everyone has a passing familiarity with, that should be part of thousands of peoples' lives if only because every year thousands of young adults graduate with degrees in English Literature and surely a sizeable portion of them must continue reading after the grades are in, hobble along with sales figures not unlike what you'd expect for faberg eggs or exotic European sports cars, and this despite a cost so miniscule that compared to similarly esoteric luxuries books appear to be free, not to mention absurdly wide availability enabled by retailers' right to send back to publishers all unsold copies.
I feel like David St. Hubbins at the grave of Elvis Presley, gaining some perspective.
A really successful book in Canada sells over 1000 copies per week. If it really catches on it sustains that on average for a year or more. I'm talking The Da Vinci Code here, Life of Pi, The Lovely Bones, A Million Little Pieces, all those books your mom reads and recommends to you because there's a closet-case in her bookclub that reminds her of you. I'm not talking about your run of the mill international award winner. Think bigger than the Booker, exponentially more popular than this year's celebrated Pulitzer winner. People who "don't read books" have read this book.
So 52 000 copies. This is huge. Most "big" books will do a fraction of that business in a normal year. These numbers are freakish. Now this book, adored by moms and bookclubs, soon to be a motion picture, perhaps to be added to high school reading lists if it can stay around for a while longer, at the end of its very successful year, no let's give it 2 years, over 100 000 copies--at the end of this extraordinary run, that's two rounds of Christmas lists and probably the beginnings of buzz about its fruition in light and sound by the most skilled team of producers, actors, screenwriters, marketers, and directors you can shake a golden statue at, it will have been purchased by less than one percent of the population. 0.35%. Fill a room with 300 people and one might have bought the book. Get a hundred and one might have read it.
I'm speaking about a blockbuster of a book here. A behemoth of publishing. Huge. Unparalleled success. By all accounts a scenario north of the "best-case" on every sales projection chart imaginable. Results so rare it's safe to say that statistically speaking, it never happens.
The funny thing is, in spite of all of these broken records and warped sales curves, from the perspective of real mass culture, McDonald's, Tom Hanks, Chrysler, Disney, ketchup, Nike, it never did happen even if it occasionally does.
Reader, you are a minority.
What brought this on? A report on the impact of literary awards on book sales published by Booknet. Books selling a handful of copies per week, literally 1 to 5 copies, are nominated for awards and their sales double. Titles I assume everyone has a passing familiarity with, that should be part of thousands of peoples' lives if only because every year thousands of young adults graduate with degrees in English Literature and surely a sizeable portion of them must continue reading after the grades are in, hobble along with sales figures not unlike what you'd expect for faberg eggs or exotic European sports cars, and this despite a cost so miniscule that compared to similarly esoteric luxuries books appear to be free, not to mention absurdly wide availability enabled by retailers' right to send back to publishers all unsold copies.
I feel like David St. Hubbins at the grave of Elvis Presley, gaining some perspective.
VIEW 7 of 7 COMMENTS
I just remember something about Queen St. (maybe Bloor) and walking around U of T which is where I recall the bookstores being.. as well as perhaps the snobbiest (and therefore to some extent great) video rental place that I`ve ever been to. I spent maybe 24 hours there that time while visiting this gorgeous older women (well not that much older) who had a fantastic giant modern about on the 23rd floor of a high rise near the Old Mill subway station. The only time I`ve been outside of the airport was for Prom and that was a blitzkrieg tour itself.. my learning about Toronto geography was hindred by my lack of a proper map (I usually study one extensively before visiting a new city) and my mind being distracted by other substances and women.. not necessarily in that order. And I had people to drive me around, which of course helps immensely.
I`ll definitely drop you a line closer to the date.. I`m still arranging travel plans at the moment.