Wow! That’s a lot. I actually have some of the same concerns. I want to be able enjoy books like good food. To feel like I can savor and not scarf down just anything in a hurry like I’m late or missing out. I’ve decided to stop setting reading goals by number of books read. I want to be able to read the big books or the shorter books and novellas without regard to quantity but more quality. I feel like when everything is rushed we miss so much. I hope we are not developing generations of people with short attention spans, without the ability to process, reflect, and grow. And I hope the quality of books is not affected by the popularity of quick and easy.
That is exactly it! By setting a goal you feel stressed if you are not on track almost forcing yourself to consume books at such a fast rate that you don't even enjoy what you're currently reading but are always thinking about your next read.
Hello, 🇺🇸I'm Gen James McConville from Quincy, Massachusetts, I only come online at my free time , I'm here to seek for a friendship I hope you don't mind.
The scariest comparison that I ever heard for social media, that was a big step in me lowering my intake was the fact that it worked similar to LITERAL DRUGS. A small bit of it might seem like a fun time but once you find yourself overdosing it works the same as it would with a drug addict. Now on that horrendous note, there was a more pleasant comparison that I saw that treated daily tasks as different types of food. Yes there are the kinds that take longer to consume (longer books, even movies) that are like a full meal. You have your vegetables and meats and carbs and all that stuff. Whereas, social media works pretty much the same way as desserts. Yes it is fun and delicious to have some from time to time. Perhaps even daily! But when it becomes so that EVERY COURSE YOU EAT is a dessert… yeah, that’s when it starts being a problem. Getting our brains used to a constant stream of serotonin leaves it not being able to get any from satisfactory things that take longer to complete. The brain wants that serotonin NOW, and if it’s used to it, who can blame it? What’s worked best for me was to realize just how unnecessary the things I’d spent time on could be, and little by little getting unhooked from its grasp. (Happy to say I haven’t really TOUCHED instagram in well over a year, and thankfully never had Tiktok to begin with)
Precisely the reason why I don’t have Instagram and TikTok and only downloaded WhatsApp two years ago. In my opinion, it should be a more widespread knowledge that Social Media is a drug. We spoke about it countless times in school (in Germany), maybe that should be the standard.
The second comparism is really wonderful. That changed my perspective a little bit . I feel like as a generation we compare almost everything to drug addiction too much. There are healthier ways to compare 🤡
I have an Instagram account that I created for one specific reason about a year back and haven't touched it since, gone through a few Facebook accounts cause I kept forgetting the login stuff cause I never used it and my only tictok experience is when your friends show you something on it and then immediately move on. So glad because I would be sad if I couldn't sit down and enjoy longer books.
I'm not gonna lie as autistic person who is obsessed with books. I love reading long books. I don't really like the way things are going because it feels like books are being pushed by Tiktok or Instagram and then there's so much hype for a certain books but the writing style always seems the same.
I know I’m about a month late to this convo but whatever. Honestly I like reading for at least 5-10 minutes daily. I know it’s not a lot but as someone who is dyslexic it’s honestly sometimes exhausting to read for a long time. When I’m doing good I can read of hours, but if I’m having a bad day then I just try to reach my 5 minute goal so I won’t lose my streak on Apple Books lol. I can listen to an audiobook w/o putting down tho so sometimes I will just do that. Although I feel like sometimes that’s not real reading because some people bash it. But then I have to remember that it is reading it’s just a different way. As someone who also never dnfs (idk why I just seem to want to finish everything out of spite I guess) I personally am a lover of medium size books. Not so long that I feel overwhelmed like I could be committing to something I don’t like for months. But it’s not so short that I feel like everything was rushed and too much happened in too short a time. For all my romantics out there I would say the deal by Elle Kennedy or the fine print by Lauren Asher are my ideal size books.
I totally agree. I’ve been struggling for about the past year with my attention span so I turned to short stories and novellas for the last few months. Now though I’m getting back to full-length novels. So hopefully things will even out and get back to normal for reading and attention spans for everyone
I'm gonna have so many thoughts here, apologize for the spam 😅 we've already done the short format books! It was really big in the days of like Charles Dickenson where they would be release in short bits and then bound up for a full book. I can totally see serialized fiction coming back. We even see it in web toons like Heartstopper and Lore Olympus. (LOL. Not you mentioning web tools literally 30 seconds later.)
A lot of romance writers already release multiple books a year, sometimes in the same series, sometimes not. You also see WAY faster turn around times in indie publishing.
Lol. I actually prefer long form content to short. I don't hate TikTok et al, but I find it's much harder to manage my time effectively when I'm taking a quick break and I prefer having the whole narrative in one or two ones videos. Partly because I have a crap attention span rn (thanks ADHD) so if I don't get it all in one go, I'm more likely to forget to follow up.
Hello, I'm General James Charles McConville from. Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, I'm presently in Ukraine helping with Heavy war machines, weapons, Are you from the states.🇺🇸?
I really hate the idea of short form content impacting books, I think because I personally am not interested in it? I'd be very disappointed if the dynamic shifted to quantity over quality, books don't need to fit into the fast paced consumption of digital media. I also wouldn't like the idea of shorter more frequent releases, there's no way I could keep up with a series like that.
Book chapters being parsed out per week then compiled into a novel later isn’t a new concept. A lot of old “classics” were first serialized in newspapers. Some short stories initially published in magazines are later put into a short story collections by their authors. Short portions of fiction being made available online is just the newest form in this old tradition. It’s got very little to do with TikTok ultimately.
This is so valid. I’ve realized I can still read larger books, but they MUST have short chapters. Or I will read really short books. Also fantasy books with an in-depth world is impossible for me now. Thanks for the rabbit hole my brain is going down now haha.
As an author who is slowish (I write about a book per year, plus maybe 1-2 short stories), I feel the increased pressure to produce faster. But I know that would result in subpar content, and I just can't write/edit any faster and still provide quality.
I feel thats ramped up with booktube as well, how as soon as you come out with a book it flies off the shelves because booktube and booktok (Though booktok tends to be a bit behind or recommend the same books over and over.. hence to be the most boring). Then people binge this book in a week and then want the sequal then. I feel bad but happy for ya'll
Hello, I'm General James Charles McConville from. Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, I'm presently in Ukraine helping with Heavy war machines, weapons, Are you from the states.🇺🇸?
I don't get a serotonin boost from TikTok; the content (even content I like) makes me irritable. I think my brain puts TikToks in the same category as TH-cam ads (the length, the "grab your attention" content). The instant gratification nature of TikTok just doesn't work for me - and I'm afraid of what that might mean for me as an author. TikTok already holds so much sway over what publishers publish and promote, so I wouldn't be shocked if it affects formatting too. I'm on board with fast-paced books (in a serial format or as a whole), but the quality absolutely has to be there, and it needs to suit the story. I believe that something always needs to be happening in a book to keep readers' interest, but fast-pacing and action-driven writing does not mesh with every genre or story.
There are definitely moments when I feel my attention span shortened because of Tiktok, and it does affect my reading habit a bit. Usually, what I would do is read graphic novels or books with short chapters (the book itself doesn't have to be short, just that each chapter is only 2-3 pages) to lengthen my attention span before diving back into other books again. I love long books and books with long chapters that authors spent many years thinking and writing, and even if sometimes I need to switch to some more easily digestible books for a bit, I don't ever want the publishing industry to replace the long books.
I trust the authors: who wants to write quality will deliver the quality even if the audience will be smaller, it's an art and they put a lot of effort in it, however there will probably be rise in not as well written content and so the really good books will be harder to find, but there will definitely be people who will not want to read crap and will do the digging.
Oh no, please no weekly novelas.. and no super short books. I just can't get in to the story, at least 400 pages is perfect. But I would like to not wait for years for the next book. But still quality is better then getting a book every couple of months.
That ghost mug is so cute, also in love with that ghost LED lamp! I spend far far too much time on social media and I keep thinking as I’m scrolling, hmmm I should be reading… or doing something productive… AND YET
I think these days we are just trying to reach our reading goals ASAP. But to completely sink in a book we should read slowly. It's been more than a month I've started It by stephen king. I'm only at the first 20%... And the pace of the book is also pretty slow(its a thick book with almost 1200 pages) . But I'm trying to invest and experience the story rather than just tick off one more book from my tbr. And I'm loving it.
Hello, I'm General James Charles McConville from. Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, I'm presently in Ukraine helping with Heavy war machines, weapons, Are you from the states.🇺🇸?l
Just a quick historical mention: some of the classics such as "The Count of Monte Cristo" and etc. were originally published as chapters in the weekly newspapers, before having to actually be published as a whole book 😊😊 So, as my uni professors say: "There's nothing new under the Sun"
Hello, I'm General James Charles McConville from. Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, I'm presently in Ukraine helping with Heavy war machines, weapons, Are you from the states.🇺🇸?
This is a wonderful discussion point especially since we are so often prone to consuming vast amounts of media in a short period. Our society as a whole has reflected our habits and preference for this type of media immensely since the birth of the internet. I would like to point out that graphic novels, single-issue comics, and comic book volumes or Omnibuses mirror the type of fast pace media that Jesse is addressing here. I've collected, consumed, and read a significant amount of graphic novels over the years in the DC genre of comics from Batman to the JLA...and I must say that this form of media is both produced at an increased volume and posses generally a face pace story arc. Granted, there will always be an exception to this rule but each individual run or story arc created by the authors/illustrators follows this same type of pattern that usually ends in some form of resolution to the story. I greatly enjoy graphic novels due to both their simplicity in design and the complexity of character development and plot points that advance throughout the series. I'm a sucker for those deep conversations, action-packed plots, and detective-style resolutions that occurs generally throughout the DC-style genre. In any case, WebToons or Webcomics are slowly becoming a major point of media consumption that most individuals; regardless, of their affinity for comics are enjoying and consuming. I find it fascinating that graphic novels, comics, and manga were once considered a subgenre of reading materials that were viewed as works of fiction considered for children, and now there is a significant portion of the population consuming this same type of bit-sized pieced media. I suppose progress is possible and nerd culture is slowly becoming accepted as mainstream media.
Can we appreciate how beautiful are Jesse's bg? Like I love to see him not just because his content is amazing, but also 'cause his bg's always makes me feel so comfortable, like I would love to be there just to admire. He puts a lot of effort on everything! 🥰
Hello, I'm General James Charles McConville from. Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, I'm presently in Ukraine helping with Heavy war machines, weapons, Are you from the states.🇺🇸?
Hello, I'm General James Charles McConville from. Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, I'm presently in Ukraine helping with Heavy war machines, weapons, Are you from the states.🇺🇸?
This is such an interesting point of discussion. As someone who works in publishing, particularly the manufacturing of books as physical objects, I don’t think the push to have authors create multiple books a year is super plausible or sustainable, so I wouldn’t personally be too concerned about that. Physically printing books and shipping them to warehouses and bookstores is very standardized in terms of schedules, and has been for decades, so a book a year for most authors will likely continue to be the norm. What I’ve noticed as the big trend is more of a push towards genres that read really quickly, namely romances and thrillers. People tend to fly through those types of stories because of how immersive they are, and there’s nothing wrong with that! For the time being it just seems like those authors are really getting their time to shine.
Trends are always returning. Popular books used to be published as chapters through newspaper, and that's partially how they marketed their subscription base back in the ol' days (thinking about the Three Musketeers era, in France, for example). But the thing is, now, the book market is way larger and diverse. There's always a niche audience, for pretty much everything. Tbh, I wouldn't mind having a subscription to a book who's delivered by bite size chapter if this was something that was available, to experience the wait, though smaller, in between each chapter, just like we used to for TV show episodes before. And so, since there's an audience for everything, I doubt faster pace stuff will be pushed down our throat. That being said, I do not live in the US and the publishing world is quite different over here. But if I can make a comparison, TH-cam content as all kind of ways to put shorter/faster pace stuff at the forefront, though there's a whole lot of longer/slower pace stuff here as well, with a loyal audience for it. I feel like most people don't fall in a very specific and rigid niche anyway, so for myself, I cannot just consume quick and fast stuff, or long and slow stuff. I need to change it up, often, or else I get bored. And I think yes, capitalism like fast stuff because you can get a quick $, but you can never put all your eggs in the same basket.
I feel like the kinds of books being released have _already_ been affected.😅😅 Buuut, I'm with you, I hope we just continue to see a mix of short-form books and long-form books being released[ rather than one totally supplanting the other]; I think both forms can have their own times and places and purposes and appeals or such. 😊
This is a very interesting discussion starter! I think you may be right about the short form novella style publishing. That is originally how many classics were published in newspapers! That's also partly why they're so large is because readers would be hooked and the writer would just keep adding content to keep the story rolling. I'm not entirely sure how the quality of them would be in modern times. We do have webtoon and fanfiction that act similarly, but also because bite-size content is so easily consumable, it's so easily forgetable. I think a lot of books if they were released in this format would just be forgotten or never fully published because each week there would be a new "hit chapter." Personally, when I get caught up with webtoons/fanfictions, I end up getting bored waiting for new content and end up abandoning other stories for the fully released ones (either online or physical books). I honestly don't think that pumping out poor quality yet easy to read books will stand in the long run. Publishers are taking a HUGE hit by passing up the books that are well written and have heart in them because if they withstand time, the well-written books will be able to be printed for generations and maintain the business whereas short and easy books will only last maybe 10-15 years before being lost to time due to the overwhelming amount of other books being released. Also, I have seen a notice in older books gaining traction (aka books popular on booktube 4-5 years ago such as They Both Die in the End and We Were Liars). So I'm thinking that maybe because these older books are clearly doing better in the long run eventually we will get bored with these poor quality books and start hyping up older content. Sorry if this rant is all over the place, I have a lot of thoughts as well!
Hello, I'm General James Charles McConville from. Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, I'm presently in Ukraine helping with Heavy war machines, weapons, Are you from the states.🇺🇸?
Pausing at 2:25 to point out e-reading experiences, like .. Kindle Vella .. and all of the e-reading apps that Amazon most likely created it to compete against, such as Dreame and Readict and so on. Because I feel as if they are somewhat relevant to this discussion, here. (But, also, I would like to direct everyone to think back on the historical periodical/serialized style publishing that used to happen back in the day. Where books would be published like a chapter at a time or something, rather than being released from the get-go in a singular bound volume like they are nowadays.) 😁 🤷♀️🤷♀️
I think that the beauty of books is that there are so many styles of them. Something for everyone. I think that there will be a market for those that want shorter faster books; i.e. for those that love to scroll through tic tok and books for those that like to take their time with them. I.e. the long fantasy readers. Me? I like both, so I think like with anything their are what's popular, but do I think the other forms of books will still be there and to be enjoyed. Also, people reading the faster pace and shorter form of the novallas are a perfect way to get into reading.
I love that we have so many different formats for books. And you can enjoy each and every one as you please! And it all depend what mood you are in too! A short book can really bring you out of a slump.
Hello, I'm General James Charles McConville from. Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, I'm presently in Ukraine helping with Heavy war machines, weapons, Are you from the states.🇺🇸?
I remember a few years ago James Pattinson started a range of 'Book Shots' where you got a novella length story for only a couple of pounds and there were loads to choose from. Some were connected to larger series but others were just stand alone. I enjoyed the few of them that I read and you do get the sense of achievement when I finished them so quickly. Sadly I don't think they did well and they stopped produced them.
I feel like the shift already started when booktok really started to become obsessed Colleen Hoover’s books. Her books are generally short & VERY fast paced & I feel like a lot of the books that have gotten hyped on booktok are very similar. One of the biggest criticisms I hear all the time nowadays is that they didn’t enjoy a book bc it’s “too slow”. I’m not gonna lie, I even started to see it in my own reading. I used to prefer slower paced large fantasy books (500+ pages) but as of this year I’ve read way more short, fast paced contemporary books than anything else. I’m starting to get back into reading “slower” books tho bc I feel like half the time I’m only reading to finish a book as opposed to actually reading to enjoy a story. Not that I don’t enjoy the fast books, I do, but it’s really skewing my relationship w reading when I’m already bored if a book hasn’t already gripped me just 10 pages in
I mostly read long books but my favorite flavor of erotica is only available as novellas. I deal with my ADD short attention span by A: taking short breaks to just get up and pace a bit and maybe look at my plants before returning to my reading and B: Reading multiple books at a time. I am currently alternating between "Strawberry Shortcake Murder" by Joanne Fluke, "I Wish I Had a Red Dress" by Pearl Cleage, "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley, and "Akata Witch" by Nnedi Okorafor, and I'm about to start "Alaskan Christmas Escape" by Juno Rushdan because I just finished "Pursued by the Sheriff" by Delores Fossen tonight. I set a goal last year to read 52 books this year. As of today, October 12, 2022, I have read 41 long books and 15 short books this year. I have amended my goal to read an additional 11 long books this year for a total of 52; that's an achievable goal. I won't neglect my erotic novellas, though, I just bought a Ben Courger and a Jensen Steele that I can't wait to savor!
I definitely think that the want for big books is decreasing. In my experience some authors want their books to be long therefore that add a bunch of unnecessary chapters. Loved the video! Have a great day! ❤😊
I honestly feel like social media has definitely reduced my attention span. I literally can't even get through a single chapter without losing track of my thoughts and I can never stay focused on the story! I'm trying some things to help myself focus on school and stay on task for longer periods of time, so hopefully, I can get back into reading and stay focused this time.
Its interessing, what you said about how books from the same series are published. I am from Germany, and here we have a lot of New Adult and Romance series (mainly 2 or 3 books) being published with only a 3-5 month gap. And I think thats been like this for a while
And with childrens books, there is the teend of writing more and more hooks with a mix of a novel and graphic novel format, because kids cant concentrate anymore because they too have access to all kinds of "faster" media
We already had that method hundreds of years ago. A chunck like ‚the count of monte christo‘ was originally published in the newspaper. One chapter at a time
Oh I need to pay more attention I guess. I'm reading A Magic Steeped in Poison right now and I didn't know both books were published in the same year. We'll see how both books hold up...
I love binge reading a series. I'm one of those impatient people. I can't leave myself hanging waiting for the next book in the series to arrive. So I started reading only those series that have been completed. I save the incomplete series for future. I need to have my mind deeply ingrained in the world for the entirety of the series. If I have to wait a year.... Forget it, I can never do that.
I sometimes binge read depending on the book series and with certain ones I will wait until they are or are almost fully out so I can read at my own pace. Like right now I am waiting for the last hours third book to be near releasing to start reading it and it almost is so I might star chain of gold in the next month or so
@@teresadudley1524 Even I am eagerly waiting for the arrival of the third book. Only when I have the copy in hand, I'd start reading it. Some series take time to unload. So when I'm binge reading an extremely slow paced series, I make sure to read a fast paced book as well so if I get bored with the slow paced, I switch to the fast one. I won't completely drop the series.
Re: how "fast media" is affecting my reading. So my only social media is TH-cam, but I still feel like social media is affecting my attention span a lot. I get bored VERY easily to the point where it's a detriment in my life because nothing holds my attention anymore. This started happening with reading too because I made a Goodreads, which initially was great and was getting me even more into reading than I already am. Then I started allowing myself to DNF books I wasn't enjoying. This was great too because it was making me read even more because I wasn't wasting time on books I wasn't enjoying. But... it got to a point where my short attention span/boredom + trying to read books was making me DNF a book the SECOND I got bored with it. So I was DNFing books left and right and felt like I barely ever finished books anymore. My Goodreads account was making me freak out over all the books I wanted to get to and was afraid I never would, so I would just quit books halfway through to get to the next one. It was bad. So I deleted my Goodreads account and now I am slowing down my reading and trying to read deliberately slower to try and help train my brain to focus better, and to grow my attention span. Also I'm trying to retrain my brain that it's okay to be bored sometimes and that the solution to boredom is NOT to scroll through TH-cam for an hour. Sometimes boredom is just part of life, and sitting in your boredom is not going to kill you.
You're right! I love the community here too. But it would be epic to be able to properly talk somewhere other than TH-cam comments - have you thought of making a discord?
For years, the Warrior Cats books have had a cycle of releasing multiple books within months of each other (so have other young-ish series), and A Magic Steeped in Poison is also for a younger demographic (compared to adult books). I think if it does become a wider trend of authors releasing multiple books a year, it will mostly be for younger audiences: MG and YA. Even then, I don't think it's entirely realistic because Erin Hunter is a pseudonym for a team of people. So I think we'll see an uptick but it won't become commonplace.
A friend of mine actually read a book for the first time in years BECAUSE of TikTok. That might seem surprising if you only know the app as a short attention span simulator. I don't use TikTok myself but I've heard of the book community on there. It's probably been mentioned on this channel before.
This is a perfect example of social media being both good and bad. Short form content like tiktok is very addicting and makes people scroll for hours on end BUT it's also a tool to get to know things you might not have encountered in your daily life or to rediscover something you used to love. Booktok has even become so popular that even in my non-English speaking country and relatively small town we now have a 'books popular on tiktok' section in the local bookshop.
Great Video Jesse and very interesting and as for attention spans with reading books 📚 I feel that I have no problem focusing on physically reading a book and staying invested mainly because of audiobooks which I’m coming around to really enjoying it brings the story to life and that’s how now I’ve been reading the books I have I find it more enjoyable for me as a reader 😊 And as for books in the social media age I don’t think it will go the route you’re thinking it will cause there’s still a lot of love for physical books out there So I’m hoping you’re right and that it doesn’t happen. But anyway again great discussion video Have a Wonderful Day Jesse And Happy Reading 📖😊
Amazon is already doing bite size stories, Kindle Vella. Also, another author who released books quickly was back in the hay day (early 2010s) was Richelle Mead churning books out every few months with 3 different books series: Vampire Academy, Georgina Kincaid, and Dark Swan. I do have a shorter attention span but can binge read a series if it's good because this little toddler brain likes one thing at a time. Sorry, Jesse. But once it's over (or the next book isn't released) then I have a problem because I lose the momentum of the series and not be in the mood. 😩 Sometimes TRYING to get myself to pickup the series is more work. Try getting a toddler to do something when they don't want to = me.
This is definitely important to think about. Attention span for me has been struggling but audiobooks have been my saving grace when I'm struggling or distracted. I know that wasn't really the direction of this but it's been on my mind a lot lately. Short form media is good in a lot of ways but bad in others. It's bringing back titles that I don't think got their time in the sun. Authors that maybe got overlooked the first time around or the pandemic crushed the opportunity for a book tour and lost out on major promotion, are now getting a second chance. Similarly with music in the case of TikTok...hello Kate Bush! But it also maybe takes away from promoting other work that may have more to say than the mountain of CoHo that TikTok is obsessed with (among other works). Also, releasing of short bite size pieces of literature...I mean that started in the days of Dickens (and most likely before, he's just the first that comes to mind). A lot of his work was serialized and published weekly in the paper. And then just published long form later on. Weird how things go in cycles. I don't know...publishing is interesting right now. We've got supply chain issues, social issues, but the book industry is also booming right now. Clearly lots to think about like you said.
Quality over quantity any day! In all honesty, I think new writers struggling to get into the field are looking at the popular troupes and genres, and then trying to pump out stories that could have big social media hype, pre-existing authors are doing this as well. You’re right, it is a business, and I understand that if a series isn’t earning the author a ton of money, they may feel like they need to churn out multiple books a year to stay relevant and make a living by wage, but it’s sucks that the quality lessens because of this. I miss the days of hugely anticipated series, and waiting for years for the next installment. I’ve always been a slow reader, so I never felt like I was waiting ages for a book, and could read other things on my shelf. I also do understand that big authors like V.E. Schwab and Sarah J. Maas have been in the game for a long time, and therefore can afford to have bigger gaps in between releases, but I think it does pay off for them. I’ll wait 5 years for the next acotar book but I bet I’ll love it. I am LOVING all the new content recently Jesse
OK! But when you were talking about authors releasing books like a chapter at a time I immediately thought of Bakuman! That makes me wonder if they will also change the arc of their stories based off of reader response?? Ugh I think that would be a lot scarier/harder for them than just publishing it all in one go, idk how fanfic writers do it😓
I like the slow down vibe of reading, it’s like self care. Shutting out other distractions and heading off into fiction . You should go book shopping in NYC over thanksgiving, great book shopping time 😊
Hello, I'm General James Charles McConville from. Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, I'm presently in Ukraine helping with Heavy war machines, weapons, Are you from the states.🇺🇸
Serialized books has a long history. Books used to be too expensive for the average person, so writers published their novels in installments. Charles Dickens wrote 8 novels that way. I know Stephen King serialized The Green Mile back in the 90s. It was published in six installments that were about novella length.
Hello, I'm General James Charles McConville from. Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, I'm presently in Ukraine helping with Heavy war machines, weapons, Are you from the states.🇺🇸?..
I love audiobooks but I feel with audiobooks since you can speed them up it also messes with our attention span because we can finish multiple books in one day but there’s a plus to audiobooks too because you can put in earbuds or put in headphones and be fully immersed in what your reading
I hate the idea of books being released multiple times a year. As you said I do worry about the quality of them 😕 I’d rather have a huge book that took 2 years to write than something that seems rushed.
Hello, I'm General James Charles McConville from. Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, I'm presently in Ukraine helping with Heavy war machines, weapons, Are you from the states.🇺🇸?
I definitely used to find it easier to read back before the distraction of social media and feeds/scrolling. However, even tho it’s harder to fall into reading now, I still find it just as satisfying-if not more so-than when I was a kid. That glorious feeling of falling into a book and getting sucked into the world. There’s just nothing like it. And I personally find it sooo good for my anxious and adhd brain. (And there’s surprisingly research to back that up.) I imagine I’m not the only one, and for that reason, I feel like books-even long ones-will always be here to stay. Love the idea of serial fiction as an alternative tho. Sounds really cool as a complement to regular books.
Hello, I'm General James Charles McConville from. Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, I'm presently in Ukraine helping with Heavy war machines, weapons, Are you from the states.🇺🇸?
i really hope that books don't get shorter. i'm the rare person who can't actually stand short videos? i mostly use instagram but i hate watching reels because i like scrolling and so i want to just do that endlessly? and being stopped to watch a reel takes more time and most of the time, they just don't entertain me that much. same with youtube shorts, if i want to watch something, i want to watch an actual video. i have seen shorts, but i don't really get the point of watching something that's only 30-60 seconds. i also read some manga and i absolutely hate waiting every week for a new chapter to come out. i like binging stuff and want to just read it all at once, and if i need a break it's not like the chapters are going to disappear if i stop. reading only one chapter a week kills me but i'm also so desperate for content that i can't make myself stay away for more than a week. i could definitely see series being pushed to come out all at once, which i think will really hurt writers and there will be a decline in series. writing a book is a lot of time and commitment. if you write out a whole series and no publishing house will take it, you just wasted many more months and months of time, work, and dedication than someone whose stand alone got rejected. also, for an author publishing a series, after every book comes out is that not like a massive burst of serotonin and motivation? like, you did it, people love, you probably feel extremely validated or something, and now you want to keep writing more and finishing the series because you know you can do it? versus if you just write out a whole book and don't publish it, you might think later down the line that there's no point in finishing the series because nobody will ever read it and it's already done in your head? or maybe that's just how i would feel idk
so sorry for only addressing on of your thoughts, but I really thought of something with it. So, I don't know about other readers, but personally I love the suspense that comes with not knowing what the next book will hold when it comes out, or even wondering when the book will come out. I would personally hold off buying books with series already out until I felt ready to start reading the next steps. It also makes you think that it wouldn't be too fair to readers who had waited years for the next book if the author just decided to flip a switch and produce the books a bit faster. (reading this later I realize I'm not making a whole lotta sense...Sorry)
Hello, I'm General James Charles McConville from. Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, I'm presently in Ukraine helping with Heavy war machines, weapons, Are you from the states.🇺🇸?.
This is really just making me think about what Beatty and Faber talk about in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. As things short and life gets faster, there is less time to read, less time to think, and less time for art.
I love these kinds of videos...they always get me thinking and they're good questions. I doubt I have much to contribute beyond what's been said already, but I will say that I think larger publishers will likely take some of these things into consideration and perhaps shift format a bit to account for these trends (as well as undoubtedly pressuring popular authors to produce more quickly). However, mid- and small-sized publishers tend to capitalize on their own niches within the marketplace, so there will always be a place for different styles, lengths, and formats. And I think certain material works well in a more serialized format (as you said, webcomics is a good example). I think we're more likely to see a greater variety of material become available, rather than a reduction. But maybe I'm overly optimistic. :)
For me, Goodreads reading goals have made me shy away from big books. If I want to reach my goal, then it's better to read three 300 page books than one 900 page book even though it's the same amount of reading. I'm trying to focus on the number or pages instead of the number of books this year.
I spend so much time watching people talk about books and share their current reads on Tiktok and Instagram reels than I do reading. This contributes to this… odd (?) feeling I have about my personal reading habits and because I’m exposed to so many more books, my TBR grows, but I don’t feel I’m reading enough to read everything, and it makes me feel almost like less of a reader because I’m doing other things than reading. My attention span depends on the day and my mood and… it’s a struggle ngl. I’ve decided to try reading more on my ereader if I desire to be on technology so much. I don’t know. It’s worth a shot. Definitely struggling. I hope all that makes sense.
Hello, I'm General James Charles McConville from. Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, I'm presently in Ukraine helping with Heavy war machines, weapons, Are you from the states.🇺🇸?
so interestingly, kindle direct publishing now has an option called kindle vella which is a serialized release option for self published books, and i think what you're saying with the novella series style format would actually be a sort of return to serialized publishing which i think used to be much more popular when print media was on the rise because a lot of classics were originally published as serials in newspapers/magazines
My attention span is so spotty that when I buy/think of a book (that I possibly own) I have to immediately start reading it! That’s why I’m in the middle of 9+ books. 😅 I agree that social media has stunted attention spans a bit.
As a hopeful author it kind of scares me because I could see it as a push to create, create, create and as someone that’s struggling with writing and proof reading I could see it being a breeding ground for plot holes. As a reader I’m concerned too that it would change how it’s released and will make it less paperback copies and more digital and payment for each chapter which would make a whole book potentially more expensive….
I got rid ofmy social media and guess what? I got back into reading, yayy!! 😊 Social media was a big distraction for me, I went 4 years without picking up a book.
How does it feel to binge read series? Pretty good when it's an audiobook and I can also get my dishes and other chores done. LOL Also, publishers control when books come out! A book may be finished and got all the nice edits and shiny covers in 2020 but may not come out in 2024 because the publisher said so. With this in mind, It's likely Judy Lin's books have been in publishing purgatory until a Venom Dark and Sweet was finalized. TV media has also been doing similar format for a WHILE.
I agree that short form media is absolutely shortening our attention spans. Ever since TikTok came out, I spent hours on it every day, whenever I had a spare moment of idleness, it just had to be filled with mindless entertainment. It's like an addiction to these little moments of whatever it is that you generally like to watch. That being said, I could see it affecting reading in terms of the length and genre of books that readers lean towards. I've noticed in myself that I lean more towards shorter books (by this I mean up to 400 pages is ideal), and towards books that are written in a more immersive writing style - say, the difference between YA and classics, for example. YA tends to be more digestible. So those types of books wouldn't necessarily change, in my opinion, as we continue to just eat them up, some even in a day. As for stuff that comes out in chapters, like fanfiction and manga/webtoons/etc, it's been here for a while and I'm sure it'll continue. Generally, I just see things leaning towards the more fun and attention-grabbing themes, as well as keeping to trends, rather than the book world itself actually changing. There are, after all, so many people out there who don't actually consume short form media of any kind.
I’ve also noticed this over the years. I think with my life changing through parenthood and going back to school my attention span has definitely shortened.
Regarding the faster pacing you talked about, I’ve seen it especially in the way Taylor Jenkins Reid writes her books. (The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo ALONE cured my reading slump) And even besides the pacing, (which she handles expertly) where it IS slower on some parts, I think one of the most important factors in keeping focus is CHAPTER LENGTH. With our brains acquainted to a certain upkeep of new content, SHORTER CHAPTERS I think provide the reader with a satisfaction AND MOTIVATION to keep moving forward. Finishing one chapter quickly gives you the impression that you are BLOWING through your book, which further facilitates your motivation to keep reading. (It basically more easily provides an environment for the “just one more chapter” phenomenon to happen where after the millionth time you realize you just finished the entire book)
Hi Jesse Well, to start, short stories or rather short story collections could get more popular, assuming this will effect books at all, also there things like poetry books where it might take just a few minutes to read, lastly manga, pick it up read a chapter, a lot of manga does come out weekly anyway Next, books are honestly such a different medium that I don’t know if they will be effected much by this at all, yes you have people with superpowers that can read a book a day, but I imagine most readers take multiple days to finish a book, and it’s always been that way, yes there are minute long videos, but remember quibi? It was apparently a app where you could watch tv shows in 5 minute increments or so (I never had it) point I’m trying to make is look at the content that’s being made in the tic toks, not really a lot of storytelling going on, in my limited experience Lastly, it’s subjective, there will be people that prefer books over 1000 pages, and just appreciate longer form content All that said, have a good day
I think once we know *how* to read, we begin to understand *what* we read, & that by necessity enforces change. It’s is not just the books we choose to read, but our ability to read them. I’m not talking about reading as the act of putting words together, I’m talking about understanding. How well do we read? Have we been taught to understand & pull apart books? Does what we read serve us, nourish us? The publishing industry is largely channeling out nothing more than trending tropes, cheap sex thrills, and base escapism. The new releases pressure, the special editions we buy and never even crack open, the drive to purchase more than we could possibly read, book hauls that are more about content & views than actually about the books, all of these things drive consumerism more than they drive reading. And the truth is, once we begin to understand what we’re reading, settling for “less” becomes impossible.
I definitely think it will and may be already. I do however adore shorted books such as the Wayward children's series. Even though they're short they're amazing books that are obviously well thought out. I do think there are a lot of books trying to play to certain tropes rather than to tell a unique story but that has been happening for awhile now, especially with the Vampire and dystopian eras which has now turned into an enemies to lovers phase
Hello, I'm General James Charles McConville from. Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, I'm presently in Ukraine helping with Heavy war machines, weapons, Are you from the states.🇺🇸?
My only problem is that publishers will either be more forecful on authors and push them harder which would lead to more burnout/ lower quality in their writing. I love big books, yeah at times they take me a while but I love the story more over short books, because most short books feel incomplete or *cough cough* Tor *cough cough* charging full novel hardback price for a novella. With this its a double edge sword where we could have more stories.. but then more competative, more burnout on others... it's a difficult situation
I hadn't thought of this before but it is so much easier for me to read sorter books because I can only read on weekends. I'm just too busy with life and work to read any other time. If a book is 600 pages or more I usually pass because I know it'll take me a month to finish it. Long stories split into smaller books is what I prefer
2 books a year used to happen fairly common in, like, books aimed at younger age demographics that are not as thick as YA novels. I dunno if that's still true? 🤔
I personally don't have those social medias. Only YT, but I don't watch the shorts. Exactly for the reasons you talk about. I don't think it's good for me to consume things so fast. For books I really hope that it's not going to happen like that. And patience is very important, we need to learn that more in our society. I don't mind waiting for a book (well, only looking at you a bit George RR Martin), there are so many books out there, I will pick those up.
Jesse YOU ARE A GENIUS !!! So I am writing a Shakespear Fantasy Story write now ; but no publisher is interested . So what If I publish a Chapter pro Week or so on Tick Tock or something. So I can show Publishers that Peopel like mike Story so that they mide publish it. Do you think Peopel would like a Shakespear Fantasy Story ? 😶🌫
I watched another booktuber and he mentioned how books are becoming shorter because of the fast-paced media consumption we are exposed to. Not necessarily faster paced books but just shorter and easier to consume quickly. One example he brought up that I didn't think about at the time was the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. Part of why I didn't notice is because all of my copies up until book 16 have either been ebooks or mass market paperbacks. Book 16 and 17 I got in hardcover. But the 16th and `17th book, Peace Talks (#16) and Battle Ground (#17) are shorter than previous books and probably could have been one book. Unlike book 15, Skin Game, which was longer.
Hello, I'm General James Charles McConville from. Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, I'm presently in Ukraine helping with Heavy war machines, weapons, Are you from the states.🇺🇸?.
I feel like so many authors are releasing books SO FAST! It kinda makes me feel bad and wonder are they being pushed by their publishers or is it coming more natural to them? Emily Henry, Colleen Hoover, Riley Sager… all put out at least 1-2 books a year it feels like, with CoHo putting out I believe 2-3. I feel like even one book a year from an author is quite a bit, knowing everything the book has to go through in the publishing steps. I wouldn’t be mad if it took an author 2-3 years to come out with a book. Also I’m terrified of all this short form content! I’ve definitely noticed my attention span go down since Reels. I won’t download TikTok.
There's already a faster place for publishing books - Kindle Vella. Authors post chapter/small piece of their book at the time sometimes without edits or proofreading and those that are impatient can read them as the appear (usually every few days or weeks). Apparently people like it🤷🏻♀️
Short form content is definitely affecting the book market and the book culture overall. Infact ( to deviate from the topic a little) , short form or quick access content demand seems to affect other areas of entertainment too . I'm a BTS Army and I was recently eager to buy Hobi's album Jack In The Box . Controversial opinion time 😂 : I didn't like the digital album concept they came up with . Like you spend 2000 bucks ( in Indian rupees ) on a beautifullly shaped envelope ( the design is truly chef's kiss 💜) only to get photocards and a scan code. CD culture had been dying out and only recently revived by KPop album sales . I believe in getting something solid and substantial if I'm going to invest a large sum on it. So yet the digital album trend worries me even though I'm broke and Spotify free account is my main muse 😭. Similarly , fast paced reading should not become a permanent trend. I feel like Reading styles should be kept varied because The reading mood does not remain static. Some traditions are best forgotten but in case of books , keeping a few traditions alive isn't a bad thing. Digitized reading are a huge help but no legit books in the future ? I'm sorry trees but i can't give up my paperbacks and hardbacks 😭🥲❤️🙏. The pressure of churing out a series within a year might affect the quality of writing . I hope authors take time to reflect and review on their manuscript rather than rushing it and produce a hotchpotch of potholes in their plots.
I don't know that short form content will directly effect the length of books, but I feel like it effects the types of stories and also probably distracts people from reading as much. Interesting to think (and cry) about 🤣
Hello, I'm General James Charles McConville from. Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, I'm presently in Ukraine helping with Heavy war machines, weapons, Are you from the states.🇺🇸?.
I love this convo! Something else to consider is burn out. Our world moves a lot quicker than earlier generations and individuals are expected to do more and more leading to burn out. Personally when I have those burn out days, reading (my only hobby) feels like a chore so novellas and short story collections/anthologies help me feel like I’m making progress vs a daunting 600+ page bad boy I can barely make a dent in. Psychologically the reward of reading half a book vs 5% of a book is more appealing and I’m more likely to pick up a book if I can convince my brain it’s a smaller task. Omg I’ve just realized I’m the problem 🥲
I, personally, have always had a hard time focusing on anything that doesn't catch my interest right away, but if something piques my interest, I have little to no problem focusing on the book/series, no matter how long it is. So, with that knowledge, I, personally, am not be too concerned about book size decreasing, but I could see books speeding up. I do agree that there is a time and a place for both fast-paced book and also slower books. Romance, for example, is so much better as a slow burn (in my humble opinion). Action, and sometimes even fantasy and sci-fi, are better with a faster pace (once again, in my opinion). (Was action an obvious one? Yeah, probably, but it's true.)
Uh oh, lately I’ve not been able to focus for ANYTHING. I haven’t sat down and been able to read for more than 10 minutes at a time. No binge reading for me. And on top of that I’ve only been picking up short novels. Like if it has more than 280 pages I’m out. Now I am also concerned lol
I think that if authors would be pressured to release a lot of books back to back, with possibly sacrificing quality, more would just switch to indie publishing. I honestly can't see how pushing more books a year would be sustainable.
Wow! That’s a lot. I actually have some of the same concerns. I want to be able enjoy books like good food. To feel like I can savor and not scarf down just anything in a hurry like I’m late or missing out. I’ve decided to stop setting reading goals by number of books read. I want to be able to read the big books or the shorter books and novellas without regard to quantity but more quality. I feel like when everything is rushed we miss so much. I hope we are not developing generations of people with short attention spans, without the ability to process, reflect, and grow. And I hope the quality of books is not affected by the popularity of quick and easy.
That is exactly it! By setting a goal you feel stressed if you are not on track almost forcing yourself to consume books at such a fast rate that you don't even enjoy what you're currently reading but are always thinking about your next read.
Hello, 🇺🇸I'm Gen James McConville from Quincy, Massachusetts, I only come online at my free time , I'm here to seek for a friendship I hope you don't mind.
reading span this attention span that when am i gonna see your wingspan jesse
The scariest comparison that I ever heard for social media, that was a big step in me lowering my intake was the fact that it worked similar to LITERAL DRUGS. A small bit of it might seem like a fun time but once you find yourself overdosing it works the same as it would with a drug addict. Now on that horrendous note, there was a more pleasant comparison that I saw that treated daily tasks as different types of food. Yes there are the kinds that take longer to consume (longer books, even movies) that are like a full meal. You have your vegetables and meats and carbs and all that stuff. Whereas, social media works pretty much the same way as desserts. Yes it is fun and delicious to have some from time to time. Perhaps even daily! But when it becomes so that EVERY COURSE YOU EAT is a dessert… yeah, that’s when it starts being a problem. Getting our brains used to a constant stream of serotonin leaves it not being able to get any from satisfactory things that take longer to complete. The brain wants that serotonin NOW, and if it’s used to it, who can blame it? What’s worked best for me was to realize just how unnecessary the things I’d spent time on could be, and little by little getting unhooked from its grasp. (Happy to say I haven’t really TOUCHED instagram in well over a year, and thankfully never had Tiktok to begin with)
Precisely the reason why I don’t have Instagram and TikTok and only downloaded WhatsApp two years ago. In my opinion, it should be a more widespread knowledge that Social Media is a drug. We spoke about it countless times in school (in Germany), maybe that should be the standard.
The second comparism is really wonderful. That changed my perspective a little bit . I feel like as a generation we compare almost everything to drug addiction too much. There are healthier ways to compare 🤡
@@kamalikatalukdar6070 Well,… but it is an addiction. That’s been proven.
I have an Instagram account that I created for one specific reason about a year back and haven't touched it since, gone through a few Facebook accounts cause I kept forgetting the login stuff cause I never used it and my only tictok experience is when your friends show you something on it and then immediately move on. So glad because I would be sad if I couldn't sit down and enjoy longer books.
I'm not gonna lie as autistic person who is obsessed with books. I love reading long books. I don't really like the way things are going because it feels like books are being pushed by Tiktok or Instagram and then there's so much hype for a certain books but the writing style always seems the same.
I know I’m about a month late to this convo but whatever. Honestly I like reading for at least 5-10 minutes daily. I know it’s not a lot but as someone who is dyslexic it’s honestly sometimes exhausting to read for a long time. When I’m doing good I can read of hours, but if I’m having a bad day then I just try to reach my 5 minute goal so I won’t lose my streak on Apple Books lol. I can listen to an audiobook w/o putting down tho so sometimes I will just do that. Although I feel like sometimes that’s not real reading because some people bash it. But then I have to remember that it is reading it’s just a different way. As someone who also never dnfs (idk why I just seem to want to finish everything out of spite I guess) I personally am a lover of medium size books. Not so long that I feel overwhelmed like I could be committing to something I don’t like for months. But it’s not so short that I feel like everything was rushed and too much happened in too short a time. For all my romantics out there I would say the deal by Elle Kennedy or the fine print by Lauren Asher are my ideal size books.
I totally agree. I’ve been struggling for about the past year with my attention span so I turned to short stories and novellas for the last few months. Now though I’m getting back to full-length novels. So hopefully things will even out and get back to normal for reading and attention spans for everyone
I'm gonna have so many thoughts here, apologize for the spam 😅 we've already done the short format books! It was really big in the days of like Charles Dickenson where they would be release in short bits and then bound up for a full book. I can totally see serialized fiction coming back. We even see it in web toons like Heartstopper and Lore Olympus. (LOL. Not you mentioning web tools literally 30 seconds later.)
A lot of romance writers already release multiple books a year, sometimes in the same series, sometimes not. You also see WAY faster turn around times in indie publishing.
Lol. I actually prefer long form content to short. I don't hate TikTok et al, but I find it's much harder to manage my time effectively when I'm taking a quick break and I prefer having the whole narrative in one or two ones videos. Partly because I have a crap attention span rn (thanks ADHD) so if I don't get it all in one go, I'm more likely to forget to follow up.
Didn't The Martian by Andy Weir start out like that?
@@BrianIsWatching I'm not sure about The Martian, but I know Wool by Hugh Howey started that way.
Hello, I'm General James Charles McConville from. Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, I'm presently in Ukraine helping with Heavy war machines, weapons, Are you from the states.🇺🇸?
I really hate the idea of short form content impacting books, I think because I personally am not interested in it? I'd be very disappointed if the dynamic shifted to quantity over quality, books don't need to fit into the fast paced consumption of digital media. I also wouldn't like the idea of shorter more frequent releases, there's no way I could keep up with a series like that.
Book chapters being parsed out per week then compiled into a novel later isn’t a new concept. A lot of old “classics” were first serialized in newspapers. Some short stories initially published in magazines are later put into a short story collections by their authors. Short portions of fiction being made available online is just the newest form in this old tradition. It’s got very little to do with TikTok ultimately.
This is so valid. I’ve realized I can still read larger books, but they MUST have short chapters. Or I will read really short books. Also fantasy books with an in-depth world is impossible for me now.
Thanks for the rabbit hole my brain is going down now haha.
As an author who is slowish (I write about a book per year, plus maybe 1-2 short stories), I feel the increased pressure to produce faster. But I know that would result in subpar content, and I just can't write/edit any faster and still provide quality.
I feel thats ramped up with booktube as well, how as soon as you come out with a book it flies off the shelves because booktube and booktok (Though booktok tends to be a bit behind or recommend the same books over and over.. hence to be the most boring). Then people binge this book in a week and then want the sequal then. I feel bad but happy for ya'll
Yeeeeees! I feel this as well. I'm constantly chewing myself out (several times a day) at how slow I am at writing... 😞
Hello, I'm General James Charles McConville from. Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, I'm presently in Ukraine helping with Heavy war machines, weapons, Are you from the states.🇺🇸?
I don't get a serotonin boost from TikTok; the content (even content I like) makes me irritable. I think my brain puts TikToks in the same category as TH-cam ads (the length, the "grab your attention" content). The instant gratification nature of TikTok just doesn't work for me - and I'm afraid of what that might mean for me as an author.
TikTok already holds so much sway over what publishers publish and promote, so I wouldn't be shocked if it affects formatting too. I'm on board with fast-paced books (in a serial format or as a whole), but the quality absolutely has to be there, and it needs to suit the story. I believe that something always needs to be happening in a book to keep readers' interest, but fast-pacing and action-driven writing does not mesh with every genre or story.
There are definitely moments when I feel my attention span shortened because of Tiktok, and it does affect my reading habit a bit. Usually, what I would do is read graphic novels or books with short chapters (the book itself doesn't have to be short, just that each chapter is only 2-3 pages) to lengthen my attention span before diving back into other books again. I love long books and books with long chapters that authors spent many years thinking and writing, and even if sometimes I need to switch to some more easily digestible books for a bit, I don't ever want the publishing industry to replace the long books.
I trust the authors: who wants to write quality will deliver the quality even if the audience will be smaller, it's an art and they put a lot of effort in it, however there will probably be rise in not as well written content and so the really good books will be harder to find, but there will definitely be people who will not want to read crap and will do the digging.
I see where youre going with with the novella type books, but I doubt that will happen soon, coz the costing and logistics will be insaneeeeeeeeee.
Oh no, please no weekly novelas.. and no super short books. I just can't get in to the story, at least 400 pages is perfect. But I would like to not wait for years for the next book. But still quality is better then getting a book every couple of months.
That ghost mug is so cute, also in love with that ghost LED lamp!
I spend far far too much time on social media and I keep thinking as I’m scrolling, hmmm I should be reading… or doing something productive… AND YET
I think these days we are just trying to reach our reading goals ASAP. But to completely sink in a book we should read slowly. It's been more than a month I've started It by stephen king. I'm only at the first 20%... And the pace of the book is also pretty slow(its a thick book with almost 1200 pages) . But I'm trying to invest and experience the story rather than just tick off one more book from my tbr. And I'm loving it.
Hello, I'm General James Charles McConville from. Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, I'm presently in Ukraine helping with Heavy war machines, weapons, Are you from the states.🇺🇸?l
Just a quick historical mention: some of the classics such as "The Count of Monte Cristo" and etc. were originally published as chapters in the weekly newspapers, before having to actually be published as a whole book 😊😊
So, as my uni professors say: "There's nothing new under the Sun"
Hello, I'm General James Charles McConville from. Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, I'm presently in Ukraine helping with Heavy war machines, weapons, Are you from the states.🇺🇸?
Serialized novels are how we ended up with things like Dickens novels. It leads to big books, because dragging it out as long as possible pays more.
This is a wonderful discussion point especially since we are so often prone to consuming vast amounts of media in a short period. Our society as a whole has reflected our habits and preference for this type of media immensely since the birth of the internet.
I would like to point out that graphic novels, single-issue comics, and comic book volumes or Omnibuses mirror the type of fast pace media that Jesse is addressing here. I've collected, consumed, and read a significant amount of graphic novels over the years in the DC genre of comics from Batman to the JLA...and I must say that this form of media is both produced at an increased volume and posses generally a face pace story arc. Granted, there will always be an exception to this rule but each individual run or story arc created by the authors/illustrators follows this same type of pattern that usually ends in some form of resolution to the story.
I greatly enjoy graphic novels due to both their simplicity in design and the complexity of character development and plot points that advance throughout the series. I'm a sucker for those deep conversations, action-packed plots, and detective-style resolutions that occurs generally throughout the DC-style genre.
In any case, WebToons or Webcomics are slowly becoming a major point of media consumption that most individuals; regardless, of their affinity for comics are enjoying and consuming. I find it fascinating that graphic novels, comics, and manga were once considered a subgenre of reading materials that were viewed as works of fiction considered for children, and now there is a significant portion of the population consuming this same type of bit-sized pieced media. I suppose progress is possible and nerd culture is slowly becoming accepted as mainstream media.
Can we appreciate how beautiful are Jesse's bg? Like I love to see him not just because his content is amazing, but also 'cause his bg's always makes me feel so comfortable, like I would love to be there just to admire. He puts a lot of effort on everything! 🥰
Hello, I'm General James Charles McConville from. Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, I'm presently in Ukraine helping with Heavy war machines, weapons, Are you from the states.🇺🇸?
Social media and OTT have definitely eaten into my reading life and my routine so much 🥴
Hello, I'm General James Charles McConville from. Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, I'm presently in Ukraine helping with Heavy war machines, weapons, Are you from the states.🇺🇸?
This is such an interesting point of discussion. As someone who works in publishing, particularly the manufacturing of books as physical objects, I don’t think the push to have authors create multiple books a year is super plausible or sustainable, so I wouldn’t personally be too concerned about that. Physically printing books and shipping them to warehouses and bookstores is very standardized in terms of schedules, and has been for decades, so a book a year for most authors will likely continue to be the norm. What I’ve noticed as the big trend is more of a push towards genres that read really quickly, namely romances and thrillers. People tend to fly through those types of stories because of how immersive they are, and there’s nothing wrong with that! For the time being it just seems like those authors are really getting their time to shine.
Trends are always returning. Popular books used to be published as chapters through newspaper, and that's partially how they marketed their subscription base back in the ol' days (thinking about the Three Musketeers era, in France, for example). But the thing is, now, the book market is way larger and diverse. There's always a niche audience, for pretty much everything. Tbh, I wouldn't mind having a subscription to a book who's delivered by bite size chapter if this was something that was available, to experience the wait, though smaller, in between each chapter, just like we used to for TV show episodes before.
And so, since there's an audience for everything, I doubt faster pace stuff will be pushed down our throat. That being said, I do not live in the US and the publishing world is quite different over here. But if I can make a comparison, TH-cam content as all kind of ways to put shorter/faster pace stuff at the forefront, though there's a whole lot of longer/slower pace stuff here as well, with a loyal audience for it.
I feel like most people don't fall in a very specific and rigid niche anyway, so for myself, I cannot just consume quick and fast stuff, or long and slow stuff. I need to change it up, often, or else I get bored. And I think yes, capitalism like fast stuff because you can get a quick $, but you can never put all your eggs in the same basket.
I feel like the kinds of books being released have _already_ been affected.😅😅 Buuut, I'm with you, I hope we just continue to see a mix of short-form books and long-form books being released[ rather than one totally supplanting the other]; I think both forms can have their own times and places and purposes and appeals or such. 😊
This is a very interesting discussion starter! I think you may be right about the short form novella style publishing. That is originally how many classics were published in newspapers! That's also partly why they're so large is because readers would be hooked and the writer would just keep adding content to keep the story rolling. I'm not entirely sure how the quality of them would be in modern times. We do have webtoon and fanfiction that act similarly, but also because bite-size content is so easily consumable, it's so easily forgetable. I think a lot of books if they were released in this format would just be forgotten or never fully published because each week there would be a new "hit chapter." Personally, when I get caught up with webtoons/fanfictions, I end up getting bored waiting for new content and end up abandoning other stories for the fully released ones (either online or physical books). I honestly don't think that pumping out poor quality yet easy to read books will stand in the long run. Publishers are taking a HUGE hit by passing up the books that are well written and have heart in them because if they withstand time, the well-written books will be able to be printed for generations and maintain the business whereas short and easy books will only last maybe 10-15 years before being lost to time due to the overwhelming amount of other books being released. Also, I have seen a notice in older books gaining traction (aka books popular on booktube 4-5 years ago such as They Both Die in the End and We Were Liars). So I'm thinking that maybe because these older books are clearly doing better in the long run eventually we will get bored with these poor quality books and start hyping up older content. Sorry if this rant is all over the place, I have a lot of thoughts as well!
Hello, I'm General James Charles McConville from. Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, I'm presently in Ukraine helping with Heavy war machines, weapons, Are you from the states.🇺🇸?
Pausing at 2:25 to point out e-reading experiences, like .. Kindle Vella .. and all of the e-reading apps that Amazon most likely created it to compete against, such as Dreame and Readict and so on.
Because I feel as if they are somewhat relevant to this discussion, here.
(But, also, I would like to direct everyone to think back on the historical periodical/serialized style publishing that used to happen back in the day. Where books would be published like a chapter at a time or something, rather than being released from the get-go in a singular bound volume like they are nowadays.)
😁 🤷♀️🤷♀️
I think that the beauty of books is that there are so many styles of them. Something for everyone. I think that there will be a market for those that want shorter faster books; i.e. for those that love to scroll through tic tok and books for those that like to take their time with them. I.e. the long fantasy readers. Me? I like both, so I think like with anything their are what's popular, but do I think the other forms of books will still be there and to be enjoyed. Also, people reading the faster pace and shorter form of the novallas are a perfect way to get into reading.
I love that we have so many different formats for books. And you can enjoy each and every one as you please! And it all depend what mood you are in too! A short book can really bring you out of a slump.
Hello, I'm General James Charles McConville from. Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, I'm presently in Ukraine helping with Heavy war machines, weapons, Are you from the states.🇺🇸?
I remember a few years ago James Pattinson started a range of 'Book Shots' where you got a novella length story for only a couple of pounds and there were loads to choose from. Some were connected to larger series but others were just stand alone. I enjoyed the few of them that I read and you do get the sense of achievement when I finished them so quickly. Sadly I don't think they did well and they stopped produced them.
I feel like the shift already started when booktok really started to become obsessed Colleen Hoover’s books. Her books are generally short & VERY fast paced & I feel like a lot of the books that have gotten hyped on booktok are very similar. One of the biggest criticisms I hear all the time nowadays is that they didn’t enjoy a book bc it’s “too slow”. I’m not gonna lie, I even started to see it in my own reading. I used to prefer slower paced large fantasy books (500+ pages) but as of this year I’ve read way more short, fast paced contemporary books than anything else. I’m starting to get back into reading “slower” books tho bc I feel like half the time I’m only reading to finish a book as opposed to actually reading to enjoy a story. Not that I don’t enjoy the fast books, I do, but it’s really skewing my relationship w reading when I’m already bored if a book hasn’t already gripped me just 10 pages in
I agree. 500 page romance book no problem read in one sitting. 500 page slow paced fantasy novel with a ton of description... 3 months.
I mostly read long books but my favorite flavor of erotica is only available as novellas. I deal with my ADD short attention span by A: taking short breaks to just get up and pace a bit and maybe look at my plants before returning to my reading and B: Reading multiple books at a time. I am currently alternating between "Strawberry Shortcake Murder" by Joanne Fluke, "I Wish I Had a Red Dress" by Pearl Cleage, "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley, and "Akata Witch" by Nnedi Okorafor, and I'm about to start "Alaskan Christmas Escape" by Juno Rushdan because I just finished "Pursued by the Sheriff" by Delores Fossen tonight. I set a goal last year to read 52 books this year. As of today, October 12, 2022, I have read 41 long books and 15 short books this year. I have amended my goal to read an additional 11 long books this year for a total of 52; that's an achievable goal. I won't neglect my erotic novellas, though, I just bought a Ben Courger and a Jensen Steele that I can't wait to savor!
I definitely think that the want for big books is decreasing.
In my experience some authors want their books to be long therefore that add a bunch of unnecessary chapters.
Loved the video!
Have a great day! ❤😊
I honestly feel like social media has definitely reduced my attention span. I literally can't even get through a single chapter without losing track of my thoughts and I can never stay focused on the story! I'm trying some things to help myself focus on school and stay on task for longer periods of time, so hopefully, I can get back into reading and stay focused this time.
Its interessing, what you said about how books from the same series are published. I am from Germany, and here we have a lot of New Adult and Romance series (mainly 2 or 3 books) being published with only a 3-5 month gap. And I think thats been like this for a while
And with childrens books, there is the teend of writing more and more hooks with a mix of a novel and graphic novel format, because kids cant concentrate anymore because they too have access to all kinds of "faster" media
We already had that method hundreds of years ago. A chunck like ‚the count of monte christo‘ was originally published in the newspaper. One chapter at a time
Oh I need to pay more attention I guess. I'm reading A Magic Steeped in Poison right now and I didn't know both books were published in the same year. We'll see how both books hold up...
I love binge reading a series. I'm one of those impatient people. I can't leave myself hanging waiting for the next book in the series to arrive. So I started reading only those series that have been completed. I save the incomplete series for future. I need to have my mind deeply ingrained in the world for the entirety of the series. If I have to wait a year.... Forget it, I can never do that.
I sometimes binge read depending on the book series and with certain ones I will wait until they are or are almost fully out so I can read at my own pace. Like right now I am waiting for the last hours third book to be near releasing to start reading it and it almost is so I might star chain of gold in the next month or so
@@teresadudley1524 Even I am eagerly waiting for the arrival of the third book. Only when I have the copy in hand, I'd start reading it. Some series take time to unload. So when I'm binge reading an extremely slow paced series, I make sure to read a fast paced book as well so if I get bored with the slow paced, I switch to the fast one. I won't completely drop the series.
Re: how "fast media" is affecting my reading. So my only social media is TH-cam, but I still feel like social media is affecting my attention span a lot. I get bored VERY easily to the point where it's a detriment in my life because nothing holds my attention anymore. This started happening with reading too because I made a Goodreads, which initially was great and was getting me even more into reading than I already am. Then I started allowing myself to DNF books I wasn't enjoying. This was great too because it was making me read even more because I wasn't wasting time on books I wasn't enjoying. But... it got to a point where my short attention span/boredom + trying to read books was making me DNF a book the SECOND I got bored with it. So I was DNFing books left and right and felt like I barely ever finished books anymore. My Goodreads account was making me freak out over all the books I wanted to get to and was afraid I never would, so I would just quit books halfway through to get to the next one. It was bad.
So I deleted my Goodreads account and now I am slowing down my reading and trying to read deliberately slower to try and help train my brain to focus better, and to grow my attention span. Also I'm trying to retrain my brain that it's okay to be bored sometimes and that the solution to boredom is NOT to scroll through TH-cam for an hour. Sometimes boredom is just part of life, and sitting in your boredom is not going to kill you.
You're right! I love the community here too. But it would be epic to be able to properly talk somewhere other than TH-cam comments - have you thought of making a discord?
For years, the Warrior Cats books have had a cycle of releasing multiple books within months of each other (so have other young-ish series), and A Magic Steeped in Poison is also for a younger demographic (compared to adult books). I think if it does become a wider trend of authors releasing multiple books a year, it will mostly be for younger audiences: MG and YA. Even then, I don't think it's entirely realistic because Erin Hunter is a pseudonym for a team of people. So I think we'll see an uptick but it won't become commonplace.
A friend of mine actually read a book for the first time in years BECAUSE of TikTok. That might seem surprising if you only know the app as a short attention span simulator. I don't use TikTok myself but I've heard of the book community on there. It's probably been mentioned on this channel before.
This is a perfect example of social media being both good and bad. Short form content like tiktok is very addicting and makes people scroll for hours on end BUT it's also a tool to get to know things you might not have encountered in your daily life or to rediscover something you used to love.
Booktok has even become so popular that even in my non-English speaking country and relatively small town we now have a 'books popular on tiktok' section in the local bookshop.
Great Video Jesse and very interesting and as for attention spans with reading books 📚 I feel that I have no problem focusing on physically reading a book and staying invested mainly because of audiobooks which I’m coming around to really enjoying it brings the story to life and that’s how now I’ve been reading the books I have I find it more enjoyable for me as a reader 😊 And as for books in the social media age I don’t think it will go the route you’re thinking it will cause there’s still a lot of love for physical books out there So I’m hoping you’re right and that it doesn’t happen. But anyway again great discussion video Have a Wonderful Day Jesse And Happy Reading 📖😊
Amazon is already doing bite size stories, Kindle Vella.
Also, another author who released books quickly was back in the hay day (early 2010s) was Richelle Mead churning books out every few months with 3 different books series: Vampire Academy, Georgina Kincaid, and Dark Swan.
I do have a shorter attention span but can binge read a series if it's good because this little toddler brain likes one thing at a time. Sorry, Jesse. But once it's over (or the next book isn't released) then I have a problem because I lose the momentum of the series and not be in the mood. 😩 Sometimes TRYING to get myself to pickup the series is more work. Try getting a toddler to do something when they don't want to = me.
This is definitely important to think about. Attention span for me has been struggling but audiobooks have been my saving grace when I'm struggling or distracted. I know that wasn't really the direction of this but it's been on my mind a lot lately.
Short form media is good in a lot of ways but bad in others. It's bringing back titles that I don't think got their time in the sun. Authors that maybe got overlooked the first time around or the pandemic crushed the opportunity for a book tour and lost out on major promotion, are now getting a second chance. Similarly with music in the case of TikTok...hello Kate Bush! But it also maybe takes away from promoting other work that may have more to say than the mountain of CoHo that TikTok is obsessed with (among other works).
Also, releasing of short bite size pieces of literature...I mean that started in the days of Dickens (and most likely before, he's just the first that comes to mind). A lot of his work was serialized and published weekly in the paper. And then just published long form later on. Weird how things go in cycles.
I don't know...publishing is interesting right now. We've got supply chain issues, social issues, but the book industry is also booming right now. Clearly lots to think about like you said.
Literally same, that’s why I ended up deleted tiktok because I didn’t like what it did to my attention span 🥲
Quality over quantity any day! In all honesty, I think new writers struggling to get into the field are looking at the popular troupes and genres, and then trying to pump out stories that could have big social media hype, pre-existing authors are doing this as well. You’re right, it is a business, and I understand that if a series isn’t earning the author a ton of money, they may feel like they need to churn out multiple books a year to stay relevant and make a living by wage, but it’s sucks that the quality lessens because of this.
I miss the days of hugely anticipated series, and waiting for years for the next installment. I’ve always been a slow reader, so I never felt like I was waiting ages for a book, and could read other things on my shelf. I also do understand that big authors like V.E. Schwab and Sarah J. Maas have been in the game for a long time, and therefore can afford to have bigger gaps in between releases, but I think it does pay off for them. I’ll wait 5 years for the next acotar book but I bet I’ll love it.
I am LOVING all the new content recently Jesse
OK! But when you were talking about authors releasing books like a chapter at a time I immediately thought of Bakuman! That makes me wonder if they will also change the arc of their stories based off of reader response?? Ugh I think that would be a lot scarier/harder for them than just publishing it all in one go, idk how fanfic writers do it😓
I like the slow down vibe of reading, it’s like self care. Shutting out other distractions and heading off into fiction . You should go book shopping in NYC over thanksgiving, great book shopping time 😊
You should read the lake by Natasha Preston ever since I read it I can't stop thinking about it.
Hello, I'm General James Charles McConville from. Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, I'm presently in Ukraine helping with Heavy war machines, weapons, Are you from the states.🇺🇸
Serialized books has a long history. Books used to be too expensive for the average person, so writers published their novels in installments. Charles Dickens wrote 8 novels that way. I know Stephen King serialized The Green Mile back in the 90s. It was published in six installments that were about novella length.
Hello, I'm General James Charles McConville from. Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, I'm presently in Ukraine helping with Heavy war machines, weapons, Are you from the states.🇺🇸?..
I love audiobooks but I feel with audiobooks since you can speed them up it also messes with our attention span because we can finish multiple books in one day but there’s a plus to audiobooks too because you can put in earbuds or put in headphones and be fully immersed in what your reading
I hate the idea of books being released multiple times a year. As you said I do worry about the quality of them 😕 I’d rather have a huge book that took 2 years to write than something that seems rushed.
Hello, I'm General James Charles McConville from. Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, I'm presently in Ukraine helping with Heavy war machines, weapons, Are you from the states.🇺🇸?
I definitely used to find it easier to read back before the distraction of social media and feeds/scrolling. However, even tho it’s harder to fall into reading now, I still find it just as satisfying-if not more so-than when I was a kid. That glorious feeling of falling into a book and getting sucked into the world. There’s just nothing like it. And I personally find it sooo good for my anxious and adhd brain. (And there’s surprisingly research to back that up.) I imagine I’m not the only one, and for that reason, I feel like books-even long ones-will always be here to stay. Love the idea of serial fiction as an alternative tho. Sounds really cool as a complement to regular books.
Hello, I'm General James Charles McConville from. Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, I'm presently in Ukraine helping with Heavy war machines, weapons, Are you from the states.🇺🇸?
i really hope that books don't get shorter. i'm the rare person who can't actually stand short videos? i mostly use instagram but i hate watching reels because i like scrolling and so i want to just do that endlessly? and being stopped to watch a reel takes more time and most of the time, they just don't entertain me that much. same with youtube shorts, if i want to watch something, i want to watch an actual video. i have seen shorts, but i don't really get the point of watching something that's only 30-60 seconds.
i also read some manga and i absolutely hate waiting every week for a new chapter to come out. i like binging stuff and want to just read it all at once, and if i need a break it's not like the chapters are going to disappear if i stop. reading only one chapter a week kills me but i'm also so desperate for content that i can't make myself stay away for more than a week. i could definitely see series being pushed to come out all at once, which i think will really hurt writers and there will be a decline in series. writing a book is a lot of time and commitment. if you write out a whole series and no publishing house will take it, you just wasted many more months and months of time, work, and dedication than someone whose stand alone got rejected. also, for an author publishing a series, after every book comes out is that not like a massive burst of serotonin and motivation? like, you did it, people love, you probably feel extremely validated or something, and now you want to keep writing more and finishing the series because you know you can do it? versus if you just write out a whole book and don't publish it, you might think later down the line that there's no point in finishing the series because nobody will ever read it and it's already done in your head? or maybe that's just how i would feel idk
so sorry for only addressing on of your thoughts, but I really thought of something with it. So, I don't know about other readers, but personally I love the suspense that comes with not knowing what the next book will hold when it comes out, or even wondering when the book will come out. I would personally hold off buying books with series already out until I felt ready to start reading the next steps. It also makes you think that it wouldn't be too fair to readers who had waited years for the next book if the author just decided to flip a switch and produce the books a bit faster. (reading this later I realize I'm not making a whole lotta sense...Sorry)
Hello, I'm General James Charles McConville from. Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, I'm presently in Ukraine helping with Heavy war machines, weapons, Are you from the states.🇺🇸?.
it's always great to see Jesse come up with interesting topics as content in booktube ;)
This is really just making me think about what Beatty and Faber talk about in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. As things short and life gets faster, there is less time to read, less time to think, and less time for art.
I love these kinds of videos...they always get me thinking and they're good questions. I doubt I have much to contribute beyond what's been said already, but I will say that I think larger publishers will likely take some of these things into consideration and perhaps shift format a bit to account for these trends (as well as undoubtedly pressuring popular authors to produce more quickly). However, mid- and small-sized publishers tend to capitalize on their own niches within the marketplace, so there will always be a place for different styles, lengths, and formats. And I think certain material works well in a more serialized format (as you said, webcomics is a good example). I think we're more likely to see a greater variety of material become available, rather than a reduction. But maybe I'm overly optimistic. :)
For me, Goodreads reading goals have made me shy away from big books. If I want to reach my goal, then it's better to read three 300 page books than one 900 page book even though it's the same amount of reading. I'm trying to focus on the number or pages instead of the number of books this year.
I spend so much time watching people talk about books and share their current reads on Tiktok and Instagram reels than I do reading. This contributes to this… odd (?) feeling I have about my personal reading habits and because I’m exposed to so many more books, my TBR grows, but I don’t feel I’m reading enough to read everything, and it makes me feel almost like less of a reader because I’m doing other things than reading. My attention span depends on the day and my mood and… it’s a struggle ngl. I’ve decided to try reading more on my ereader if I desire to be on technology so much. I don’t know. It’s worth a shot. Definitely struggling. I hope all that makes sense.
Hello, I'm General James Charles McConville from. Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, I'm presently in Ukraine helping with Heavy war machines, weapons, Are you from the states.🇺🇸?
so interestingly, kindle direct publishing now has an option called kindle vella which is a serialized release option for self published books, and i think what you're saying with the novella series style format would actually be a sort of return to serialized publishing which i think used to be much more popular when print media was on the rise because a lot of classics were originally published as serials in newspapers/magazines
The Wicked King and Queen of Nothing also were released in the same year. Also, the Crave series by Tracy Wolff has done this MULTIPLE times.
My attention span is so spotty that when I buy/think of a book (that I possibly own) I have to immediately start reading it! That’s why I’m in the middle of 9+ books. 😅 I agree that social media has stunted attention spans a bit.
As a hopeful author it kind of scares me because I could see it as a push to create, create, create and as someone that’s struggling with writing and proof reading I could see it being a breeding ground for plot holes.
As a reader I’m concerned too that it would change how it’s released and will make it less paperback copies and more digital and payment for each chapter which would make a whole book potentially more expensive….
I just stumbled across Kindle Vella recently and it's basically all of these concerns come to life.
Don’t mind me just binge watching your channel until my phone dies so I can hide it, not charge it, and go outside and read lmao 💀
I got rid ofmy social media and guess what? I got back into reading, yayy!! 😊
Social media was a big distraction for me, I went 4 years without picking up a book.
How does it feel to binge read series? Pretty good when it's an audiobook and I can also get my dishes and other chores done. LOL
Also, publishers control when books come out! A book may be finished and got all the nice edits and shiny covers in 2020 but may not come out in 2024 because the publisher said so. With this in mind, It's likely Judy Lin's books have been in publishing purgatory until a Venom Dark and Sweet was finalized. TV media has also been doing similar format for a WHILE.
Amazon just announced something with the episodic type of content!!!
I agree that short form media is absolutely shortening our attention spans. Ever since TikTok came out, I spent hours on it every day, whenever I had a spare moment of idleness, it just had to be filled with mindless entertainment. It's like an addiction to these little moments of whatever it is that you generally like to watch.
That being said, I could see it affecting reading in terms of the length and genre of books that readers lean towards. I've noticed in myself that I lean more towards shorter books (by this I mean up to 400 pages is ideal), and towards books that are written in a more immersive writing style - say, the difference between YA and classics, for example. YA tends to be more digestible. So those types of books wouldn't necessarily change, in my opinion, as we continue to just eat them up, some even in a day.
As for stuff that comes out in chapters, like fanfiction and manga/webtoons/etc, it's been here for a while and I'm sure it'll continue.
Generally, I just see things leaning towards the more fun and attention-grabbing themes, as well as keeping to trends, rather than the book world itself actually changing. There are, after all, so many people out there who don't actually consume short form media of any kind.
I’ve also noticed this over the years. I think with my life changing through parenthood and going back to school my attention span has definitely shortened.
Regarding the faster pacing you talked about, I’ve seen it especially in the way Taylor Jenkins Reid writes her books. (The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo ALONE cured my reading slump) And even besides the pacing, (which she handles expertly) where it IS slower on some parts, I think one of the most important factors in keeping focus is CHAPTER LENGTH. With our brains acquainted to a certain upkeep of new content, SHORTER CHAPTERS I think provide the reader with a satisfaction AND MOTIVATION to keep moving forward. Finishing one chapter quickly gives you the impression that you are BLOWING through your book, which further facilitates your motivation to keep reading. (It basically more easily provides an environment for the “just one more chapter” phenomenon to happen where after the millionth time you realize you just finished the entire book)
Hi Jesse
Well, to start, short stories or rather short story collections could get more popular, assuming this will effect books at all, also there things like poetry books where it might take just a few minutes to read, lastly manga, pick it up read a chapter, a lot of manga does come out weekly anyway
Next, books are honestly such a different medium that I don’t know if they will be effected much by this at all, yes you have people with superpowers that can read a book a day, but I imagine most readers take multiple days to finish a book, and it’s always been that way, yes there are minute long videos, but remember quibi? It was apparently a app where you could watch tv shows in 5 minute increments or so (I never had it) point I’m trying to make is look at the content that’s being made in the tic toks, not really a lot of storytelling going on, in my limited experience
Lastly, it’s subjective, there will be people that prefer books over 1000 pages, and just appreciate longer form content
All that said, have a good day
I LOVE THAT BACKGROUND OMG I STAN! So aesthetic 😌
I think once we know *how* to read, we begin to understand *what* we read, & that by necessity enforces change.
It’s is not just the books we choose to read, but our ability to read them. I’m not talking about reading as the act of putting words together, I’m talking about understanding. How well do we read? Have we been taught to understand & pull apart books? Does what we read serve us, nourish us?
The publishing industry is largely channeling out nothing more than trending tropes, cheap sex thrills, and base escapism. The new releases pressure, the special editions we buy and never even crack open, the drive to purchase more than we could possibly read, book hauls that are more about content & views than actually about the books, all of these things drive consumerism more than they drive reading.
And the truth is, once we begin to understand what we’re reading, settling for “less” becomes impossible.
I definitely think it will and may be already. I do however adore shorted books such as the Wayward children's series. Even though they're short they're amazing books that are obviously well thought out. I do think there are a lot of books trying to play to certain tropes rather than to tell a unique story but that has been happening for awhile now, especially with the Vampire and dystopian eras which has now turned into an enemies to lovers phase
Hello, I'm General James Charles McConville from. Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, I'm presently in Ukraine helping with Heavy war machines, weapons, Are you from the states.🇺🇸?
My only problem is that publishers will either be more forecful on authors and push them harder which would lead to more burnout/ lower quality in their writing. I love big books, yeah at times they take me a while but I love the story more over short books, because most short books feel incomplete or *cough cough* Tor *cough cough* charging full novel hardback price for a novella.
With this its a double edge sword where we could have more stories.. but then more competative, more burnout on others... it's a difficult situation
I hadn't thought of this before but it is so much easier for me to read sorter books because I can only read on weekends. I'm just too busy with life and work to read any other time. If a book is 600 pages or more I usually pass because I know it'll take me a month to finish it. Long stories split into smaller books is what I prefer
It's affecting my actual reading of books. I spend so much time reading or watching stuff about books!😆😔
2 books a year used to happen fairly common in, like, books aimed at younger age demographics that are not as thick as YA novels. I dunno if that's still true? 🤔
I personally don't have those social medias. Only YT, but I don't watch the shorts. Exactly for the reasons you talk about. I don't think it's good for me to consume things so fast.
For books I really hope that it's not going to happen like that. And patience is very important, we need to learn that more in our society. I don't mind waiting for a book (well, only looking at you a bit George RR Martin), there are so many books out there, I will pick those up.
Jesse YOU ARE A GENIUS !!! So I am writing a Shakespear Fantasy Story write now ; but no publisher is interested . So what If I publish a Chapter pro Week or so on Tick Tock or something. So I can show Publishers that Peopel like mike Story so that they mide publish it. Do you think Peopel would like a Shakespear Fantasy Story ? 😶🌫
3:53 “who needs patience when you’ve got impatience?” - Jesse, 2022
I don't watch ticktock or TH-cam shorts or instagram stuff... but I do watch a lot of TH-cam videos and tv shows/movies...
I watched another booktuber and he mentioned how books are becoming shorter because of the fast-paced media consumption we are exposed to. Not necessarily faster paced books but just shorter and easier to consume quickly. One example he brought up that I didn't think about at the time was the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. Part of why I didn't notice is because all of my copies up until book 16 have either been ebooks or mass market paperbacks. Book 16 and 17 I got in hardcover. But the 16th and `17th book, Peace Talks (#16) and Battle Ground (#17) are shorter than previous books and probably could have been one book. Unlike book 15, Skin Game, which was longer.
Hello, I'm General James Charles McConville from. Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, I'm presently in Ukraine helping with Heavy war machines, weapons, Are you from the states.🇺🇸?.
I feel like so many authors are releasing books SO FAST! It kinda makes me feel bad and wonder are they being pushed by their publishers or is it coming more natural to them? Emily Henry, Colleen Hoover, Riley Sager… all put out at least 1-2 books a year it feels like, with CoHo putting out I believe 2-3. I feel like even one book a year from an author is quite a bit, knowing everything the book has to go through in the publishing steps. I wouldn’t be mad if it took an author 2-3 years to come out with a book.
Also I’m terrified of all this short form content! I’ve definitely noticed my attention span go down since Reels. I won’t download TikTok.
There's already a faster place for publishing books - Kindle Vella. Authors post chapter/small piece of their book at the time sometimes without edits or proofreading and those that are impatient can read them as the appear (usually every few days or weeks). Apparently people like it🤷🏻♀️
the bookends in the background look so cool
Short form content is definitely affecting the book market and the book culture overall. Infact ( to deviate from the topic a little) , short form or quick access content demand seems to affect other areas of entertainment too . I'm a BTS Army and I was recently eager to buy Hobi's album Jack In The Box . Controversial opinion time 😂 : I didn't like the digital album concept they came up with . Like you spend 2000 bucks ( in Indian rupees ) on a beautifullly shaped envelope ( the design is truly chef's kiss 💜) only to get photocards and a scan code. CD culture had been dying out and only recently revived by KPop album sales . I believe in getting something solid and substantial if I'm going to invest a large sum on it. So yet the digital album trend worries me even though I'm broke and Spotify free account is my main muse 😭.
Similarly , fast paced reading should not become a permanent trend. I feel like Reading styles should be kept varied because The reading mood does not remain static. Some traditions are best forgotten but in case of books , keeping a few traditions alive isn't a bad thing. Digitized reading are a huge help but no legit books in the future ? I'm sorry trees but i can't give up my paperbacks and hardbacks 😭🥲❤️🙏.
The pressure of churing out a series within a year might affect the quality of writing . I hope authors take time to reflect and review on their manuscript rather than rushing it and produce a hotchpotch of potholes in their plots.
As someone who loves long books and series shorter form content isn't my thing
jesse...how excited are you for midnights?? reading and taylor swift is a great combo
I don't know that short form content will directly effect the length of books, but I feel like it effects the types of stories and also probably distracts people from reading as much. Interesting to think (and cry) about 🤣
loving this type of videos 😍
Hello, I'm General James Charles McConville from. Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, I'm presently in Ukraine helping with Heavy war machines, weapons, Are you from the states.🇺🇸?.
kindle villa is doing this chapter format
I love this convo! Something else to consider is burn out. Our world moves a lot quicker than earlier generations and individuals are expected to do more and more leading to burn out.
Personally when I have those burn out days, reading (my only hobby) feels like a chore so novellas and short story collections/anthologies help me feel like I’m making progress vs a daunting 600+ page bad boy I can barely make a dent in. Psychologically the reward of reading half a book vs 5% of a book is more appealing and I’m more likely to pick up a book if I can convince my brain it’s a smaller task.
Omg I’ve just realized I’m the problem 🥲
I, personally, have always had a hard time focusing on anything that doesn't catch my interest right away, but if something piques my interest, I have little to no problem focusing on the book/series, no matter how long it is. So, with that knowledge, I, personally, am not be too concerned about book size decreasing, but I could see books speeding up. I do agree that there is a time and a place for both fast-paced book and also slower books. Romance, for example, is so much better as a slow burn (in my humble opinion). Action, and sometimes even fantasy and sci-fi, are better with a faster pace (once again, in my opinion). (Was action an obvious one? Yeah, probably, but it's true.)
Uh oh, lately I’ve not been able to focus for ANYTHING. I haven’t sat down and been able to read for more than 10 minutes at a time. No binge reading for me. And on top of that I’ve only been picking up short novels. Like if it has more than 280 pages I’m out. Now I am also concerned lol
I think that if authors would be pressured to release a lot of books back to back, with possibly sacrificing quality, more would just switch to indie publishing. I honestly can't see how pushing more books a year would be sustainable.
Interesting international fact here: In Germany its pretty common for books in a series to be released a few months apart