Forever in search of the new

Yesterday (5 March) I popped into my local independent book shop in search of a present for Easter not entailing Cadburys cream eggs! Having purchased a book on the Dinosaurs in Crystal Palace park I fell into conversation with the book shop’s owner. I asked whether the growth in ebooks was impacting on his business. Somewhat to my surprise he replied that he haden’t noticed a fall off in business, he had, however seen a rise in the sale of graphical (picture books). I speculated that the growth in sales of this particular type of literature perhaps stemmed from the low attention span which can flow from excessive use of the internet and he agreed.

The above conversation reminded me of an earlier post on this blog (http://newauthoronline.com/2013/02/02/going-to-hell-in-a-hand-cart/) in which I pointed to the growth in website hopping, the practice entailing the surfer inanely clicking on links with no particular purpose in mind. I argued that this constant search for new and exciting content fosters a spirit of instant gratification and a shallow view of the world. In contrast reading entails concentration and yes, on occasions cudgelling one’s brains in order to comprehend what the author is driving at. In contrast to the inanity which can flow from web surfing reading fosters a deep appreciation for the world in which we live.

To return to my visit to the book shop, perhaps this obsession with the internet is leading to a breakdown in concentration whereby people find it difficult to read anything other than short novels or works containing lots of illustrations. I certainly hope that this is not the case.

Returning to the subject of ebooks, my latest book, Samantha is currently free in the Kindle store (the offer ends on 7 March). For Samantha please visit http://www.amazon.com/Samantha-ebook/dp/B00BL3CNHI