1. Some might say reading a good book is like escaping to another world. Through the pages, you can learn new things, encounter new people and explore new places — all while sitting comfortably in the same spot.
2. And on April 23 every year, World Book and Copyright Day celebrates the importance of literature. It was first started by UNESCO in 1995 to promote the enjoyment of books and reading.
3. The date was chosen because several famous authors died on that day, including William Shakespeare, Don Quixote’s Miguel de Cervantes and English poet William Wordsworth. Celebrating occasions like this might be more important these days, since several studies over the past decade have suggested that people are reading less than they once did.
What was the last book you bought? What made you want to buy it?
4. For example, a 2022 survey by education company Test Prep Insight found that nearly 50% of US adults hadn’t read a book in over a year. But other studies have found that the COVID-19 pandemic helped many people rekindle their love of reading.
5. Nearly 60% of over 5,000 participants in a 2021 survey by website Book Riot said they were reading more since the pandemic began. And in December 2022, a smaller survey of 945 people in 56 countries — by THGM Writing Services — found that two-thirds of readers said they planned to read more books in 2023 than in 2022.
(1)Do you ever read digital books? If so, what device do you use?
(2)Did the pandemic change your reading habits in any way?
6. However, according to literature data company WordsRated, global book sales — including digital books — have declined by an average of about 1% per year since 2017. And while sales did increase almost 8% in 2021, they dropped 10% in 2022.
7. It’s anticipated they will increase about 2.5% in 2023, to $78 billion. About a quarter of the world’s book revenues come from the US. About 20% come from China, and around 9% each come from Germany and Japan.
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