Do you like to read? Considering the fact that you have picked up this newspaper and you’re looking at more than the Sudoku or the crossword in the back, I’m going to assume yes.
In a medium that people initially thought would die out when television became a part of reality, and again when the Internet became a part of reality and once again when e-readers became a thing, print is still alive. Not only is it surviving, it’s thriving.
One area where it is noticeable is with young adult books. In a survey conducted by Booklist’s Brian Shemroske, it was discovered that books aimed at grades three through eight had an average length of 290 pages. It is up 115 percent from 2006, and even crazier, it is up 173 percent from 1976.
Some have called this the “Harry Potter Effect.” Everyone knows the story of the boy who lived and many have read through his tail countless times because they can not get enough of the wonderful world of witchcraft and wizardry. To those familiar with the books, you know that each is an enormous length. The U.S. version’s first book beats the average length of today by 19 pages. The last one is over two and a half times the average length in the U.S. and a little over twice the average length for the U.K. version. That’s a lot of dead trees.
I personally have not read the Harry Potter books (cue loud and audible gasps from all the fan girls, dropping of the paper and the formation of a mob with torches against the Oswegonian offices), but I believe the increased length is due to more than just this series. This is because Shemroske did a survey last December that found books aimed at any readership were increasing an average length of 80 pages a year.
Why? I believe it’s because fans want to know everything about the worlds they love. People over examine everything in order to try to find a truer meaning, or to feel fully immersed in the world that has been created. Over examination may be the wrong word for some, others may prefer the word obsession. It becomes a undeniable part of their life that they would fight to defend.
That’s why so many are obsessed with “Game of Thrones” and are incredibly angry that George R.R. Martin is not writing enough. The books bring you into the world and tell readers many things with great detail, yet for fans it is never enough.
Other media have evolved in a similar fashion. Many movies and shows struggle to have big reveals now because there is so much fan speculation and investigating that goes into each show that it makes it incredibly difficult to keep anything a secret. How many times did a Facebook theory about shows like “The Walking Dead” or “The Flash” turned out to be true? I want to say at least seven, but no doubt the number is probably much higher.
I’m not sure if Harry Potter set the standard, but it is one of the best examples of people wanting more with their media. Today it is hard to keep people’s attention, but when you find something that can grab it, you want nothing more than everything. So grab a book, or if one has become too large to lift, drag it and start becoming apart of the world you crave.
