Book Fair 2019

On opening day, September 11, the crowd was sparse, unlike last year’s and the years’ before that.  I worried, Are printed books on the way to extinction?  

This sad thought comes to me now and then because it seems to be where the world is going—printed books, out; e-books, in.

And so I had my book signing for “The Other Cheek” at 3 PM, dreading the possibility that no one will come. But they did! Friends and readers, who know me only through the books I write, appeared like magic. As I have always believed, grace vanishes fear. 

 

Those who braved the traffic, limited parking space, an earthquake, and sporadic rains wore that certain glow I see nowhere but at the book fair. 

 

After about an hour, at 4 PM, I joined the 14 new writers for book signing of “Take Heart.”  One could taste and see the excitement, which accompanies first book launches. Each writer brought his/her family and friends, packing the CSM booth to the rafters.   

I was messaged later by friends—who bought “The Other Cheek” at the CSM booth but couldn’t squeeze in the dense crowd to say “Hi!” and have their book signed—asking about my next schedule at the MIBF.

So will printed books eventually disappear and render book fairs irrelevant?

On one side, yes, because according to some doomsayers, it is not the most effective way of storing knowledge to be passed on to future generations. It is wasteful and vulnerable to being destroyed.

On the other side, some say, “No, books will not disappear entirely. Like cloth weaving and woodblock printing, printed pages may assume a different role in a different realm—aesthetics—meant to be looked at but not read [coffee table books and art catalogs] and will appeal to a very limited audience.” 

Uh-oh. I hope not in my lifetime.