I really want to hear about how COVID has effected the way you read/buy books as a consumer and how COVID has effected the way you create content if you are a creator.
This will be an ongoing discussion, some of which I’d like to use in an upcoming podcast episode of the Writing In Suburbia with Jake Bible redux. I’ll pop in when I can to add my two cents.
As always, be kind to each other. No arguments, please. And no assholes allowed!
My reading habits haven't changed all that much. I have a handful of tv shows that I like that haven't been around, so I've read instead of watching those. So, that's a couple hours a week. Also, there haven't been any big movies to watch this year, so that's freed up some time as well. My work has not changed, so I continue to use Libby for audio books. I have my rotation of podcasts for work, and those have continued. My library was shut down for a time, but they're back now, just a little slower for receiving held material from the different branches. I also tried Hoopla, a streaming service provided through our library. I found a real gem there, Vamp, with Grace Jones. Hadn't seen it in years. If your library participates, check out Hoopla. It's got a lot of variety, even some unexpected stuff.
Firestorm (our friendly local anarchist bookstore, a 3-minute walk from our house) has gotten a lot more of our business: our state income hasn't changed, but our expenses have gone down, so buying books has been big. When they don't have something, we order via Malaprop's.
We're reserving a lot of books from the library as well. But what I miss most is browsing the "New Books" shelves at Pack Library: it's where I've found some of my favorite books of the past 20 years, and I've not found a good substitute for that experience
I have changed my buying habits - I used to be a one stop shopper online but I now try to order through my local bookstore when I can to help them stay open and I have drifted to specific author pages to support them - I try to do the same thing with musicians I like to listen to - right to their websites to make the purchase so they can continue to thrive
I'm retired and it hasn't really affected me at all. I normally read quite a lot of books (via the Kindle app on an iPad) usually via the Amazon Kindle Unlimited feature, although I do purchase selected, favorite authors too from Amazon. I'm probably reading more than I previously did because there's so much you can't do outside your home during the pandemic, although it's beginning to become more open. I'm averaging about 4 books a week and even received an email from Amazon congratulating me for having read 65 days in a row. I'm uncertain what that says about me, but there it is...
As a consumer it really has not affected me. I have been lucky enough to get continue working through it all like normal, and so I have not had to change my buying habits. I get an Audible book once a month, buy a physical book once every couple of months, and read a lot of digital comic books. Almost all of the books I "read" are in audio format since I can listen to them while working, and I buy physical copies of the ones I want to collect...
Visits to our local bookstores are fewer than I’d like due to COVID & I’m obtaining most of my books (3-5 per week) on Kindle. It’s saved me a lot of space on my bookshelf but I miss the physical contact with my books and the pleasure of exploring the shelves at the bookstore.
Jake, I changed my way of reading and buying books in June, in part because of COVID closing down bookstores, but more because my son gifted me with a Kindle for Father's Day. I have always resisted e-books but I'm using the Kindle now, at least for some purchases. As for writing, progress on the two novels I'm working on were detrimentally impacted by my debut novel's publication in August. The pandemic has made marketing tougher since no face-to-face readings or gatherings can occur. That has taken considerable time away from my writing.
COVID-19 and other issues have altered my writing AND my buying books. I've seldom been depressed until the USA's political situation and COVID-19 became so toxic. I want to read more because it offers me an outlet from such worries, but I don't get as much written. My tutoring business has gone completely, and I've lost 20 out of 24 clients for my pet-sitting business, so I can't currently buy books. It's taking all my income to pay bills and buy food and gas. I'm in a quandry over my first children's book because of what I've learned from publisher's guidelines in the last few days, and a rewrite means I completely lose the current focus of the story. I am easily distracted by my cats, which is often good--at least their antics offer some respite. I'm lucky that most of my friends and family are being very careful about protecting themselves from the virus, but it's always a niggling worry that we're all so susceptible to this superbug, especially individuals like me who have hypertension and/or other chronic health problems. I almost hate to look at Facebook these days because so many friends of friends have succumbed. Not writing something every day, however, isn't in my nature. Somehow the stubborn side of me perseveres.
My reading habits haven't changed all that much. I have a handful of tv shows that I like that haven't been around, so I've read instead of watching those. So, that's a couple hours a week. Also, there haven't been any big movies to watch this year, so that's freed up some time as well. My work has not changed, so I continue to use Libby for audio books. I have my rotation of podcasts for work, and those have continued. My library was shut down for a time, but they're back now, just a little slower for receiving held material from the different branches. I also tried Hoopla, a streaming service provided through our library. I found a real gem there, Vamp, with Grace Jones. Hadn't seen it in years. If your library participates, check out Hoopla. It's got a lot of variety, even some unexpected stuff.
Firestorm (our friendly local anarchist bookstore, a 3-minute walk from our house) has gotten a lot more of our business: our state income hasn't changed, but our expenses have gone down, so buying books has been big. When they don't have something, we order via Malaprop's.
We're reserving a lot of books from the library as well. But what I miss most is browsing the "New Books" shelves at Pack Library: it's where I've found some of my favorite books of the past 20 years, and I've not found a good substitute for that experience
I have changed my buying habits - I used to be a one stop shopper online but I now try to order through my local bookstore when I can to help them stay open and I have drifted to specific author pages to support them - I try to do the same thing with musicians I like to listen to - right to their websites to make the purchase so they can continue to thrive
I’ve consumed much less without the commute. Instead I’ve worked on more home projects and had more family time.
I'm retired and it hasn't really affected me at all. I normally read quite a lot of books (via the Kindle app on an iPad) usually via the Amazon Kindle Unlimited feature, although I do purchase selected, favorite authors too from Amazon. I'm probably reading more than I previously did because there's so much you can't do outside your home during the pandemic, although it's beginning to become more open. I'm averaging about 4 books a week and even received an email from Amazon congratulating me for having read 65 days in a row. I'm uncertain what that says about me, but there it is...
As a consumer it really has not affected me. I have been lucky enough to get continue working through it all like normal, and so I have not had to change my buying habits. I get an Audible book once a month, buy a physical book once every couple of months, and read a lot of digital comic books. Almost all of the books I "read" are in audio format since I can listen to them while working, and I buy physical copies of the ones I want to collect...
Visits to our local bookstores are fewer than I’d like due to COVID & I’m obtaining most of my books (3-5 per week) on Kindle. It’s saved me a lot of space on my bookshelf but I miss the physical contact with my books and the pleasure of exploring the shelves at the bookstore.
Jake, I changed my way of reading and buying books in June, in part because of COVID closing down bookstores, but more because my son gifted me with a Kindle for Father's Day. I have always resisted e-books but I'm using the Kindle now, at least for some purchases. As for writing, progress on the two novels I'm working on were detrimentally impacted by my debut novel's publication in August. The pandemic has made marketing tougher since no face-to-face readings or gatherings can occur. That has taken considerable time away from my writing.
COVID-19 and other issues have altered my writing AND my buying books. I've seldom been depressed until the USA's political situation and COVID-19 became so toxic. I want to read more because it offers me an outlet from such worries, but I don't get as much written. My tutoring business has gone completely, and I've lost 20 out of 24 clients for my pet-sitting business, so I can't currently buy books. It's taking all my income to pay bills and buy food and gas. I'm in a quandry over my first children's book because of what I've learned from publisher's guidelines in the last few days, and a rewrite means I completely lose the current focus of the story. I am easily distracted by my cats, which is often good--at least their antics offer some respite. I'm lucky that most of my friends and family are being very careful about protecting themselves from the virus, but it's always a niggling worry that we're all so susceptible to this superbug, especially individuals like me who have hypertension and/or other chronic health problems. I almost hate to look at Facebook these days because so many friends of friends have succumbed. Not writing something every day, however, isn't in my nature. Somehow the stubborn side of me perseveres.
It’s definitely affected my output. Lost my mother to it in April as well as two friends since then.
It’s only now, in the latter part of the year that I’m starting to get my writing momentum back.