"I can write about anything!"™

 

 

 

Client: Editorial Eye newsletter

Assignment: Write feature article for professional newsletter for writers, editors, proofreaders, etc.

The audience for this newsletter is pretty sophisticated and knowledgeable. Being asked to write for it is a professional honor and requires a strong skills base in, and understanding of, the editorial profession.

This assignment arose when an e-mail list for writers started discussing where we would find "new" or younger readers for our efforts, given the influence of the Internet and trends apparently indicating a reduction in the popularity of reading for pleasure. The editor of this newsletter asked me to find out what colleagues think about assumptions that young people read less these days.

The results were interestingly optimistic, considering the bias toward reading among offspring of people who make their livings in the editorial world.

Second Thoughts -
Are There New Readers Out There?

By Ruth E. Thaler-Carter

Recently, on the Washington Independent Writers (WIW) e-mail discussion list, professionals debated whether young people are reading these days—and if so, what, and if not, why not.

Reading is not necessarily a lost art nor one enjoyed only by the doddering. The media runs stories about a drop in reading among adults, but national reading scores generally are up, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Librarians are not sounding a call to arms. Book clubs are hugely popular among people of all ages. Nonetheless, other entertainments and activities do seem to be siphoning off the attention of many potential young readers.

Thanks to a book-filled home and parents whose demonstrated love for reading hooked all their children, for me, reading is as natural as breathing. But what does it take to create a love of reading in a new generation? This anecdotal survey attempts to get some grassroots–level answers.