Despite every available diversion and perversion, book reading is still a very significant part of our culture.  Millions of people read books, and some of those books are even good books.  Just as significantly, millions of people want to read more than they do.  They just don’t have the time, they say.  “Make time!” we say.  But time cannot be made, only freed.  If I did not have my subway commute, I would have to stop petting my cats, stop eating dinner and stop watching House Hunters and House Hunters International (they’re soothing) to make up for the lost reading time.

You know how General Motors conspired to eliminate street cars in the mid-20th century in order to increase the need and sales of automobiles and GM buses?  Well, what if we flipped that around so that we’re talking about books instead of cars and about doing good instead of evil?  What if publishers and other book-supporting people banded together politically to fight for things that would give these potential but leisure-deprived readers more free time to read?  For example, they could lead the fight for (and please note how many of these things that are good for books are also good for the environment):

1.  Tax credits for people who use public transportation.

2.  Laws promoting telecommuting.

3.  Strict limitations on working over 40 hours per week.

4.  Four-day work week.

5.  European level vacation time (let’s go with the German standard).

6.  All children under 10 in bed by 8 PM (they are permitted to read in bed), leaving time for parents to read.

7.  Time Warner Cable “Roadrunner” internet service in every home (it only works about half the time, leaving more time for reading).

8.  Goodbye, seventh inning stretch.  Hello, seventh inning short story.

9.  Very simple:  a Weight Watchers-type web site where people who want to read more sign up for a program that will force them to log their reading “points” and gradually increase their reading time (there’s your new market).

10.  In general, promoting the idea that life is finite and therefore more time should be set aside for meaningful activities, like reading good books of substance.

Obviously, not all of these are serious (like we’ll ever get a four-day work week), but hopefully you get my point.

In short, imagine if the publishing world, rather than merely publishing books, actually engaged in a conscious and collective effort to improve our culture?

Oh man, positive thinking feels so good!

Update: I’ve been thinking…what if New York City based independent publishers, perhaps through the Center for Independent Publishing, tried something small, something local.  How about co-sponsoring a “Read an Indie Book On Your Way to Work Month.”  Or something like that.  Start small.  Then aim for a city-wide law mandating that the workday on Mondays cannot begin before 11:00 AM, partially alleviating Sunday night work-angst and allowing everyone to stay up later reading.

Related Posts:

1. Suze Orman Giving New Book Away for Free (for a week) According to Publishers Marketplace daily email newsletter Publishers Lunch (no...
2. Word DJ In his post reacting to Jason Weaver’s piece on post-punk...
3. The Future of Book Publishing (Maybe) There are many people and blogs doing an obsessively thorough...
4. eBook Warehouse Just as Seth Godin has dared to imagine a better...
5. You Have the Power: How to Get Your e-Book Read The problem is time. It’s common for writers to complain...