Alexandra Alter

A health check on the book biz.

A health check on the book biz.

Alexandra Alter, who writes about publishing and the literary world for The New York Times, on how independent bookstores are faring in the pandemic. 

Last month, the Association of American Publishers announced a milestone. 2012 is the first year that adult eBooks have outsold adult hardcover books. For the book industry, those sales are especially valuable because they bring in not just revenue but data. As you read from your Kindle, Nook or iPad, the device transmits all the details of how you do your reading – data that is beginning to shape the way books are written. Wall Street Journal reporter Alexandra Alter tells Bob that the new data is a big deal for an industry that has traditionally been unable measure its audience.