The Shift Back to Paperbacks
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Over the past year, I’ve noticed something I didn’t expect. Not just a change in sales, but a change in how readers are choosing to read.
I compared my 2025 and 2026 numbers of sales between January 1 and April 30. Total sales are up about 1.5x, which is encouraging on its own, but what caught my attention wasn’t the increase; it was the shift.
In 2025, about 18% of my sales came from online retailers (almost entirely ebooks), and 82% came from direct sales through my bookshop and in-person events.
In 2026, that shifted to 15% retailers and 85% direct sales.
That’s not a dramatic swing on paper, but when you see it happening in real-time, across events and conversations, it tells a much bigger story.
Readers Are Choosing Paperbacks
Last year, the surge in new ebooks didn’t surprise me. However, we still packed up my paperbacks and hauled them to arts and crafts festivals so I could talk with readers face‑to‑face.
A fresh wave of readers, noticeably younger than at previous events, intentionally walked up to my table, picked up a paperback then flipped it over to read the back.
Turns out ‘These covers are fire’ is a compliment, not a cue to grab an extinguisher. (Now I know that.)
Buying Behavior Shifted
Until this year, most of my multi-book sales were Books 1-3 of a series or the complete series.
This year has been different. I have always offered a discount for purchase of three or more books with no rule about them being in the same series. But surprisingly, this year it became quite the thing, at least at my table, to mix it up and buy Book 1 of three different series.
Friends frequently picked a third book to share with one person paying; they sorted it out later. Couples would buy three books: one for him, two for her.
My table became more social with discussions over the books, including former readers dropping by to pick up my latest book and advising a new reader, “That one was my favorite.”
A People-Powered Shift in Motion
There’s a lot of talk about people wanting less screen time, especially younger readers. From what I’m seeing, that’s part of it, but not all of it.
At an in-person event, a reader doesn’t just see a book. They see the author, the table, the covers, the invitation to have a conversation.
Me: “What do you like to read?”
Them: “Everything…” or “Mystery…” or “My favorite author is…”
Me: “Read the back of this one…”
Them: “So if we get three…”
That exchange doesn’t happen in an ebook download.
The Senses that Come with a Paperback
Fingertips stroke the cover, feeling that faint drag of fresh matte paper, smooth with just a hint of grain. The texture stirs a quiet, familiar comfort, like the first page of a brand‑new book once loved in childhood.
A paperback book is light enough to carry, solid enough to matter, and holds just enough quiet gravity to pull a reader straight into the world waiting between its pages, until the rest of the room fades like it was never there.
A paperback extends the quiet invitation that only something trusted and familiar can offer. It’s creased, marked, dog‑eared. It becomes a record of how the reader moved through the story. And through it all, there’s a quiet sense of ownership that grows with every touch.
And yes, there’s also this:
Sitting in a coffee shop with a book? An intellectual.
Sitting in a coffee shop, staring at a phone? Probably doomscrolling.
(We’ve all been there.)
The Change I’m Seeing Up Close
This isn’t really about ebooks versus paperbacks. It’s about how readers want to connect with stories.
In my little corner of the world, I’m watching people choose differently: slower moments, something they can hold, experiences they can share. It feels less like consumption and more like connection.
And honestly, it’s been one of the most encouraging shifts I’ve seen.
You keep reading; I’ll keep writing!
Judith A. Barrett 