Stephen Downes

Doug Johnson weights in on the debate about whether the time of the book has passed. On the one hand, there's the sales: "I, on the other hand," he writes, "have written and published six books with international publishers, two second editions, and one self-published little volume between 1997 and 2015.* I made about as much in royalties each year as I did from a single speaking engagement or workshop." On the other hand, books do sell, he says: "They sell ideas. They sell feelings. They sell stories. They sell reputations. They sell joy - for both the reader and the writer. They may not always sell in a commercial sense, but when the right audience is found, every book sells.