Much to our delight, recent studies show that readers of all ages continue to prefer printed books to their electronic counterparts – and the popularity of printed books shows no signs of slowing down!

As booksellers, of course we’re on the side of print! 

There’s just nothing like the smell of a book, the smooth surface of the bindings, the feeling of the pages between your thumbs as you read on…

Now we're just getting carried away...

It may seem hard to believe, but these physical and emotional reactions to reading a printed book have great benefits including development of comprehension, especially in children and young adults who are required to read books in education. 

The act of holding a book, turning and dog-earring pages, and physically highlighting and underlining important points can result in heightened memorization skills, focused attention, and the development of a ‘mental map’ of the book that retains the structure and content of the book.

Reading words on paper versus reading words on an electronic device also benefits the eyes of the reader. Reading eBooks can often cause eye strain, which can lead to headaches, which leads to the reader taking more frequent breaks when reading the material – this lowers retention rate of the material. Reading just isn’t as fun when you have to take breaks to rest your eyes!         

Statistics show a sharp decline in the sales of eReaders and eBooks. A survey by Pew Research Center found that 65% of Americans had read a printed book in the last year, compared to 28% that had read e-books and the Association of American Publishers’ annual survey found that e-book sales have continued on a slow decline since 2012.

So, two-thirds of Americans have their noses in printed books! We think that’s pretty awesome. We’re waiting for the other third to catch up!

While eBooks may be convenient, receiving a printed book is simply an unbeatable experience that fosters personal connection, opens discussions, and unites people through a shared love of literature – and that can never be replaced.

“There’s something about printed that I can’t give up,” says Josh Catone of Mashable. “There’s something about holding a book in your hand and the visceral act of physically turning a page that, for me at least, can’t be matched with pixels on a screen.”

Here at Bulk Bookstore, we strive every day to help our customers find the perfect books in bulk to share with others. With two-thirds of the population favoring physical books, our plan is to make them as affordable as possible, allowing our customers to motivate and educate their teams and organizations, to inspire the younger generation of school-age students and to positively impact communities across the country.