Non-Fiction Books on the Rise
Paige Insalaco discusses the increasing publication and popularity of non-fiction books.
As a university student, the rise of non-fiction has certainly had an impact on my bookshelves. In an era where we’re all seeking more skills and more information, the university presses have begun to flourish and non-fiction is becoming more and more popular. In fact, of the top fifty bestsellers on Amazon, twenty-nine were non- fiction and more than half of these were self-help books.
This calls into question the usefulness of the non-fiction genre and how much benefit the genre actually brings. As a matter of being personally helpful, non-fiction allows its readers to boost skills and gain a deeper understanding of things going on in the world. In turn, this offers a greater ability to do well and impress in job interviews. The rise of non-fiction can also be linked to the rise in anxiety as more and more self-help books are published with the aim of helping people with issues they may come across in their everyday lives. The publication of new lifestyle trends such as decluttering and sustainability reflect people’s anxieties about their environment and a desire to turn away from consumerism as a result of this. Non-fiction also offers an opportunity to control our environment which highlights the major advantage the genre holds over fiction. Non-fiction has the ability to bring about great change by educating its readers explicitly and on prevalent issues and can demonstrate how change can be made. This quality is largely missing from fiction works unless one reads between the lines or analyses every word choice, something which is just too time consuming.
“non-fiction allows its readers to boost skills and gain a deeper understanding of things going on in the world”
The rise of non-fiction can most certainly be linked to the growing competition among undergraduates and graduates. In a world where the route to success seemingly involves obtaining the most qualifications, skills and topical knowledge, non-fiction seems to be the more valuable choice. The drive to get ahead is leading to an environment where every opportunity to get ahead is taken, and the competition is never forgotten. The rise in popularity of non-fiction is evidently linked to the social world in which we inhabit, however, as a society we must endeavour not to lose the enjoyment which accompanies reading.
