I’ve always loved books. For as long as I can remember, books — and by extension, writers — have belonged to a special category. A superior, almost mystical one (yes, totally subjective, but still).

You can imagine my admiration for those who can make me travel into worlds they’ve built from scratch. Those who made me fall in love with Mr. Darcy and other iconic characters. Those who moved me to tears so deeply that I’ve reread certain passages, written so poetically, again and again. Something happens when I read a book: I feel like I’m connecting to an intimate part of whoever wrote it.

I always thought there had to be “something more” to write a book — that it was some sacred act reserved for the chosen few (yes, my naïveté can be baffling). But a few years ago, I realized you don’t need to be Jane Austen or Shakespeare to write a book. Far from it. And let me tell you, it was a cold shower.

So: can anyone really write books? How do we judge the quality of what gets published? And who decides who today’s and tomorrow’s authors really are?

Let’s start with a bit of economic context, because yes — in this case, money is the heart of the matter.

An Industry in Crisis: What Does It Change?

For about fifteen years now, everyone’s been predicting the death of paper books. While predictions of their complete extinction turned out to be exaggerated, the species — a bit too quickly condemned — has clearly mutated enough to survive in a hostile environment.

I won’t bore you with details, but let’s just say the pandemic actually had a positive impact on the book industry, bringing it back to pre-2020 performance levels. (If you’re curious, I’ll let you dive deeper into the topic here.)

Naturally, I went digging into formats other than paper (hi there, paper shortage — we all forgot about you, but your scars remain). I found this report (summarized here) that shows how our consumption habits are evolving.

👉 If you read a lot, live in a small space, and your partner reads even more than you do, trust me when I say an e-reader becomes essential — even if, yes, my shelves are still overflowing.

It’s also interesting to note that after the decline of large bookstores that dominated second-hand sales, online businesses like Momox or Recyclivre (the French version) are booming. But that’s another article (maybe).

“The French spend an average of 41 minutes a day reading books (4h47 a week), compared to 3h14 a day (22h38 a week) on screens for everything else.”
— CNL, Les Français et la lecture 2023

The Race for Profit

Books are now competing against brutal attention-grabbers. Many readers spend hours on BookTok (the corner of TikTok entirely devoted to books). But here’s the paradox: all that time spent watching book content isn’t time spent actually reading.

For publishers, the challenge isn’t just to find the next Hemingway anymore. It’s also about surviving the influencer economy. They now hunt for personalities with the perfect mix: a trendy topic, a highly engaged online community, and a willingness to accept a deal (usually disastrous for the author).

And that’s how your favorite influencers end up on bookstore shelves. We end up with books of often questionable quality, with themes dictated by publishers chasing revenue. Great for their margins — but what about quality?

Quality is no longer the priority. Whether it’s writing, paper choice, cover design, editing, or even proper footnotes to support arguments — basics are too often missing.

The “practical book” by the latest internet star is to literature what a clickbait article in a gossip magazine is to Pulitzer-winning journalism.

Experts Everywhere: Truth or Scam?

What bothers me most about influencers being perceived as “experts” — rightly or wrongly — is that their supposed expertise often comes directly from their audience size.

And honestly? I could easily list ten people with massive followings who are not experts. Some are straight-up scammers.

The problem is: when you’re looking for expertise in a field you don’t know well, you’re already vulnerable. And while the internet can be a blessing, it’s also a curse. Most users don’t check sources. Many stop at the first search results. Worse — they use social media as their search engine.

The result? Books written by these self-proclaimed experts flood the market. And the vicious cycle continues.

Take wellness and esotericism, for example. The explosion of independent publishing houses in these niches is both exciting and dangerous. Why? Because they’re publishing anything and everything. And if no publisher wants you? Don’t worry — self-publishing has your back.

Self-Publishing: Savior or Wild West?

Self-publishing has been a lifeline for many talented authors shut out by traditional publishers. But it has also unleashed a wave of books filled with questionable information.

No sector is spared: health, wellness, business, relationships… it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet.

I’m not saying writing should be reserved for an elite. Far from it. What I am saying is that both publishers and authors have a responsibility to their readers.

If I buy a science book, I don’t want to read that the Earth is flat. And if I buy a business book, I don’t want advice from Susan who never actually thought about her business model — she just outsourced everything. I want the insights from the expert she outsourced to.

Ghostwriting: The Most Bitter Pill

And now, the part I dislike most.

Since publishers increasingly chase personalities whose main job is marketing themselves online, we end up with books by people who don’t know how to write.

That’s where ghostwriters come in: junior editors, assistants, freelancers writing huge chunks of these “practical books.” The result? Messages that feel watered down, with no real voice or expertise behind them.

The perfect recipe for mediocrity.

A Bit of Hope

That said, there are still talented, serious people out there — some published traditionally, some self-published.

The real point of this article? To remind you to choose carefully what you consume — especially when it comes to practical or specialized books. I still get fooled sometimes myself…

Happy reading.