Paper Books are Alive and Well!

I was looking at my recent book sales and saw that a vast majority of them were e-books. Was the oft predicted demise of traditional books upon us?  Luckily, I keep good records of my book sales and noticed January had traditionally been a poor month for printed book sales. January had also been a blockbuster month for e-books. I surmise that it's all the fault of Christmas. Many avid readers of printed books received over a month's supply of the old fashioned variety on Christmas and were not yet in the market to buy new reading material. On the other hand, e-reader enthusiasts got new devices and gift cards for Christmas, so they went on a buying spree.

Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Here's a popular television ad that kinda backs me up that paper will be around for a while longer.



 The ad reminds me of the old joke that the paperless office will arrive just after the paperless bathroom.

The Western in Advertising

Westerns were hugely popular for over a hundred years. Not only were they popular in the United States, but the whole world devoured them. Recently, my brother bought a book about Chinese firecracker art. (He’s an art professor who likes quirky design.) He sent me a couple vintage images with cowboys. It started me thinking about advertising with a Western Theme. Once common, it’s a bit rarer today. There were some clever concepts … and some not so clever.

I put up a Pinterest Board with some examples.

The Western used to be a staple of advertising ... and fiction, movies, television, and daydreams. It will be again.