Tuesday, October 31, 2023

GET ME REWRITE: Banning books only makes them more popular with readers

 

Researchers obtained book circulation data from a large library content and services supplier to major public and academic libraries in the United States; their data set contained more than 17,000 titles, including over 1,500 that were banned, as identified by 2021 and 2022 lists from the American Library Association and PEN America. The study’s goal was to determine what effect book bans by local schools and state bodies had on demand for the banned books. Among the study’s findings: 
Circulations of banned books increased 12% on average compared to similar non-banned titles after the ban. [emphasis added]
Banning a book in one state led to an 11% increase in circulation of the book in states of different political leanings that did not ban the book; this increase often featured books by lesser-known authors, suggesting that new and relatively unknown authors gained from rise in consumer support. 
Banned books with high visibility on social media saw increased readership, indicative of social media-driven political consumerism. Efforts to transform book bans into a political issue—which the authors of the study define as politicization—tended to increase the amount of donations received by Republican House candidates relative to those received by Democratic House candidates, but only in Republican-leaning states.

Related posts: 
What's the matter with Iowa?  Kimmi the Clown's censorship binge.  (10/20/2023)
Tender Sensibilities:  American Enterprise Institute clown freaks out over use of the word 'penis' in a memoir!  (9/13/2023)  Just like someone else I know.
What's the matter with Iowa?  GOP hypocrisy and Kimmi the Clown's crackpot education policies.  (8/10/2023)

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