The highest-value entertainment out there

The economics of buying and reading a book are amazing. 

A $25 self-development book with even just one simple actionable insight can help the reader make 10x-1000x that amount in their lifetime. 

A $30 novel provides 15-50 hours of entertainment and escape, which crushes a movie ticket or a sports game in value per hour. 

Ramit Sethi once said, “If you're ‘thinking about’ buying a book, just buy it. Don't waste 5 seconds debating. Even 1 idea makes it worth it.” I heard this advice a few years ago, and my book buying habit was kicked into overdrive. I’m glad I listened, because I’ve learned so much since then (and my bookshelf is a great backdrop in my videos). 

The key to unlock this economical treasure trove is emotional investment. If the same insight found in the book is given to you in a short 15-second TikTok, it doesn’t hit the same. It doesn’t sink in. It’s the investment of time spent reading that convinces people the actionable advice is worth listening to. Getting past the first 100 pages of character development in a novel before the action really ramps up is hard. But once you get over the hump, there are few things as wonderful as being taken by a good story. 

What is the lesson here for other industries? How do we convince people to invest time and emotional energy into our products so they become more meaningful? Certainly attention spans are dwindling thanks to short form video content. Which makes it much harder. 

I’m still mulling this one over. Won’t you mull it over with me?