At Digital Book World’s Discoverability and Marketing event yesterday in New York City, ISBN powerhouse Bowker had this to say about how people buy books:

“Last year, nearly 50% of consumers altered their book-buying behavior, according Bowker’s v-p of publishing services Kelly Gallagher, who estimated that 39% of books are sold online and “people discover new books in up to 44 different ways,” DBW reported, adding that despite the ongoing upheaval in the book trade, one constant remains–‘in-person, personal recommendations are the No. 1 way people discover books, no matter who they are or how they read.'”

You can read the whole article courtesy of bookseller authority Shelf Awareness.

There’s also a nice little squib about how poet and writer Lawrence Ferlinghetti started City Lights Books in San Francisco back in the 60s.