Amid gloomy forecasts about the industry’s future – and speculation about whether it is doomed to the same fate as one-seemed-to-fall-everyday newspapers – comes good news from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The NEA recently reported a survey that found American adults are reading more literature than before. “At a time of immense cultural pessimism, the NEA is pleased to announce some important news,” said NEA Chairman Dana Gioia. “Literary reading has risen in the U.S. for the first time in a quarter century.”

Even more telling, according to the study, is that young adults, age 18 to 24, showed the most rapid increase in literary reading. And consider this tidbit: 15% of American adults reported reading a literary book online.

Maybe Kindle will rescue Knopf.

Details here [6].