Perennial

*thousands being about 2,000, 100 murders per 100k which is very high... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_by_homicide_rate

And when I say I read fiction I mean just straight sci-fi/fantasy lol. Don't know much about occult/old books.

Thanks, we'll see if I stick around :P. I'm really not sure about your points because honestly, I don't know much about non-fiction. I read a lot more fiction, where it is the more niche genre books that seem to be doing great (romance, sci-fi, fantasy, etc).

Of all the places to have a self-publishing vs traditional discussion, I didn't think it'd be here. Are there way worse books being published? Probably, but there are also a lot more people starting to write who will eventually become great writers because of the opportunity that self-publishing allows by having less gatekeeping. Physical book sales may have dropped, but ebooks and especially audiobooks have grown a ton in sales.