People Zig and Zag in Their Book Reading Habits

According to Pew Research Center, 75 percent of adults have read at least one book in the past year, and print books still remain the most popular format. But since 2019, there has been an uptick in readers of digital books and there has also been an increase in audio book consumption. For example, 53 percent of people in the United States have listened to an audio book.

Because people listen to and read books in a variety in ways and in all kinds of circumstances—while working out, while driving or stuck in traffic, while standing in lines and using their phones and apps, while walking their dogs, and while sitting in bed or a chair “officially” reading, to name a few, it’s important for authors and publishers to release titles in every format. This gives readers a choice and a way to engage with a book that fits best into their lives.

In The Zig Zag Principle, second edition, published in August 2024 by Mountain Grabbers Press, Rich Christiansen expounds the virtues of not traveling a straight course down a mountainside, when running a business, and in the ways we relate to others—in basically all facets of our lives. “Just like people can zig and zag between acquiring knowledge and going on an adventure with characters and an author by engaging with a hardback or paperback, an e-book, or an audio book—or all four—we can get so much more from our businesses and our lives by being willing to take detours and pivot, what I called strategic flexibility and resourceful planning.”

Christiansen has zigged and zagged through the launching and running of 51 businesses and the writing and publishing of five books (including the original edition of The Zig Zag Principle that became a Wall Street Journal bestseller back when it was released in 2011). But it wasn’t until this latest release of the second edition of The Zig Zag Principle (and his forthcoming book BlindSighted, to be published in October 2024) that he embraced the idea of releasing a book in all possible formats so readers can zig and zag between them to their heart’s content. And he even narrated the book himself.

While The Zig Zag print and ebooks were published last month, The Zig Zag audiobook was released last week everywhere you get your audiobooks, including AudioBookstore, GooglePlay, and Audible.

“I want people to be able to read or listen to my books wherever they are,” Christiansen said. “I do a lot of driving and appreciate when I can listen to my favorite authors while I am in my car or traveling. I want to be able to help readers and the people I mentor ignite flow in their businesses and in their lives.”